Serafina Congeni: Photographer Report

1. Ansel Adams

2. February 20, 1902- April 22, 1984

3. Ansel Adams grew up in San Francisco. He was socially awkward and as a result he had trouble in school and eventually took up music instead. To escape, he spent many summers in the Yosemite Sierra, and fell in love with the nature he found. He began to photograph the scenery and he eventually joined the Sierra Club. This club is what started his success, as he first published his photos in the club's bulletin and had his first exhibition at the club's headquarters in 1928. Adams photographed the club's annual trips to the Sierra Nevada, and began to realize that he would be more successful as a photographer than a concert pianist. Another key factor to his success occurred when he met Albert M. Bender, in 1927. Bender was a patron of the arts, and he helped publish Adam's portfolio. Adams eventually received the Conservation Service Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his efforts to conserve nature through his photography.

4. Ansel Adams is known for his photography of nature, especially of western United States, because that is the focus of most of his photography. He helped preserve the nature in this area by making the public aware of its beauty. He contributed to the realm of photography a vast collection of images of the breathtaking western United States and introduced this beautiful part of our country to be who otherwise would never see it.

5. I love photographs of nature so I was automatically attracted to Ansel Adam's work. After looking through a lot of his work I realized that I also love the timelessness of his photography. Since they are of nature, the photographs look like they could have been taken yesterday, when in reality they were taken many decades ago, and that is what makes his work so great.