The Next Ansel Adams

In 1941, the already established photographer Ansel Adams signed a contract with the U.S. Department of the Interior to photograph the nation's National Parks and other natural settings.  Much of the work he created during that time became iconic, cementing Adams as one of the all time greats and helping bring parks such as Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Glacier to the public's attention.  Yesterday, the Department posted a similar position for a photographer to create high quality images for 'exhibition, publication, or other visual purposes' of our Parks.  While the position is based in Washington, D.C., it does involve a great deal of travel around the country, and would likely give great access to some of the lesser seen parts of the 58 American National Parks - nine of which are in California.

We love Adams' work, and can't wait to see what his successor will do with this opportunity.

Ansel Adams

California Artist Spotlight: Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams' work heavily featured the American West, and he was almost as well known for his environmental protection efforts as for his incredible black and white photography.  

Born to a wealthy family in San Francisco in 1902, Adams was raised to respect nature and to live a modest, socially responsible life.  He initially hoped to become a professional musician, but his interest in photography developed after a trip to Yosemite National Park when he was 14.  He pursued both careers for several years, before conceding that he could never be a truly great pianist and deciding to focus on photography.  In 1932 he, along with Imogen Cunningham and Edward Weston, created a collective called Group f/64 whose view was that 'pure photography is defined as possessing no qualities of technique, composition or idea, derivative of any other art form.'  

In 1933, Adams opened his own gallery in San Francisco, and he and his wife Virginia raised a family there, while he continued to focus on nature photography, contributed to photography magazines, began to publish books of his work, and became active in the Sierra Club and its conservation efforts.

 

During WWII, Adams was an officer of the Naval Aviation Photography Unit, and received permission to photograph a wartime Japanese interment camp, which he made into a photo essay.  Around this time, he also started the first fine art photography department at the San Francisco Art Institute, and received a Guggenheim Grant to photograph every US National Park.

Adams was one of the first photographers to be taken seriously by galleries and museums, with his work being treated on par with that of painters.  During his lifetime, his work was displayed in many of the most prestigious art institutes in the US and Europe.  He died in Monterey, California in 1984 of heart disease, but he left an incredible legacy that's always awe inspiring.

All images via Google.  Portrait of Ansel Adams by unknown, all other photographs by Ansel Adams.

Moment to Remember

Sometimes the best vacation find isn't a physical object that you can take home, but a perfect memory or tableau that you keep in your mind.  This moment, the Bodega Bay church that was famously shot by Ansel Adams, visited on a gray fall day, was one of those perfect pictures to remember.