When I learned about photography, it was with Black & White film. I learned everything there was to know about Black & White photography, all the way to mixing the chemistry to develop the film and the prints. So it should come as no surprise to anyone that I may have some small bias when it comes to viewing black and white photos. Be that as it may, and regardless of that fact, I would like to give my opinion about this particular photo by Ansel Adams.
In short, Ansel Adams was an artist when it came to photography. To take the sort of pictures he did took more than talent. To convey the emotions that I find evident in his photos took a gift that is rare indeed. Even though I have seen color photos by Mr. Adams, I’m drawn to his work with black and white film. I believe black and white film to be the better medium. For a very long time, I have felt that a photograph taken with Black and White film makes it more real than if it were in Color. It shows a starkness that can never be seen with a color photograph. And when you have the opportunity to take a photograph of something like “Church, Taos Pueblo National Historic Landmark New Mexico” I feel it can only truly be appreciated in Black and White.
Maybe it’s just me, but when I look at this picture, I get a sense of loneliness. I can almost feel the oppressive heat, beating down on the sands. I can hear the silence of the surroundings. Everything seems more real in this picture. I can truly feel like I’m there. I can imagine walking through that first entryway, feeling the roughness of the wall. Then, after I step through, I make my way to my right, to take advantage of the shadow of the building.
Yes, if this picture were in color there are details, and other aspects that would be seen a lot better, but there are many things that can be done with a black and white photo that I do not think can be done with color. For instance, if I had the negative for this photo, and access to a darkroom, then I could play around with the exposure and bring out the stained-glass window that’s below the belfry. I would see if I could bring forth what lies in the shadows. If this photo had been in color, the roughness of the walls, and the crudeness that can be seen in the crosses would be lost. When you look at this photo, you might wonder, “Is the sun rising, or is it setting?” In a color photo, we may have been able to figure it out, but in this photo, it doesn’t really matter. A black and white photo makes what we are looking at seem timeless.
I do have a few qualms about this picture. I wish I could see other angles. Whenever I take a picture of something, the first thing I do is wonder if it would make a good picture. The next thing I do is take as many as I can to get a good feel for the subject. Once I get a good feeling for the subject, I’m able to get a sense of which picture I’ve taken is the best of the lot. Sometimes I’m able to get a sense of it from the first glance. In the case of this subject, I wish I could’ve been there. I’d like to be able to see the main door of the church. I’d like to be able to see the interior. I’d like to be able to pass through that first entryway, turn around, and then see what can be seen through the doorway from that side. Can you imagine what a picture that would make? Okay, maybe it would just be a desert, but even a desert, given the right time of day, with whatever dunes there might be at the right height, it would be beautiful. In fact, even with no dunes at all, maybe just some scrubby plants and a few cacti, it would still be beautiful in its own way.
There is even something to be said of the beauty of the church itself. There is beauty in the simplicity of the structure. I also like that there is a lack of symmetry in the outer wall. If you look carefully, you will notice, as you face the wall, that the right side is not like the left. There is unevenness in the formation of the “steps”. And now that I look more closely, there is unevenness on the face of the wall as well.
Now don’t think I’m even presuming to be on par with someone like Ansel Adams, I’m not. I may “take good pictures”, and I may even “have a good eye”. But I’m not that good. I’m just saying what I see, and what I would do given the opportunity to be in that particular place, and being able to take a picture of that particular subject.
