Photography, as a powerful medium of expression and communications, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution. – Ansel Adams
When I’m ready to make a photograph, I think I quite obviously see in my minds eye something that is not literally there in the true meaning of the word. I’m interested in something which is built up from within, rather than just extracted from without. – Ansel Adams
Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships. – Ansel Adams
Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art. – Ansel Adams
Millions of men have lived to fight, build palaces and boundaries, shape destinies and societies; but the compelling force of all times has been the force of originality and creation profoundly affecting the roots of human spirit. – Ansel Adams
A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed. – Ansel Adams
When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence. – Ansel Adams
To photograph truthfully and effectively is to see beneath the surfaces and record the qualities of nature and humanity which live or are latent in all things. – Ansel Adams
Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment. – Ansel Adams
No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit. – Ansel Adams
The negative is comparable to the composer’s score and the print to its performance. Each performance differs in subtle ways. – Ansel Adams
It is my intention to present – through the medium of photography – intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators. – Ansel Adams
There are worlds of experience beyond the world of the aggressive man, beyond history, and beyond science. The moods and qualities of nature and the revelations of great art are equally difficult to define; we can grasp them only in the depths of our perceptive spirit. – Ansel Adams
Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space. – Ansel Adams