A View of Life from the Autobiography of Ansel Adams
by Lois Patrick (Hypertext version by Frank Patrick)
"I knew my destiny when I first experienced Yosemite*."1
With these words from Ansel Adams, An Autobiography, the late photographer and environmentalist clearly pointed to the central theme connecting the facets of his life. As a youth*, he was seemingly mystically cured of sickliness and depression with a visit to the California valley. In his occupation* as an artist, his work documenting the Sierra has made him probably the most highly recognized photographer the medium has known. His love of the environment*, clearly stemming from it's light and granite, pit him against a Secretary of Interior and even a President. Even his marriage* joined him for over fifty years to the daughter of the owner of a Yosemite Valley photography studio that still carries his in-laws' name.
With Yosemite as an external inspiration, Adams brought from within himself a sense of the future and of goals to be set and met. In his art*, his environmentalism, and his personal decisions, he looked to the future, selected a desired outcome, and pursued it to it's end. Adams' life seems as finely focussed as his photographs, and closely reflects the theories of Alfred Adler*, who "looked upon the mind as an integrated whole working to help attain the future goals of the individual."2 Adams would readily agree with Adler that individuals are "at least partially free to determine their own fate."3
Ansel Adams was a photographer, environmentalist, and musician. Recurring through his life is the theme of nature, and his photography is certainly reflective of this. He was an individual who on the surface appeared to live life simply and to speak his piece/peace. In taking a closer look or study, Adams was a man who in his own way traveled down the untrodden road, paving the way for others, and insisted on being heard in his own non-conformist way. He had standards and ideals that he had to abide by and seldom did he deviate from these personal strict guidelines. He was quite an active individual, professionally and creatively as a photographer, as well as physically. Work was his life; it gave him energy and reason for living. He studied relationships of objects, tonal quality, and perspective not only in his photographs but in life in general. He was a non-conformist and surrounded himself with others who might be thrown into the same category. He had an appreciation for life, the quality of life regardless of status, or title, or finances.
Adams was an individual who always looked forward to the next challenging aspect of life and of art. He was not content to stand by passively. He was a person of action, of ideals, principles and convictions. As his health deteriorated, he seemed to take this as a part of life that must be accepted He did not dwell on the negative aspect, instead focusing on the positive, those that added meaning to his life.
(For Notes*, click on footnote reference numbers or on Notes on Title/Index card. Bibliography* is also accessible from the Title/Index.)
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