Landscapes Ray McSavaney

winter snowstorm, yosemite valley, 1973,

by ray mcsavaney

john sexton, fellow ovpw co-director, states value of revisiting potential subject resulting insights produces. notes in elegant book ‘quiet light’, “trying make photographs can speak takes time. seldom visit place first time , make photographs find meaningful”. both mcsavaney , sexton, other masters, far being in rut-like repetitive visits scene, found effective if not essential in making memorable photographs. more other rubric, mcsavaney wanted make meaningful photographs. no doubt, both mcsavaney , sexton had 1 of adams pithy observations in mind, easy take photograph, harder make masterpiece in photography in other art medium.

in book, “west of eden”, david robertson assessed mcsavaney’s work in yosemite “falls 2 periods . in mid-70s, reacted valley’s “more quiet , somber moods”. less decade later, after honing skills on urban uniroyal tire factory , bunker hills redevelopment series, mcsavaney began show yosemite in more dramatic moods, 1 of appears in accompanying example.

well professional career, mcsavaney increasingly realized had convey own meaning in photograph before evoke kindred emotional response in viewer. adams describes challenge viewer s standpoint, viewer, meaning of print meaning . drawing on inspiration derived woods , forests considered among “favorite photographic subjects”, ray set creating such responses. 1 writer, assessing growing artistic confidence, noted mcsavaney had natural eye finding uncommon beauty in unexpected places .

putting natural eye use in critically surveying scene, looked combinations of elements best show subtle relationships sought , emotionally evocative viewers. echoing john muir’s observation things in nature hitched else in universe”, mcsavaney wanted landscape photographs show how “everything interconnected”. examples of best yosemite photographs shown in web site. prolific reader, library of on 1000 books in small , crowded artist’s loft when passed away, versed in muir’s writings — doubly lifelong sierra club member.