Photographer of the Week

 Ansel Adams - Photographer of the week

Early Life: Ansel Adams was born in San Francisco on February 20th 1902, and was the only child of Charles Hitchcock Adams and Olive Bray. As a child Adams was incredibly shy and often had a herd time fitting in with his peers. This shyness eventually lead to his intense love of nature. As a young teen he taught himself to play the piano and read music, and decided to peruse a career as a pianist.

Early Career: As stated above, Ansel worked as a concert pianist until 1920. While working, he joined the Sierra Club (an organization focused on conservation) and started publishing photos and writings in the clubs bulletin, this played a pivotal role in his success as a photographer. 

Claim to Fame: Adams was known for his deep love of Yosemite National Park. His claim to fame and arguably most recognizable photograph was taken of the iconic half dome. Ansel took this picture on the first of many "High Trips"(usually trips up the upper Sierra Nevada mountains that surround Yosemite Valley) he made with the Sierra Club. This picture singlehandedly launched his career as a photographer. 

In addition to photography, Adams did a lot to increase the publics perception of photography as an a fine art. In 1940, he helped create the first curatorial department devoted to photography as an art form at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. In 1946 he created the California School of fine arts, the fist school of its kind to teach photography as a profession. Lastly, he revived the idea of the original photo print as an artifact (something that could be sold) as a piece of art.

Favorite Photo: My favorite Ansel Adams photo has to be "Aspens, New Mexico." but I may be a bit bias, I grew up looking at this photo...my childhood home had his pictures all over the walls. 

Sources

Author, G. (2023, July 5). Ansel Adams Biography - A photographer & environmentalist. The Ansel Adams Gallery. https://www.anseladams.com/ansel-adams-bio/

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024, April 18). Ansel Adams. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ansel-Adams-American-photographer

Monolith: The face of half-dome, Yosemite (work of art). Monolith: The Face of Half-Dome, Yosemite – NCMALearn. (n.d.). https://learn.ncartmuseum.org/artwork/monolith-the-face-of-half-dome-yosemite-national-park-california/

Smithsonian Institution. (n.d.). Aspens, New Mexico. https://www.si.edu/object/aspens-new-mexico%3Anmah_906040