Charles Cramer is a photographer who revels in exploration and craftsmanship. A masterful artist, his career broadly parallels that of Ansel Adams: an early focus on music, finding inspiration in Yosemite National Park, and exploring the developing medium of photography.
Charles has worked in the darkroom for many years, mastering the complex Dye Transfer process. He was also one of the first landscape photographers to work with the “digital darkroom”, recognizing the computer as an unparalleled means to control color and realize his artistic interpretation of the scene.
The end goal of his photography has always been to make beautiful prints and that is evident in his work. Cramer recently converted from exclusively using large format cameras to using the latest, state-of-the-art digital camera system to capture his most recent images. Many of Cramer’s large-format color photographs are from Yosemite and the Southwest, but his portfolio consists of stunning images from the east coast as well. His exquisite prints are held in collections worldwide. Cramer was selected as a Yosemite Artist-in-Residence in 1987 and again in 2009.
Charles Cramer is in great demand as an instructor and teaches advanced photography classes for the Ansel Adams Gallery Workshops, the John Sexton Workshops, and others. His landscape work has been published by National Geographic Books, the Sierra Club, and he is also included in the books First Light: Five Photographers Explore Yosemite’s Wilderness and Landscape: The World’s Top Photographers.
Charles Cramer studied piano for 20 years, receiving an M.A. from the Eastman School of Music in New York. This conservatory was endowed by George Eastman, who also founded the Eastman Kodak Company. This connection between music and photography can be seen in the lives of many photographers. Cramer gradually turned to full-time photography by 1980. He continues to play the piano, and has presented recitals at the homes of photographer Don Worth, and in 1985 for Mrs. Ansel Adams.
He now prints with a variety of large-format inkjet printers. These prints exhibit incredible quality, along with great resistance to fading.
For more on Charles’ photography, you can go to his personal website:
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