Jerry Robillard
Well-Known Member
I think it was in about the spring of 1964 that I asked my pregnant wife if she would like to go with me to Yosemite National Park. I had recently acquired a new Rolleiflex and had finished my darkroom in the garage, so I wanted to get some really good shots. She agreed, so we rented a travel trailer (caravan for you Europeans). In those years Yosemite was not crowded and especially in the spring. It was cold and snowed for two days. One afternoon, when the light was terrible, we wandered around the village looking into the shops. My wife was more interested in women things, so I walked into a photo shop. I was absolutely blown away by the prints that were all over the place. They hung on the walls and on scattered around the shop. They were huge and magnificent. The guy came out from the back room and began a conversation. He showed me some of the books he had written as well as the photographs and how they were made. He saw that I had my Rollei hanging from my nexk, and asked how I liked it. He looked to see if he could find a print made from his Rollei, but they were all from view cameras. There was no one in the shop for the half hour I spent there, so we were engaged the full time. He asked it I was a professional photographer. I told him that I was a police officer. He was interested. I could not afford any of his prints, but I bought a couple of his books (The Negative and I think, The Zone System) and left. I had never heard of Ansel Adams before that day.
In about 1982 or 83, I was in Monterey, California on business, and saw a notice the Ansel Adams was having a showing of his work. I made arrangements to go. The show was a little disappointing because it was a slide show narrated by a young woman. I was expecting to see his actual prints. As the show ended, she announced that Mr. Adams was in the theater and would be signing books and prints. It was a huge line that must have taken me a half an hour to get to the desk where he was signing (I still could not afford his prints). I said hello, then told him that we had met in his shop in Yosemite twenty years ago. He looked at me carefully and said, "You were that policeman with the Rollieflex." I was shocked that he remembered, and even more shocked that he continued to converse with impatient people waiting in line. He was a very gracious and elegant man. He behaved just as he had that day in Yosemite except now he was the world-famous artist. I know that I must have said things to him, but I couldn't remember a thing that I said an hour later. I know that I wanted to tell him what an inspiration he had been for me, and how I spent the rest of my Yosemite vacation taking photographs that mimicked his style, but I don't think that I did! He was very frail, and he died the following year or so. I personally felt very sad about that.
In about 1982 or 83, I was in Monterey, California on business, and saw a notice the Ansel Adams was having a showing of his work. I made arrangements to go. The show was a little disappointing because it was a slide show narrated by a young woman. I was expecting to see his actual prints. As the show ended, she announced that Mr. Adams was in the theater and would be signing books and prints. It was a huge line that must have taken me a half an hour to get to the desk where he was signing (I still could not afford his prints). I said hello, then told him that we had met in his shop in Yosemite twenty years ago. He looked at me carefully and said, "You were that policeman with the Rollieflex." I was shocked that he remembered, and even more shocked that he continued to converse with impatient people waiting in line. He was a very gracious and elegant man. He behaved just as he had that day in Yosemite except now he was the world-famous artist. I know that I must have said things to him, but I couldn't remember a thing that I said an hour later. I know that I wanted to tell him what an inspiration he had been for me, and how I spent the rest of my Yosemite vacation taking photographs that mimicked his style, but I don't think that I did! He was very frail, and he died the following year or so. I personally felt very sad about that.
