Ansel Adams: Synergy Through A Lens
Synergy through a Lens
Synergy is a word that relates to the idea of synchronised energy; it means “a combined or correlated action; working together for greater effect, a united, harmonious effect” (World Book Dictionary, 2004). It is an energy evident in almost every piece of art, particularly in those of Ansel Adams. He was an American photographer and environmentalist who worked with various photographic techniques to intensify and purify the psychological experience of natural beauty. Adams’ works are an excellent example of synergy due his incredible ability to work with the camera and the world beyond the lens to create a photograph that would be the equivalent of what he saw and felt.
Adams’ love for nature was nurtured in the Golden Gate of San Francisco. His life, in his words, was, “coloured and modulated by the great earth gesture of the Yosemite Sierra” (anseladams.com, 2017). One of his early photographs, Bridalveil Fall, was taken in 1927 and captures the beauty of the natural landscape of Yosemite National Park, California. From his first visit to the national park in 1916, Adams was transfixed and transformed, …show more content…
Instead, his images became the symbols of wild America. Through his photographs, Adams expresses the glorious magnificence of nature, encapsulating the viewer with the emotional equivalent of wilderness that is quite often more powerful than the actual landscape. Over the years Adams has been critisised by many for failing to include evidence of “humanity” in his photographs, resulting in him being frequently characterised as a photographer of an idealised wilderness that no longer exists. However, this quite the opposite in Adams works as the landscapes he photographed are wilderness and park areas that have been preserved for all
Synergy is a word that relates to the idea of synchronised energy; it means “a combined or correlated action; working together for greater effect, a united, harmonious effect” (World Book Dictionary, 2004). It is an energy evident in almost every piece of art, particularly in those of Ansel Adams. He was an American photographer and environmentalist who worked with various photographic techniques to intensify and purify the psychological experience of natural beauty. Adams’ works are an excellent example of synergy due his incredible ability to work with the camera and the world beyond the lens to create a photograph that would be the equivalent of what he saw and felt.
Adams’ love for nature was nurtured in the Golden Gate of San Francisco. His life, in his words, was, “coloured and modulated by the great earth gesture of the Yosemite Sierra” (anseladams.com, 2017). One of his early photographs, Bridalveil Fall, was taken in 1927 and captures the beauty of the natural landscape of Yosemite National Park, California. From his first visit to the national park in 1916, Adams was transfixed and transformed, …show more content…
Instead, his images became the symbols of wild America. Through his photographs, Adams expresses the glorious magnificence of nature, encapsulating the viewer with the emotional equivalent of wilderness that is quite often more powerful than the actual landscape. Over the years Adams has been critisised by many for failing to include evidence of “humanity” in his photographs, resulting in him being frequently characterised as a photographer of an idealised wilderness that no longer exists. However, this quite the opposite in Adams works as the landscapes he photographed are wilderness and park areas that have been preserved for all