A good photograph is knowing where to stand.
Ansel Adams

A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed.
Ansel Adams

A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into.
Ansel Adams

A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words.
Ansel Adams

Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships.
Ansel Adams

I tried to keep both arts alive, but the camera won. I found that while the camera does not express the soul, perhaps a photograph can!
Ansel Adams

In my mind's eye, I visualize how a particular... sight and feeling will appear on a print. If it excites me, there is a good chance it will make a good photograph. It is an intuitive sense, an ability that comes from a lot of practice.
Ansel Adams

In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.
Ansel Adams

It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.
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


Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer - and often the supreme disappointment.
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

Myths and creeds are heroic struggles to comprehend the truth in the world.
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

Not everybody trusts paintings but people believe photographs.
Ansel Adams

Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art.
Ansel Adams

Photography, as a powerful medium of expression and communications, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution.
Ansel Adams

Some photographers take reality... and impose the domination of their own thought and spirit. Others come before reality more tenderly and a photograph to them is an instrument of love and revelation.
Ansel Adams

Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter.
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