We arrived in Carmel late in the day and found Ansel's house without much trouble. I knocked on his door and his wife, Virginia answered. I had Jane by my side and I am sure that put Mrs. Adam's at ease (remember what I looked like back then).
I had my portfolio with me and Ansel joined Virginia at the front door and invited us in. He was just finishing up some printing in his darkroom and dinner was about an hour or so away. We were invited in and, over drinks, I showed him my work. He took me into his darkroom and we talked about the Zone System and my attempt to use it in a photojournalistic setting. He realized the limitations of my 35mm format but his critique of both my subject matter, composure, and print quality was encouraging. We agreed to meet the next day and then Jane and I headed off to find a place to sleep...either in the VW or treat ourselves to a motel room with an actual shower. Over the next few years I photographed, worked many different jobs to support us and my photography, and returned to visit Ansel in Carmel and attended his workshops in Yosemite. I met Ansel's contemporaries and formed friendships with Morley Baer, Phillip Hyde, Roger Minick, Willard Van Dyke, Brett Weston, and others. I traded for and purchased their photographs worth little or nothing back in the day. Ultimately, Ansel and Morley wrote me letters of recommendation for my admission into a Master's of Fine Arts program in photography.
I had already earned a Master's Degree in Psychology, and a Master's Degree in Mental Retardation and Varying Exceptionalities..and we didn't have two nickels to rub together. (to be continued)
PHOTOGRAPHS I TRADED FOR OR PURCHASED circa 1974-1979
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