Ansel Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist born in 1902 in San Francisco. He grew up exploring the natural landscapes around the Golden Gate. As a child, he was shy and had difficulties in school due to being deaf in one ear from an earthquake. He found joy in nature and taught himself to play piano. Though he intended to be a musician, he ultimately became a photographer known for his landscape and nature photos that helped spread awareness of environmental conservation.

1. C O U L D I TA K E A
P H O T O G R A P H ?
A P H O T O G R A P H I C E X P E R I E N C E

2. A n s e l A d a m s ( F e b . 2 0 1 9 0 2 — A p r. 2 2 , 1 9 8 4 ) ,
p h o t o g r a p h e r a n d e n v i ro n m e n t a l i s t , w a s b o r n i n S a n
F r a n c i s c o , C a l i f o r n i a . A d a m s g re w u p i n a h o u s e s e t
a m i d t h e s a n d d u n e s o f t h e G o l d e n G a t e . W h e n
A d a m s w a s o n l y f o u r, a n a f t e r s h o c k o f t h e g re a t
e a r t h q u a k e a n d f i re o f 1 9 0 6 t h re w h i m t o t h e g ro u n d
a n d b a d l y b ro k e h i s n o s e , d i s t i n c t l y m a r k i n g h i m f o r
l i f e .
N a t u r a l s h y n e s s a n d a c e r t a i n i n t e n s i t y o f g e n i u s ,
c o u p l e d w i t h t h e d r a m a t i c a l l y “ e a r t h q u a k e d ” n o s e ,
c a u s e d A d a m s t o h a v e p ro b l e m s f i t t i n g i n t h e v a r i o u s
s c h o o l s t o w h i c h h i s p a re n t s s e n t h i m . A s a re s u l t ,
h i s f a t h e r a n d a u n t t u t o re d h i m a t h o m e .
!
T h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t r e s u l t o f A d a m s ’s s o m e w h a t
s o l i t a r y a n d u n m i s t a k a b l y d i ff e re n t c h i l d h o o d w a s
t h e j o y t h a t h e f o u n d i n n a t u re , a s e v i d e n c e d b y h i s
t a k i n g l o n g w a l k s i n t h e s t i l l - w i l d re a c h e s o f t h e
G o l d e n G a t e .
!
W h e n A d a m s w a s t w e l v e h e t a u g h t h i m s e l f t o p l a y
t h e p i a n o a n d r e a d m u s i c . S o o n h e w a s t a k i n g
l e s s o n s . F o r t h e n e x t d o z e n y e a r s t h e p i a n o w a s
A d a m s ’s p r i m a r y o c c u p a t i o n a n d , b y 1 9 2 0 , h i s
i n t e n d e d p ro f e s s i o n . A l t h o u g h h e u l t i m a t e l y g a v e u p
m u s i c f o r p h o t o g r a p h y, t h e p i a n o b ro u g h t s u b s t a n c e ,
d i s c i p l i n e , a n d s t r u c t u re t o h i s f r u s t r a t i n g a n d e r r a t i c
y o u t h .
A N S E L A D A M S
h t t p : / / w w w. a n s e l a d a m s . c o m

3. A G O O D P H O T O G R A P H I S K N O W I N G W H E R E T O S TA N D .

4. P H O T O G R A P H Y I S M O R E T H A N A M E D I U M F O R FA C T U A L C O M M U N I C AT I O N O F I D E A S .
I T I S A C R E AT I V E A R T.

5. A T R U E P H O T O G R A P H N E E D N O T B E E X P L A I N E D , N O R C A N I T B E C O N TA I N E D I N W O R D S .

6. T H E R E A R E N O R U L E S F O R G O O D P H O T O G R A P H S , T H E R E A R E O N LY G O O D P H O T O G R A P H S .

7. Y O U D O N ’ T TA K E A P H O T O G R A P H , Y O U M A K E I T.

8. Y O U D O N ’ T TA K E A P H O T O G R A P H , Y O U M A K E I T.

9. Y O U D O N ’ T TA K E A P H O T O G R A P H , Y O U M A K E I T.

10. W E M U S T R E M E M B E R T H AT A P H O T O G R A P H C A N H O L D J U S T A S M U C H A S W E P U T I N T O
I T, A N D N O O N E H A S E V E R A P P R O A C H E D T H E F U L L P O S S I B I L I T I E S O F T H E M E D I U M .

11. W H E N I ’ M R E A D Y T O M A K E A P H O T O G R A P H , I T H I N K I Q U I T E O B V I O U S LY S E E I N M Y M I N D ' S E Y E
S O M E T H I N G T H AT I S N O T L I T E R A L LY T H E R E I N T H E T R U E M E A N I N G O F T H E W O R D . I ’ M I N T E R E S T E D
I N S O M E T H I N G W H I C H I S B U I LT U P F R O M W I T H I N , R AT H E R T H A N J U S T E X T R A C T E D F R O M W I T H O U T.

13. Function Camera Eye
Protection
Focus
UV filter
and lens
Cornea
and lens
Light Diaphragm Pupil/Iris
Image Sensor Retina
L E T ' S C O M PA R E O U R E Y E S W I T H O U R C A M E R A

14. L E T ' S C O M PA R E O U R E Y E S W I T H O U R C A M E R A
lenses
mirror
Function Camera Eye
Protection
Focus
UV filter
and lens
Cornea
and lens
Light Diaphragm Pupil/Iris
Image Sensor Retina

15. E Y E T E X T U R E R A Y T R A C E R
http://www.vill.ee/eye/

16. R U L E O F T H I R D S
The rule of thirds is a guideline which applies to the process of composing visual images such
as designs, films, paintings, and photographs. The guideline proposes that an image should
be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two
equally spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed
along these lines or their intersections. Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a
subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition
than simply centring the subject would.

17. H e n r i C a r t i e r - B r e s s o n
( A u g u s t 2 2 , 1 9 0 8 –
A u g u s t 3 , 2 0 0 4 ) w a s a
F r e n c h p h o t o g r a p h e r
c o n s i d e r e d t o b e t h e
p h o t o j o u r n a l i s m ’s f a t h e r.
H e w a s a n e a r l y a d o p t e r
o f 3 5 m m f o r m a t , a n d t h e
m a s t e r o f c a n d i d
p h o t o g r a p h y. H e h e l p e d
d e v e l o p t h e s t r e e t
p h o t o g r a p h y o r l i f e
re p o r t a g e s t y l e t h a t w a s
c o i n e d T h e D e c i s i v e
M o m e n t t h a t h a s
i n f l u e n c e d g e n e r a t i o n s o f
p h o t o g r a p h e r s w h o
f o l l o w e d .
H E N R I C A R T I E R - B R E S S O N
h t t p : / / w w w. h e n r i c a r t i e r b re s s o n . o rg /

18. I T I S A N I L L U S I O N T H AT P H O T O S A R E M A D E W I T H T H E C A M E R A … T H E Y
A R E M A D E W I T H T H E E Y E , H E A R T A N D H E A D .

19. W H I L E W E ’ R E W O R K I N G , W E M U S T B E C O N S C I O U S O F W H AT W E ’ R E D O I N G .

20. T O M E , P H O T O G R A P H Y I S T H E S I M U LTA N E O U S R E C O G N I T I O N , I N A
F R A C T I O N O F A S E C O N D , O F T H E S I G N I F I C A N C E O F A N E V E N T.

21. P H O T O G R A P H Y I S A N I M M E D I AT E R E A C T I O N , D R A W I N G I S A
M E D I TAT I O N .
P h i l i p p e H a l s m a n : D a l i A t o m i c u s , 1 9 4 8

22. " M Y A S S I S TA N T S A N D I W E R E
W E T , D I R T Y , A N D N E A R
C O M P L E T E E X H A U S T I O N -
O N LY T H E C AT S S T I L L L O O K E D
L I K E N E W. ”
P H I L I P P E H A L S M A N

23. B A R A K A
" I F E E L T H AT M Y W O R K H A S E V O LV E D T H R O U G H K O YA A N I S Q AT S I ,
C H R O N O S A N D B A R A K A . B O T H T E C H N I C A L LY A N D P H I L O S O P H I C A L LY I
A M R E A D Y T O D E LV E E V E N D E E P E R I N T O M Y FAV O R I T E T H E M E :
H U M A N I T Y ' S R E L AT I O N S H I P T O T H E E T E R N A L ” .
R O N F R I C K E
A M E R I C A N F I L M D I R E C T O R A N D C I N E M A T O G R A P H E R , M A S T E R O F T I M E - L A P S E P H O T O G R A P H Y A N D L A R G E F O R M A T C I N E M A T O G R A P H Y

24. V I C T O R AT H AY D E
v i c t o r. b a t h a y d e @ g m a i l . c o m