10 quotes
A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.
A Personal Credo (1943)
The herculean task of a photographer is to capture a momentary frame as beautiful in reality, as it would be in a dream.
No matter how sophisticated you may be, a large granite mountain cannot be denied — it speaks in silence to the very core of your being.
Ansel Adams: An Autobiography (1985)
The only things in my life that compatibly exist with this grand universe are the creative works of the human spirit.
Ansel Adams: An Autobiography (1985)
If what I see in my mind excites me, there is a good chance it will make a good photograph.
Yes, in the sense that the negative is like the composer’s score. Then, using that musical analogy, the print is the performance. (Paraphrased as "Film is the score and the print is the performance.")
It is horrifying that we have to fight our own Government to save the environment.
I have often thought that if photography were difficult in the true sense of the term — meaning that the creation of a simple photograph would entail as much time and effort as the production of a good watercolor or etching — there would be a vast improvement in total output. The sheer ease with which we can produce a superficial image often leads to creative disaster.
A Personal Credo (1943)
There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.
Disputed to Adams without citing source in E.T. Schoch (2002)
When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.
Disputed