With digital photography we have the ability to look back and know the precise moment a photograph was taken. With GPS technology we may soon have the ability to know exactly where as well. Although sometimes things are best left as unknowns, I was fascinated by this story (via modern art notes) which reveals how researchers discovered exactly when and where Ansel Adams shot his famous photograph Autumn Moon:
“Using lunar tables, topographic maps, weather records and astronomical software, backed by a scouting trip to Glacier Point itself, the researchers believe that Adams pressed the shutter on September 15, 1948 at 7:03 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.”
Photographers wishing to duplicate Adams' efforts may be able to do so next month, when the moon will rise in nearly the exact position it did in 1948.
