Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonrise,_Hernandez,_New_Mexico
https://www.anseladams.com/a-halloween-story-moonrise-hernandez/
https://fineart.ha.com/itm/photographs/ansel-adams-american-1902-1984-moonrise-hernandez-new-mexico-1941gelatin-silver-late-1970s15-1-4-x/a/5272-73071.s

This is a question with no right or wrong answer. Just a personal reflection of a famous frame.
For the moment, set aside the photographer. Pretend he is nobody and the photo not famous.
Just focus on the photo and its visible qualities;

What is your own personal view and judgement?

Hopefully we hear from your heart and not just echo the bandwagon.
Points you may want to ponder on are:
1. Would you consider it a good photo? Why?
2. If otherwise, why not?
3. Any room for improvement? or
4. If it was your photo, how would you take it?

Again, there is no right or wrong answer, just a personal reflection on what you actually see or feel, and hopefully we hear from your heart and not echoing whatever you have read or heard about the photo.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

This photograph had at least two or three major identities throughout Mr. Adams's life, and was printed in an array of sizes and varying aspect ratios. I have come to prefer the wider portrayal, because to me, the story here is man's struggle to survive in the rugged and unforgiving environment of western New Mexico. The human presence in the photograph separates it from most of the rest of AA's most recognizable work.

While the perseverance and technical excellence that produced the photograph cannot be ignored, the story is what makes it "work."

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Several years ago at the Autrey Museum of the American West in Los Angeles, a wall-sized print of Moonrise was on display as part of the F64 exhibit.

I sat, viewing the print for about 1 hr, totally captivated by the balanced tones, the way his darkroom technique perfectly exposed the foreground and highlighted the moon as the main focal point. I tried sketching on my iPad, not because I wanted to recreate the image, but to understand what it meant to me as a Landscape Photographer.

On my absolute best day, I wish I could be 1/10th as capable as Adams.

buckwheat Loc: Clarkdale, AZ and Belen NM

I happened to be in the neighborhood a while back and stopped to see if I could come close. Alas, progress has moved in and the view is now blocked by a warehouse and other stuff. In a way I was sort of relieved, as I had no reason to embarrass myself with a shoddy attempt.

ClarkJohnson Loc: Fort Myers, FL and Cohasset, MA

Great topic! I confess to have no deep thoughts on the picture as I had never gotten beyond the superficial “that’s nice” phase. Studying the image more closely brings up a number of comments and observations that could take a while to sort out. Looking forward to seeing what other Hoggers will say.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

No disrespect to the man, but I have always felt the Ansel's frame has more to do with clever marketing rather than his images. Do I think it a good photo? Yes, because it shows what post processing can do for an otherwise average image.

whfowle Loc: Tampa first, now Albuquerque

I have a large copy of this photo in my home. I have always felt this was a photo that needed to be shown very large. It loses a lot when viewed on a small screen or magazine size. It is also something I would never consider taking myself. I think it comes from a time when large format cameras like a 4x5 or 8x10 were popular. From what I have read, I understand what caught Ansel's eye was the reflection of light off the crosses. When I study Ansel's work, I come to a conclusion that he was very detail oriented and the smallest touch was important to him in every frame he exposed.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I hope the majority of you know that this image was badly underexposed because Mr. Adams forgot to bring an exposure meter with him so he calculated the exposure. This is what I know and I cannot say if that was true.
Although it is one of his most famous images in my humble opinion it is not his best although I saw the original and was in awe with its tonalities, the hallmark of Mr. Adams. The cemetery caught my eye, such a big cemetery for what seems as a small community.
Such a small village in the middle of nowhere and I wonder how much it was known at the time. Could not be his best but it is still a very beautiful, intriguing photograph.

I moved the moon to the right as per my taste, modern technology I will call it.

George Limle

I like yours!

SkyKing Loc: Thompson Ridge, NY

…here we go…(I feel like I’m jumping into a big puddle)…
…the moon is too small and must have appeared much larger to the human eye…?

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

1. Would you consider it a good photo? Why?
Yes. It is visually interesting

4. If it was your photo, how would you take it?
Simple, I'd meter for the shadows and place them in Zone III. This would determine my exposure. I would then meter for the brightest part of the scene and place that in Zone VIII. That would, ideally, determine my processing time. That is if the film had the latitude to handle that range of illumination. If it didn't, I'd start making some compromises to stay within the capabilities of the film on hand.

However, your second question is rather shallow. To quote Ansel Adams, "You don't take a photograph, you make it." So, it would be better to ask, "How would you accomplish this photograph?"
--Bob

BigDaddy Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Ditto.
My personal feeling is if this were my picture and I posted it on UHH, few would look at it for more than 3 seconds, and those that did would give critiques on all that was wrong with the picture, and how it could be improved.

I think many of them would be right, and I'd thank them for their time and effort, and try to do better next time...

Granted, photo equipment and post processing has improved tremendously since this photo was taken and processed, and the composition is pretty darn good, but by todays standards it's just not "all that." The fact that it appears no one agrees with me doesn't deter my opinion.

pendennis

I'm in the camp which thinks it's a somewhat so-so photo. Not that a great amount of time went into making the image what it is, but it just doesn't "float my boat". He made any number of images of scenes which I find far more attractive, and more visually "grabbing".

It's more-or-less a spur-of-the-moment shot, even though there were a lot of mental calculations made in a hurry so as not to miss the moment. It is a great example of how his mind could rapidly calculate the needed exposure, and not even using a meter!

As I mentioned in this thread: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-736656-1.html , I attended a seminar conducted by Mr. Adams in 1969, and as I recall, he didn't spend a lot of time commenting on "Moonrise...".

One of my favorites is "Moon and Half Dome".

srt101fan

First, kudos to you, Wallen, for starting this topic. You ask about a specific image, but underlying that is the larger topic of how we view and react to a photograph, or, for that matter, how we respond to any artistic creation.

I have mixed feelings about "Moonrise", as I have about most of the Adams photographs I've seen. (Full disclosure: I haven't seen that many and only one "original" - an uninspiring landscape at the Phillips Gallery in Washington, D.C. I do believe that the size of a print and the viewing distance can greatly affect our appreciation of his works.)

I have deep admiration for Adams' craftsmanship. He was a superb manipulator of greyscale tones and creator of beautiful black & white images, almost in an "abstract" sense. And that is plenty enjoyment for me. But they seem to lack something. Maybe they are too static for me, too sterile, too lacking in "soul", or mood, or emotional content.

I find Larry's comments very interesting. I understand his interpretation of the story in " Moonrise" but can't quite find that story in the picture. But, art is subjective, and the best art can stir a viewer's imagination and allow us moments not only of enjoyment but also contemplation.

MDI Mainer

UHH member rmalraz recently posted an interesting letter from Adams regarding Moonrise.

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-736656-1.html

My personal favorite is Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite Valley. I have a large print of it from the Adams Gallery (c. 1962) hanging in my office (which I bought a few years ago at a thrift shop for $5.00 framed; inexplicably it was on sale - had been $10.00).