Ansel Adams is one of the most admired and respected photographers of all time. His technique with film in the field and in the darkroom helped advance photography in many ways. However, Mr. Adams never had the chance to explore the digital age since he died back in 1984. I frequently wonder how he would have used digital cameras today and how he would post process images in Photoshop or Lightroom.

Here is a quote from Mr. Adams that was used in the book “Ansel Adams in Color”:

“As ‘reality’ is out of the question, I can indulge myself with the explorations of the ‘unreal’ color which may or may not have intriguing aesthetic effects. I would not want ‘post card’ realism, but I would enjoy ‘enhancements’ of the colors which I fear is not possible with conventional materials today…. The scope of control with the electronic image has not been explored, but I feel confident astonishing developments await us in this area.”

I have no doubt Mr. Adams would have changed the digital age completely with his own ideas on how to use today’s post processing options. Would he have used HDR? Would he have his own special edition of Photoshop? Or would he have created his own software that would out rival Adobe in all respects? These are questions that will never be answered, but great to think about.