Tech notes on Moon and Half Dome:
Noting Ansel's tripod spot for the 1960 photo, it might strike some as odd that he chose a spot at the eastern edge of the meadow, and so close to the trees. The reality is, except for the voluminous work he did in the back country of the Sierra, he never worked very far from his car. In 1960, there was a road crossing the Ahwahnee Meadow (you can see the diagonal line just east of the yellow dot) and it would be virtually certain that the car was only paces away from where he was working. Further, the area east of the road was still mostly meadow - the trees have encroached in the intervening years.
Aside: In Ansel's wonderful and enlightening book
Examples, The Making of Forty Photographs, Ansel stated that the image was made on Kodak Panatomic-X film. The edge of the film, however clearly states that it is Adox R17. Similar speed film, but not Kodak.
This piece of film brings up another issue for those of us working with 120 roll film. Note the light leaks at the edges; Ansel very nearly lost this magnificent image due to the film not being tightly wound on the spool. I highly recommend keeping a roll of black masking or electrical tape in your camera bag. When changing the film, always do so in the shade and immediately wrap both ends of the spool with the tape. It works for me.
Always remember, the Oh! Zone must be preserved!
Alan
