Chapter 6 - History

Ansel and Virginia Adams were married January 2, 1928. What other things happened in the world on that day?

Can you find a newspaper frontpage online from that day?

Chapter 5 - John Muir

Today, April 21st - the day before Earth Day, is John Muir's birthday. He sounds like he was a very interesting character. (As a Wisonsinite, I appreciate the many things he did before moving to California.) He died in 1914 so he never met Ansel Adams.

Chapter 5 shows an evolution of the Sierra Club from the early years as an organization advocating exploration, to an organization focused on conservation.

In Chapter 5 we also saw a new side of Adams. What did we learn about his personality?

Chapter 4 - Quotes

I found two statements in Chapter 4 revealing.

The first was on page 29 where Adams said, "Photographers are, in a sense, composers, and the negatives are their scores." I like the quote because he is comparing his experience as an aspiring pianist to his other love of photography. I also like what it says about photography. It would be easy to think that the photography takes place at the moment that the shutter button is pressed. In today's digital age where the negative has been removed from the process (though some still shoot to film), it is interesting to think of Adams sitting at his computer processing a photo with Photoshop. I wonder where/if he would draw the line on that.

I also appreciated the statement on the next page, "He emphasized that he was not trying to duplicate reality, but to make a work of art." It must have been clear to him early in his experience as a photographer that there was nothing he could produce that would replace the impact of standing on the spot next to the camera. I wonder if the limitations of the medium was frustrating to him. This statement would indicate he understood and accepted those limitations.

In the early years of Adams career, photography was not considered art. What argument do you think Adams would have made to try to change people's minds?

Chapter 3 - Eye Opener

Ben and I were discussing the moment in Chapter 3 when Adams saw Yosemite for the first time. He had wanted to go there after reading about it in the book, "In the Heart of the Sierras" by J.M. Hutchings. It is not noted if the book contained any picture, but even if it did, they certainly could not have matched his first view of the valley. "He was overcome with awe".

Can you write about a moment when you were 'overcome with awe'?

Chapter 3 - Math Question

On page 19, in the discussion of the Adams' first bus ride into Yosemite, it says the bus rose "two thousand feet in ten miles". What was the percent grade of that road?

Chapter 3 - Camera Obscura

Adams is kept in a dark room as he recuperates from the measles. It must have been incredibly boring. He noticed a light from the top of his window produced a projection on the ceiling that showed the outside world. This is similar to a Camera Obscura. By allowing light through a small point into a darkened room, we can produce an image from the outside. The image is upside down. Ben tells me that is the same way our eyes work - with our helpful brain flipping the image over for us without even asking. With my understanding of how a Camera Obscura works, what Ben is telling me makes sense. So Ben, why is the image upside down in the first place?

This looks like a fun experiment so we are going to make a Camera Obscura in the best place to do so in our house - Ben's Bedroom.

Chapter 3 - Connections?

Read chapter three and make a list of people, places, or events discussed that might be interesting to explore further.What items are the most interesting to you? What items would better help understand the context of the story?