Life and Work of Ansel Adams

Biography of Ansel Adams - Photography As Art

Ansel Adams played a major role in two areas: one, the recognition of photography as a legitimate medium of artistic expression; and second, the conservation movement. His magnificent photographs of wilderness areas were influencial in the formation of some national parks (the Sequoia and Kings Canyon, 1940), and throughout his life his mission was to show the beauty of nature through his pictures.

Ansel Adams was born in 1902 near San Francisco, the only child of upper-class parents. He had difficulties adjusting to the school system, was partly educated at home, and barely finished an eight-grade education.

Not being successful in school, he found solace by taking long hikes in the countryside of the SF bay area, and also became very interested in playing the piano. By 1920 his goal was to become a professional concert pianist.

A visit to the Yosemite National Park in 1916 sparked Ansel's interest in photography. After that first visit he wrote: "...the splendor of Yosemite burst upon us and it was glorious... A new era began for me." He took his first photos then, with a simple camera his father gave him.

Ansel Adams was to return to Yosemite many times, the place was his major inspiration in the new interest he now pursued vigorously. He learned everything he could about camera and darkroom technique, and visited photography and art exhibits.

At age 17, Ansel Adams joined the Sierra Club, an organization dedicated to the preservation of nature, and he remained an enthusiastic member of that club for the rest of his life. For a number of years he served as the club's director.

During the mid-1920s, Ansel Adams experimented with various photo techniques. Certain methods popular then had the goal of making photos look more like paintings - thus more like "real art". This style was known as "pictorialism". However, Ansel eventually rejected this style for a more straight approach which relied on using the inherent strenghts of the photographic medium - the sharp focus and the precise rendering of detail. This was an important step in proposing the integrity of photography as an independent art form.

For a long time, Ansel Adams still saw himself primarily as an aspiring pianist, with a strong interest in photography. However, he had physical limitations (rather small hands), which were a handicap for a professional concert pianist. And in 1927 he met Albert M. Bender, a wealthy patron of the arts.

This friendship was a major turning point in Ansel Adams' career. Mr. Bender supported and encouraged his camera work in many ways, and Ansel gained a stronger self-confidence and creative energy as photographer. He now felt he was talented enough to pursue a career as creator of photographic art.

During this time period, Ansel Adams also became friends with other great photographers, notably Edward Weston and Paul Strand. Ansel was especially influenced by the technical mastery of the latter, and was spurred by it to become even more proficient in that area.