Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs
by Ansel Adams (Photographer), Andrea G. Stillman (Editor)
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"In a career that spanned six decades, Ansel Adams produced a remarkable body of work that is at once an artistic tour de force and a powerful tribute to his beloved American wilderness. Adams was given his first camera, a Kodak Box Brownie, in 1916, and made his first photographs during a family vacation in Yosemite National Park. Thus began a career and a lifetime devoted to making indelible images of America's wild places, its national parks, and its great mountain ranges." "This book is show more the largest compilation of Adams' photographic oeuvre ever published. Organized chronologically, it presents the full range of his finest work, from early efforts in the 1920s, to his projects in the national parks in the 1940s, up through his last important photographs of the 1960s. Included are Adams' most popular images - many of them icons of twentieth-century art - as well as a number of masterly but little-known photographs." "Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs offers a survey of his development as an artist, of the themes and subjects' that animate his work, and of the evolution of a style that is uniquely that of Ansel Adams - America's best-known and best-loved photographer."--Jacket. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
While I am normally one more drawn to urban-centric photography rather than scenic landscapes, I found this collection of Ansel Adam's work to be stunning. His thematic range may not be very broad, but his aesthetic touches - specifically in regards to composition, image depth, and light quality - are perfection. It is no wonder that he is one of the greats in the world of photography.
So Ansel Adams is widely regarded as the pre-eminent photographer of the North American landscape and that view is amply justified by this book spanning his entire career from amateur teen to elder statesman of the photographic world. More surprisingly it also demonstrates that Adams was also capable of great work in the genres of protraiture, architecture and macros, too.
The book is organised by decade and it is interesting to note that Adams attained technical mastery before he fully grasped compositional mastery. (He openly admitted this and it's clear in the book.) Now my photographic skills are insignificant compared to many a dedicated amateur, let alone one of history's greatest, but the bit I find interesting and rewarding is show more the framing of a picture. Technicalities bore me. It's encouraging to find that even a genius such as Adams surely was had to actively learn how to do it.
Anyway, great book if you want an overview of Adams' personal (as opposed to commercial 'gun for hire') work. show less
The book is organised by decade and it is interesting to note that Adams attained technical mastery before he fully grasped compositional mastery. (He openly admitted this and it's clear in the book.) Now my photographic skills are insignificant compared to many a dedicated amateur, let alone one of history's greatest, but the bit I find interesting and rewarding is show more the framing of a picture. Technicalities bore me. It's encouraging to find that even a genius such as Adams surely was had to actively learn how to do it.
Anyway, great book if you want an overview of Adams' personal (as opposed to commercial 'gun for hire') work. show less
For monochrome photographers, Adams' work is a model, although the subject matter can seem limited at times.
Ansel Adams was a pioneering photographer and environmental activist. The book covers these periods in his life:
Introduction:
--1916-1930: Yosemite and the High Sierra
--1931-1939: Group f/64 and Alfred Stieglitz
--1940-1949: National Parks and Monuments
--1950-1959: Conservation, Publications, and Commissions
--1960-1968: Carmel
it's mostly about his photography, but intertwines activism.
His photographs, mostly in black and white, are some of the most stunning examples of nature and urban scenery
Introduction:
--1916-1930: Yosemite and the High Sierra
--1931-1939: Group f/64 and Alfred Stieglitz
--1940-1949: National Parks and Monuments
--1950-1959: Conservation, Publications, and Commissions
--1960-1968: Carmel
it's mostly about his photography, but intertwines activism.
His photographs, mostly in black and white, are some of the most stunning examples of nature and urban scenery
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Author Information
Ansel Easton Adams born on February 20, 1902 in San Francisco, California. In 1915 his father removed him from school and he was home-schooled in Greek, the English classics, algebra, and the nature that surrounded their home. His father also bought him a season pass to the Panama-Pacific Exposition, which he visited nearly every day. In 1916 the show more Adams family visited Yosemite National Park, where Adams was given his first camera. At this point in his life, Adams had planned to become a concert pianist, but he soon discovers the joys of photography. Adams' first acknowledged picture appears in 1927. In 1932, he formed the f/64 group with Edward Veston, with whom he goes on to teach his first workshop with at Yosemite, called the U. S. Camera Photogrpahic Forum. Adams began serving on the Board of the Sierra Club in 1932, a position he held until 1971. In March of 1933, Adams met Alfred Stieglitz, owner of An American Place photo gallery. Stieglitz was so impressed with Adams work that he held an exhibition for Adams in 1936. In 1943, Adams sought to contribute to the war effort by recording the lives of the American-born citizens of Japanese descent who were interned in the Manzanar War Relocation Camp. In 1949 Adams tested Polaroid cameras for Edwin Land, In 1953, Adams collaborated with Dorothea Lange on a Life commission for a photo essay on the Mormons in Utah. In 1967, he was instrumental in the foundation of the Friends of Photography. Adams was a commercial photographer for 30 years, within which he won three Guggenheim grants to photograph the national parks. In 1980, The Ansel Adams Conservation Award was established by the Wilderness Club, and Adams named as the first recipient. Ansel Adams died April 22 of heart failure aggravated by cancer. (Bowker Author Biography) In a career that spanned more than five decades, Ansel Adams was at once America's foremost landscape photographer & one of its most ardent environmentalists. (Publisher Provided) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2007
- People/Characters
- Ansel Adams
- Important places
- California, USA; Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, USA; High Sierra, USA; Monterey County, California, USA; Yosemite National Park, California, USA
- First words
- Ansel Adams was always in motion, always ready to laugh, always gentlemanly.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Working on this book has deepened and enriched my connection with his joyous spirit.
- Publisher's editor
- Andrea G. Stillman
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 445
- Popularity
- 68,601
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (4.35)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 1
