Charles Cramer
Represented Artist, The Ansel Adams Gallery
Represented Artist Page: charlescramer
Website: charlescramer.com
During the last 45 years, I have wandered with my camera throughout the landscapes of the United States. I am drawn to photograph primarily by the “light” and only secondarily by the subject. I search for that special kind of light that can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. This brings me out at seemingly odd times—sunrise, sunset, during storms and snowstorms. The weather can be onerous. But when everything comes together for a photograph, all that is quickly forgotten.
The end goal of my photography has always been to make beautiful prints. I have spent a large part of that time refining my skills not just photographing the natural scene, but learning how to make the best possible prints from these images. This led me to take up dye transfer—an impossibly complex and time-consuming method to make color prints. Only recently, with the maturation of digital imaging, have I embraced another process that can rival a dye transfer print.
My goal is to capture moments in time and space that resonate and transcend the subject. Images that evoke an emotional response, while remaining faithful to the landscape.
Charles Cramer and The Ansel Adams Gallery
When I took my first Ansel Adams workshop in 1977, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine they would one day sell my prints. But, in 1982, the gallery took a few of my prints on consignment. It wasn’t until ten years later that I finally had a solo show. In 2010, after at least 23 shows, I’ve lost count! I also started teaching for the venerable Ansel Adams Gallery Workshop Program in 1987, with a class on dye transfer printing. During this weekend workshop, we chose one transparency from one student, and at the end of the workshop had one finished print (that usually wasn’t too exciting…). Nowadays, during the digital printing workshops I teach for the gallery, each student can produce up to ten prints, and they’re usually very exciting!
