"A photograph is made, not taken."
Ansel Adams was born on February 20, 1902 in San Fransico. Though throughout his life Adams' mother was too worried to support, his father always encouraged and bolstered Ansel, in every aspect of his life. He always had trouble in school, ever since he was a child. He was shy and unusually genius which excluded him from fitting in, and on top of that had almost a deformity. As a four year old, he fell during an earthquake. This literally scarred him for life- his nose that is. He may have been dyslexic or hyperactive, but he never succeeded in school. He eventually was homeschooled, and eventually was educated to the equivalent of finishing the eighth grade. As a result of having no friends, Ansel showed much interest in nature as a child. This admiration is clearly shown in his work as an adult. When Adams was 12, he taught himself to read music and play the piano. He persued this career for quite sometime and although he gave it up later, there is no doubt his passion for music influenced him photography. Also, the self discipline and artistry he learned as a musician absolutley helped him succeed in photography.
Ansel's parents gave him a Kodak No. 1 box brownie as his first camera and he went straight to the Yosemite to use it. His love of nature was evident here. As he hiked, explored, climbed and photographed, he gained confidence in himself. He returned at least once a year after this, until the day he died. Yosemite is where he met Virginia Best; they were married in 1928. In 1934, Adams officially gave up the ambition of being a concert pianist, and devoted his life to photography. This decision was encouraged by the Sierra Club (of Nevada) as he was elected on the board of directors and named artist of Sierra Nevada and defender of Yosemite.
Ansel Adams only soared from here. He moved on to bigger projects and was influenced by other photographers. His confidence was boosted high for the rest of his life as he became a legend.
This photograph shows Adams' skill in timing, which is everything. He shot when the light was just perfect, portraying the highlights and the darks exactly how he wanted them.
Here Adams shows his passion for nature. He worked hard to get this specific angle, up so high, and intensified the beauty of nature.
Again, Ansel timed this photograph with perfection. The way the sun hits the water shows the feeling of walking on a peaceful beach and captures the essence of the pier at sunset. This is probably my favorite, because that's my favorite feeling.
This is my second favorite. For the billionth time, Ansel shows his love for nature. The way he has gotten close and focused directly on each petal, the light on the outside of the flower contrasted with darks of the depth, and the background of ripples as if it were water; Ansel planned this all out so it all corresponds exactly the way he wanted.
I love this photograph. Though it seems a bit cliche showing a journey ahead, Adams has made it his own. It is as though this is his original shot, and every shot like it was based off of this. The depth of field sends the message that there is a journey ahead, but he does it so it actually means something. This is not a cheesy photograph, it is actually significant to the history of photography!
