Ansel Adams Research Paper

Ansel Adams was a black and white photographer and also an environmentalist. He was born in San Francisco California. Adams grew up in a house by the sand dunes of the Golden Gate. Adams was already a really shy and intense genius personality. He learned how to do painting and photos at an early age, he taught himself most of his skills because his parents were old when he was young so he didn’t have many people to teach him, he took it into his own hands. He had an “earthquaked nose” he broke it during an earthquake when he was young and he was self conscious of it. When he was 12 he taught himself to read music and play piano. Soon taking lessons to take the pursuit of music it became his substitute for formal schooling. He worked everyday eighteen or more hours per day, no vacations, no holidays, no sundays, all work. He focused on what he termed the spiritual-emotional aspects of parks and wilderness and relentlessly resisted the parks services “resortism”. Adams was the last and defining figure in the romantic tradition of 19th century american landscape painting and photography. He claimed he wasn’t influenced but consciously or unconsciously he was in the tradition of Thomas Cole. Adams subject matter was the magnificent natural beauty of the west! His vast archive of papers, memorabilia, correspondence, negatives
and many fine photographic prints, as well as numerous work or proof prints. Some of his best photos are called Bridalveil Fall, Vernal Fall, & Point Sur,Storm. They were all sold around 100-300 $$, pretty pricey! But good quality of course. Adams paintings and photographs are in the John P. Schaefer Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Nearly our dozen books bear Adams name as author and or artist. They don’t mention the Sierra, Nevada trail : The John Muir trail, there are several photos from many different trails, also in the Yosemite valley, Death valley too. Adams received many awards in his lifetime.
For example: The Presidential Medal of Freedom, Hassblad Award, Sierra Club John Muir Award, & Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts award.
He went to 2 different colleges like Harvard University & Yale University. Ansel Adams had two children and one marriage. His children’s names were Anne Adams & Michael Adams, his spouse was Virginia Best. He wrote many books also! For example The Camera, Examples, Ansel Adams at 100, Ansel Adams in Color & more. He lived a good lifetime with any memories to hold. Many achievements and goals that he hopefully met. He died on April 22,1984. he lived a long life and it seemed pretty
achieving.