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Group f/64
In 1930, Adams met photographer Paul Strand (1890–1976) in Taos, New Mexico. Strand’s technically flawless negatives and sharp focus convinced Adams to give up the previous soft-focus and romantic style for good. From that time on, he produced only carefully composed and sharply focused prints with the widest possible range of tones. Two years later, Adams and seven photographers from the San Francisco Bay Area, including Edward Weston, formed Group f/64. The name refers to the smallest setting of a camera lens opening that produces maximum sharpness and range of focus. With innovative photographs that were tonally rich, sharply focused, and printed on glossy papers, the members of Group f/64 were pioneers of the so-called “straight photography” movement on the West Coast.  Adams described this photograph of a rose, freshly picked from his mother’s garden, as a visual exploration of “the small and commonplace.” He was intrigued by the contrast between the delicate pattern of the pale rose petals and the dark grain of the wood. Ansel Adams, American; Rose and Driftwood, San Francisco, ca. 1932; gelatin silver print. The Lane Collection. ©2007 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust. Left corner image: Ansel Adams, American; Eagle Dance, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico, 1929; gelatin silver print. The Lane Collection. ©2007 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust. |