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?