Adams: The Birth of 40 Works (22)
St. Francis Church
St. Francis Church
(Taken in Rancho Detas, New Mexico circa 1929)
This image is included in my 1930 publication The book titled "Tas Indian Village" originally contained 12 photos. The book was republished in a facsimile in 1977. This church is not actually in the Indian village, but in a small settlement called Ranchos delta a few miles south of the village, where Mexican-Americans live. Even so, Mary Austin, who wrote the text for the book, felt it was understandable to include the photo because of the church's significance to the entire region. This church was built in 1776.
I first saw the Rancho del Pagoda Church with my own eyes in 1927 (unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures at the time). Before that, I had never seen any photos of it and had no impression of its grandeur. The front of the church leaves a deep impression on people: two tall and strong towers and a 19th-century Gothic arch, coupled with a small desolate cemetery surrounded by low walls, the entire design and structure are rigorous and yet Simple. It is the superb design of the rear of this building that has led the country to designate this building as one of the outstanding architectural monuments of the United States. Many painters and photographers have represented it, and I cannot remain indifferent to its grandeur. The building is not actually big, it just looks big. Its shape is completely designed from a practical point of view; the huge buttresses at the back and the indirect buttresses on the left are related to the brick-making mounds. The entire church looks like a mound out of the ground, rather than like a building rising from the ground. .
I took no important pictures in New Mexico in 1927 because the trip was short. In 1928 and 1929 I started using the 6½ x 8½ and the 8½ inch Tessai lenses that I used for The Rock and Hav Dome. In the early days, many of my works were shot with orthochromatic film (sensitive only to blue and green light). This photo was taken at two or three o'clock in the afternoon without any filter. So the blue sky appears very bright and the shadows appear soft. My exposure went well. I was new to the sunlight in the highlands of the American West, and many of my early photos were overexposed.
Capturing this image is an experience of light in itself. At that time I was aware of the properties of light, but could not relate it to photographs. A certain intuitive impression makes this photo possible. I had shot many images in this area using a yellow filter (or a red filter if using panchromatic film), but this time a well-meaning person privately said "you can do without the filter" and I followed suit. Darker skies will reduce the light perception, and photos with strong contrast will also damage the inherent luster of the subject itself.
The photos that accompany the book "Tass Indian Village" were produced on special Darsonville photographic paper. We are going to print this book on high-grade paper made from cotton and linen pulp. The paper was produced in New England specifically for this publishing program. Half of the paper was sent to Grabhorn Printing House to print the text, and the other half was sent to Will Dasonville to be coated with photosensitive emulsion to make photographic paper, which was then used to print photographs. The quality of the produced photo paper is very good and can show rich light and dark levels, especially when using Amido developer, the effect is better.
Will Darsonville is an excellent photographer. He was considered a painter, but he did not often express his views on painting during his life. He took many good photos that attracted people's attention. In his later years, he switched careers to producing photographic paper. His business was prosperous until glossy photo paper took over the market. After the ideas of the Painting School became obsolete, Will Dasonville had to close his factory. This is truly a regrettable loss. Dasonville photo paper can produce black tones like carbon black. I've never seen photo paper with that kind of properties.He suggested using Amido as the developer of and , and introduced the experimentally proven washing method and fixing formula for stopping development. He also advocated thorough washing.
The 12 photos bound into the book "Tas Indian Village" have not faded for a long time. At that time, I didn't understand the selenium salt color matching method. Because Darsonville's emulsion was only silver bromide, it was impossible to tint any colors with selenium. Toning will keep the color from fading for a long time, but we didn't know this step at the time, although it was already documented in books. There were countless formulas, many formulated using chemicals in bathtubs, and a variety of secret development procedures, but only a few were effective. Looking back, many people at that time were looking for new recipes as hard as they were looking for alchemy. However, only those photos that are extremely beautiful can be included among the representative works of each period of photographic art. Just like us today, not all of the photos people took were great, and most if not all of them were forgotten, or some were preserved simply because they were treasures.
Regarding the unfamiliar world around us, what process does vision and the brain use to select patterns, process various relationships, and combine them into expressible images? I still remember the process of taking this photo. After I subconsciously selected the film size and lens focal length, I seemed to know exactly where there was a space for the tripod . I did this without hesitation and without changing my shooting position. The image is almost in an ideal position on frosted glass . To complete the composition, simply adjust the camera slightly to level it and raise the lens an inch. We should not deny the role of intuition, or be hesitant to follow its implications. I find that when I have to expend energy chasing composition alone, I rarely achieve the effect I'm after. Of course, I don't rule out careful adjustments to distance and positioning. And make necessary adjustments to the arrangement of images.
It seems that the human brain is like a constantly running blender. It mixes situations, elements, relationships and concepts for analysis and synthesis, reacts to incoming information and generates emotions. The artist believes that the two processes of intelligence and creative vision are very important. There is no room for consciously adopting a reflective attitude at critical moments in the moment of inspiring creative expression, but this attitude should be reserved for later, when the work is completed.
Ansel Adams
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