Ansel Adams
(February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984)
Ansel Adams is an American black-and-white photographer best known for his photographs of Yosemite National Park. Ansel grew up in San Francisco with his mother and father. He was a hyperactive child who immediately fell in love with nature and would frequently explore his surroundings; he would often play on sand dunes near the Golden Gate Bridge, which became the primary source of his inspiration. In 1916 Ansel visited Yosemite National park and described it later in writing, "the splendor of Yosemite burst upon us and it was glorious... One wonder after another descended upon us... There was light everywhere... A new era began for me." His first camera, a Kodak Brownie box camera, was given to him by his father which he used that year to take his first photograph. During this time Ansel was trained to be a concert pianist but by 1920 he decided, much to his father's dismay, that he would make his profession photography.
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| Dogwood Blossoms 1938 |
In 1919 Ansel became the custodian for the Sierra Club, an environmentalist organization, and in 1927 he became the Club's official trip photographer. Ansel's first photographs were published in the Sierra Club Bulletin, which gained him much publicity. In 1932 he cofounded an organization called Group f/64 and would often exhibit his work with them. In 1934 Ansel was nominated to the Board of Directors for the Sierra Club, a position he maintained for 37 years. Through this club he became a strong advocate of protecting the environment and even used his images for environmental purposes. In 1936 Ansel exhibited at a one man show at Alfred Stieglitz's New York Gallery, An American Place, and by 1940 he helped found a department of photography for the Museum of Modern Art. In 1968 he was awarded the Conservation Service Award "in recognition of your many years of distinguished work as a photographer, artist, interpreter and conservationist, a role in which your efforts have been of profound importance in the conservation of our great natural resources." And in 1980 Ansel received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for "his efforts to preserve this country's wild and scenic areas, both on film and on earth. Drawn to the beauty of nature's monuments, he is regarded by environmentalists as a national institution." Throughout his life Ansel published many books and portfolios of his photographs to share with the world. Ansel Adams passed away in 1984 from a heart attack at the age of 82.
Ansel Adams received many awards and recognitions during his life and after his death. In 1984, shortly after his death, the Minarets Wilderness and a peak therein was renamed the Ansel Adams Wilderness and Mount Ansel Adams in his honor. In 2007 California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver inducted Ansel into the California Hall of Fame. Wikipedia writes the following about Ansel Adams, "His lasting legacy includes helping to elevate photography to an art comparable with painting and music, and equally capable of expressing emotion and beauty. As he reminded his students, 'It is easy to take a photograph, but it is harder to make a masterpiece in photography than in any other art medium.'"
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| Road, Nevada Desert 1960 |
Like most other artists, I fell in love with Ansel Adams' work because of my father. My father, a strong advocate for art, has a book in his office containing Ansel's work. I began to skim through the pages and admired his ability to capture nature in such a beautifully dramatic way. During this time I had to produce a website for my computer class in High School and decided to use Ansel as my topic. Learning about his life was just as enjoyable as viewing his photographs; he showed his love of nature not only through photography but expressed it through his environmentalist ways. Many people have at one point or another seen some of his photographs, The Tetons and the Snake River being one of the most recognizable, but they cannot identify the artist. Although I do love this photograph, I encourage everyone to look through more of his work to understand him better and become inspired. Ever since I can remember I have been in love with photography and every time I go out to shoot I always think, "What would Ansel Adams do?"
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