Ansel Adams: JeffreyPine tree at Yosemite Park

This was my first colorization of an Ansel Adams photo - his 1940 print of the famous Jeffrey Pine tree on Sentinel Dome at Yosemite Park that has been photographed by countless photo enthusiasts and tourists over the years, A clear specimen of the artistry of nature shaping an already beautiful tree. Sadly, this Yosemite landmark tree no longer exists. The tree died in a prolonged California drought in 1976 /77 but survived as a leafless stump for almost 30 more years before it finally fell in 2003.

The true before and after the drought that killed it. 

Ansel Adams : Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite Valley, California, 1944

Here's my colorized take on the famous Yosemite valley right after a winter storm. The trees were not as lush as his earlier shot on the same subject taken at the height of summer . I consider this more dramatic for the low cloud formation

Ansel Adams: Yosemite Falls

Colorized another Ansel Adams, the famous Yosemite Falls, a scenic gem for photography enthusiast /

Summer colors

Autumn Colors

Putting colors back to nature

It is said that color is the language of nature. So with all due respect to great B&W photographers like Ansel Adams and John Setton, among others, who produced some of the loveliest nature shots in monochrome, I am attempting to bring back the ciolors to what they must have seen with their eyes prior clicking the camera shutter button. 

Here is my colorized Ansel Adams photo of his 1942 print of a Driftwood from the Mural Project 1941-1942, Jackson Lake and Teton Range in background. 

Ansel Adams photos are so well detailed that they lend themselves nicely to colorization. Kodachrome color film was already widely used during his time but accdg to his son Michael, he confessed he did not have the control he needed to really capture the colors of reality as he saw it. Despite taking over 3,500 color photos, Ansel considered color photography as still immature. B&W films gave him more control and accdg to his son, Ansel would have loved using post-production Adobe Photoshop to correct colors, contrast and other elements in a color photo. That would be in the province of colorization as well. AA died in 1984 when digital photography was yet unheard of.

Ansel Adams, Viine and Rocks, Hawaii, 1948. Colorized by Alex Y. Lim

Colorized a photo of vines and rocks by Ansel Adams, Hawaii, 1948,

Ansel Adams, Trailer Camp Children, 1944. Colorized by Alex Y. Lim

Colorized a photo by Ansel Adams, Trailer Camp Children, 1944, on assignment with Dorothea Lange for Fortune in San Joaquin Valley, CA sold at Christie’s in 2000 for $8,225.  A relatively rare photo from Ansel known for his nature photographs. 

Ansel Adams, Juniper Tree in Sierra Nevada, 1938 colorized by Alex Y. Lim

Colorized a 1938 Ansel Adams photo of a Juniper Tree at Sierra Nevada.

Ansel Adams Close-up of leaves at the Glacier National Park, 1942 colorized by Alex Y. Lim

Colorized one of the many photos of Ansel depicting leaves up close.  Used some liberties for a mix of autumn colors.

Ansel Adams. Mount Clarence King, Kings Canyon National Park, 1924 colorized by Alex Y. Lim

Colorized a 1924 photo fo Mount Clarence King, Kings at the  Canyon National Park, California.

Ansel Adams, Trees and Cliffs, 1954, colorized by Alex Y. Lim

One of the earliest photos of Ansel Adams, trees and cliffs at the Yosemite National Park, 1954.

Ansel Adams, Nevada falls, with rainbow, colorized by Alex Y. Lim

Colorized Ansel Adams photo of Nevada falls, Yosemite National Park, 1946.  The photo clealry suggest a rainbow was formed at the time of the photo shoot.

Ansel Adams, Yosemite Fall, Yosemite Valley, CA, colorized by Alex Y. Lim

Colorized an early Ansel Adams photo of the Yosemite Fall, the first of 10 or so cataracts one encounters when entering the Yosemite Valley.

Ansel Adams: Tenaya Creek, Dogwood Rain, 1948

Colorized this 1948 photo of Tenaya Creek in Dogwood Rain, Yosemite National Park by Ansel Adams. The original is among the most valued in the Ansel Adams collection, fetching a standard price of $15,000 from a number of collectors and onsite curators.

Aspect ratio of the photo altered for a widescreen display. I remember right, this was first donloaded from a side offering b&w wallpaper for widescreen display.

A tribute to Ansel Adams Yosemite Park by Alex Ibasco, 2016

Colorized a tribute photo by Alex Ibasco simulating the same angle and timing on the 1960 work of Ansel Adams that has become iconic in representing the Yosemite Park valley, falls, and meadows.

Ansel Adams, Moon and half dome, 1960, colorized by Alex Y. Lim

Colorized a well-known photo by Ansel Adams printed in 1960 from a gelatin-silver negative. Ansel Adams captured the image at 4:14 in the the afternoon of December 28, 1960 with a Hasselblad camera and 250mm Zeiss Sonnar lens, releasing the mirror before operating the shutter to minimize vibration. It was one of his last well known photographs. Arguably, this is the definitive photograph of Half Dome and among the most famous images of Yosemite National Park . Colorized using creative liberties in casting an orange glow to the rock facade assuming that the half dome was facing sunset light opposite the rising moon. 

Ansel Adams: Driftwood on Siesta Lake, Yosemite, 1963, colorized by Alex Y. Lim

Colorized a vintage photo of a driftwood on Siesta Lake at Yosemite Park, CA, printed in 1963 from a 1958 gelatin-silver negative by Ansel Adams.

Ansel Adams (1902 - 1984), colorized from a photo by J. Malcolm Greany, ca 1950

John Malcoln Greany (1915 – 1999) was an American nature photographer and friend of Ansel Adams who made positive influence in his career as a photographer. In 1936 he went to Juneau, Alaska, joining Alaska explorer and promoter Bernard R. Hubbard on an expedition along the Taku River. Greany settled in Juneau in 1938 following his marriage to his wife Irene. During World War II he worked for the U.S. Army as a photographer. His photographs of the inhabitants of Attu Island in 1941 represent the last and virtually the only documentation of life on the island, since the inhabitants of Attu were deported when it was occupied by Japanese forces, and they never returned. After the war Greany worked for public agencies in Alaska and later for the U.S. Forest Service in Montana. His photographs appeared in Time and National Geographic. Greany was a friend of Ansel Adams, with whom he collaborated. (From Wikipedia Commons).

Ansel Adams, Clearing Storm at Yosemite Valley, CA, 1944

Colorized 1944 photo of  Yosemite Valley, California, under a clearing winter storm by Ansel Adams.

Ansel Adams, Canyon de Chelly, AZ, 1937

My first colorized photo of Ansel Adams. Quite simple and easy.  I just used 5 photoshop layers - 3 shades of tangerine or orange, and 2 shades of green for the Canon de Chelly in AZ, 1937.

Ansel Adams, portrait of fellow photographer Edward Weston at Carmel Highlands, 1945

Colorized an Ansel Adams photo of his friend and fwllo photographer Edwrd Weston taken at Carmel Highlands, CA in 1945.  Not sure what the tree trunk behind is, could a Sequoia or a redwood.