Ansel Adams

“The Tetons - Snake River”
By Ansel Adams, Wyoming, 1942
National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the National Park Service 

 

 

 

 

Ansel Adams was  born this month in 1902, on February 20.  We are featuring some of his books from the Fogelson Library collection in a display near the library entrance.  We are familiar with his images, but what interesting things did he say?  Here are some quotes.


"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."


"You don't take a photograph, you make it."


"A good photograph is knowing where to stand."



"A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed."



"A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into."



"A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words."



"Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships."

“In Glacier National Park”
By Ansel Adams, Montana, 1941
National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the National Park Service

                                                                               
"In my mind's eye, I visualize how a particular... sight and feeling will appear on a print. If it excites me, there is a good chance it will make a good photograph. It is an intuitive sense, an ability that comes from a lot of practice."


"It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment."



"Myths and creeds are heroic struggles to comprehend the truth in the world."



"No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit."



"Some photographers take reality... and impose the domination of their own thought and spirit. Others come before reality more tenderly and a photograph to them is an instrument of love and revelation."

 

"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter."


"The negative is comparable to the composer's score and the print to its performance. Each performance differs in subtle ways."


"There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept. "


"Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop. "