Aspens, Northern New Mexico (V)

More About the Image:

A companion to Ansel's well-known Aspens, Northern New Mexico (horizontal) image made just moments before this one, the vertical version is an incredibly difficult negative to print.  Bringing balance to the bright stately trunks against the richly detailed shaded forest floor and receding hillside is 'exacting.'  Of these two prominent photographs, this version went into Ansel's last major project called 'The Museum Set,' a collection of photographs for which he wanted to be remembered.  Sets were initially meant to include either 25 or 75 total images, 10 which Ansel picked as absolute and which he considered exemplary to his body of work (colloquially referred to as his 'biggies').  Of all the images considered for the set made throughout the entirety of his career, Aspens (vertical) was chosen as one of his ten 'biggies.'