Analysis Of Ansel Adams: A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Cole has no restrain in describing the beauty of all the elements found in the American scenery. He talks about the mountains, the sky, the streams, the sunset, waterfalls, all of which are overflowing in richness, full of magnificence, and unsurpassed by any other. For Cole the scenery and nature are subjects which must be present in the souls of every American. While he considers himself and even others underserving of “such a birthright”, he is thankful for the beauties given to us by nature. Cole suggests to his audience that the reason behind him painting natural scenes relates to the experiencing of a particular emotional response while doing so. This is a response which can only be compared to a “calm religious tone”, full of “tranquility and peace.” Witnessing the beauties of the American scenery, anywhere one goes, makes one realize how “the sublime and beautiful are bound together in an indissoluble chain. In gazing on it we feel as though a great void had been filled in our minds.” Cole places great emphasis on the importance for all members of society to learn how to cultivate “a taste for scenery.” This can be achieved by appreciating the physical beauty of nature and the ability of said beauty to provide mankind with a different perspective about life and with

John Muir is arguably the most influential conservationist in American history. He was an active member in the preservation of the American wilderness from the late 1800’s until he passed in 1914. Muir is often referred to as the “Father of the National Parks” because of his efforts in the establishment of several National Parks. One of the biggest flaws of American history textbooks in need of change is the fact that they do not include the conservationists who have preserved the environment so today the same beauty can be see the way that they saw it. John Muir was involved in many American conservation efforts including the co-founding of Yosemite National Park, founding of the Sierra Club, and his overall career as a

Adams was living in the mid 1900’s when he saw how people were in constant stress and fear from war and rough times. In the period of this series of photographs world war and worldwide economic depression was present. Using photography he created black and white images of nature. According to Susan, he is delivering a message for a better world with his photograph. The picture of a surf on the California beach was made to help troubled people see beauty in their collapsing world. This photo begs people to let go of their daily struggles to go and take refuge in the enduring peace and wonder of nature. His passion for environmentalism was the driving force behind his work (Susan). He knew the impact of nature was enough to bring the world a little peace when it knew nothing but

Environmental documentarian, Bridget Besaw, combines both photography and film to advocate wilderness preservation and food sustainability. She creates “visual stories that serve as a rousting, yet romantic reminder of our collective instinct to care for the planet” (Besaw, 2015). Besaw’s photography captures a range of environmental issues from “threats to Maine’s wilderness, loss of working farmland in New England, restoration of crucial salmon habitat in the North Pacific, wilderness preservation in South America, and sustainable fisheries initiatives throughout the world” (Besaw, 2015). Besaw uses photography so others get “a closer understanding of and relationship to their own bodies and the planet that provides them with life. So for

As Adams pursued his work in both art and conservation the various lines of his life were beginning to converge revealing both the unity and the disjunction of his ideas. 137 His impact was felt on both spheres of influence. Using modern techniques of mass communications, Adams brought a vision of idealized wilderness to a broad audience and linked the environmental movement with nationalism and a romantic view of nature. The sustained popularity of his photographs illuminates a continuing public fascination with the wilderness landscape as both a place of beauty and a symbol of national identity and ideals. (Pacific 42) Most leaders within the conservation movement continued to share his ideal assuming that economic growth and wilderness

America’s National Parks are deeply indebted to the American photographer Ansel Adams. Through his masterful photography, he turned Yosemite National Park into an American icon. Ansel spent the majority of his life fighting for the National Parks through intense political activism. He was a key figure in conservation in the United States, beginning in a time when environmental conservation was a rare concept.

Both Wordsworth and Muir show their love for nature by writing about their adventure. Through their journey they discovered how the beauty of nature really does impact one’s life for the better. How does the beauty of nature impact

The short story, “The Wild Parks and Forest Reservations of the West,” by John Muir paints a picture of the necessity of human interaction with the wilderness. In his story Muir pleads with his audience to gain more appreciation of nature and to understand their impact on it by using religion, pathos, and imagery.

Ansel Adams was an Environmental activist and a photographer who is especially known for his photographs of Yosemite National Park. He was born in San Francisco, California on February 20, 1902. After his first trip to Yosemite, the wilderness and all of its beauty immediately moved him. He always wanted to take pictures that looked like so much more, to make people feel something more. He just wanted to be part of something larger and show what he felt when he saw the gorgeous world. “He helped transform the meaning of wilderness in America” (WQED).

In June of 1916, Ansel Adams was introduced to Yosemite on a family vacation. His parents presented him with his first camera, a Kodak Box Brownie No. 1. After his first visit, he returned year after year during the summer months to takes snapshots of the Yosemite Valley (Nash 5). He spent a substantial amount of time in the Sierra Nevada from 1916 until his death in 1984 (Turnage). Three years after his first visit, Ansel Adams made his first contact with the Sierra Club at age seventeen (Ansel Adams). The Sierra Clubs main purpose was for the protection of the Yosemite Valley and the preservations of "the natural world's wonders' and resources"(Ansel Adams). According to the National Park Service's article, "Ansel Adams," Adams took a job working as a custodian for the LeConte Memorial Lodge, Yosemite's first visitor center and club headquarters in the Yosemite National Park. For the next four summers Adams would work at the lodge (Nash 6). This was the start of Adams future with Yosemite, and he began to devote all of his energy to discovering its beauty. His interest in the mountains brought him back consistently to take snapshots of the valley. In 1927, Adams took his first outing or "High Trip" with the Sierra Club. These trips were part of the clubs efforts to gain new supporters by letting people hike, camp and

“Those scenes of solitude from which the hand of nature have never been lifted, affect the mind with a more deep-toned emotion than aught which the hand of man has touched.” This quote by Thomas Cole explains nature and transcendence from art, Thomas Cole was an important figure in american history because his art showed peace and tranquility.

They contributed many photo essays to Arizona Highways, though Adams was less than thrilled with their color reproductions. Still, they are important for they championed a “uniqueness of the ‘American’ earth at a time when other artists and intellectuals were drawn to ideas of internationalism” (Dunaway, 2005, p. 131). The Sierra Club’s new storytelling technique the coffee table book and National Geographic’s photo-driven essays also grew in popularity. Other conservation organizations quickly grasped the value of photos as a way to appeal to Americans on a more personal and intimate level the importance of humanity’s relationship with land and nature (Corbett, 2006; Neuzil, 2008; Sierra Club,

He was criticized for his work during the Great Depression. At the time photography was being used to depict what was going on in the world. However, Ansel continued to photograph beautiful scenery and landscapes. The social issues that he wanted to document were the environment, which became one of the greatest social human issues of the twentieth century. Though Ansel was active in politics and what was going on, he used his photography to express how he felt and have a purpose. He wanted people to understand, that the world exits within this larger world. In 1936 he wanted to become an activist, but with his art of photography. He decided to join and be on the board of directors of the Sierra Club (American

Ansel Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was a photographer and environmentalist born in San Francisco, California. He was the only child and son of Charles Hitchcock Adams, a businessman, and Olive Bray. When he was four years old, the aftershock of the great earthquake of 1906 threw him to the ground and badly broke his nose that marked him for the rest of his life. In 1907, the family fortune collapsed in a financial panic and his father spent the rest of his life trying to recover. His parents and the presence of his mother’s sister created an environment that was Victorian. Intelligent, timid, and his nose injury, caused Adams to have trouble in school. This led him to be tutored at home by his father and aunt and in the end completed

Ansel Adams was a brilliant artist who struggled in his early life for acceptance and finding his future occupation. He didn't let his failure in school or his mother's disappointment stop him from pursuing his desired career. Because of his hard work, passion, and dedication he strongly influenced art for years to come. His photographs still inspire many