Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Ansel Adams, Carmel Highlands, CA.
(3)

Celebrating his legacy in the 21st Century: Creative Photography | National Parks Advocate | Environmental Activist

This page is managed by The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust

‘Ansel Adams (After He Got a Contax Camera),’ 1936. Photograph by Edward Weston. Center for Creative Photography, Univer...
06/02/2026

‘Ansel Adams (After He Got a Contax Camera),’ 1936. Photograph by Edward Weston. Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona: Gift of Ansel and Virginia Adams, 76.20.49, © Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents

“I believe the artist does enhance his state of consciousness as he progresses in his work. He achieves not so much a ne...
06/01/2026

“I believe the artist does enhance his state of consciousness as he progresses in his work. He achieves not so much a new state of awareness as he does a continuously expanding awareness of the world about him and of himself and his perceptive vision.” —A.A.

‘Sand Dunes, Oceano, California,’ c. 1950. Photograph by Ansel Adams.

“My own reaction to color photography is a mixed one. I accept its importance as a medium of communication and informati...
05/31/2026

“My own reaction to color photography is a mixed one. I accept its importance as a medium of communication and information. I have yet to see—much less produce—a color photograph that fulfills my concepts of the objectives of art. It may approach it, give pleasure and induce contemplation, but it never seems to me to achieve that happy blend of perception and realization which we observe in the greatest black-and-white photographs. I believe that color photography, while astonishingly advanced technologically, is still in its infancy as a creative medium. We must remain objective and critical, plead for greater opportunity for control, and constantly remind ourselves that the qualities of art are achieved in spite of conditions and media—never because of them.” — A.A.

From “Color Photography as a Creative Medium,” Image, vol. 6, no. 9 (November 1957)

Image: ‘Church, Sunrise, Front, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, c. 1948. Color photograph by Ansel Adams.

‘View from Beaumont and Nancy Newhall’s Apartment on 56th Street, New York, New York’ c. 1942. Color photograph by Ansel...
05/29/2026

‘View from Beaumont and Nancy Newhall’s Apartment on 56th Street, New York, New York’ c. 1942. Color photograph by Ansel Adams.

“The reason that he is as important to us as I think he is, is because he was a good artist, and on his best days he was...
05/28/2026

“The reason that he is as important to us as I think he is, is because he was a good artist, and on his best days he was a terrific artist, and he found some way to put together those little fragments of the world in a way that transformed them into a picture. In the same way that a poet uses the same dictionaries that the rest of us do. All the words are in there...all the words in the poem are there, they’re in alphabetical order so you can find them, and it’s just a matter of taking a few of them and putting them in the right order, and that’s all there is to it. And so why is it that some lines of poetry, some sentences grasp us, you know, grip us, and we think, ‘That’s, that’s right, that’s true, whatever…I don’t know quite what that means, but whatever it means it’s true.’ And a good picture does something like that. The best of Ansel’s are part of our memory, part of our sense of what a picture might be made out of, what it might look like and what it might ultimately be about, which is the part we can’t explain.” — John Szarkowski ⁠

⁠
📷: Ansel Adams, Death Valley, 1947. Photographed by Nancy Newhall. ©1947, Nancy Newhall, ©2021, the Estate of Beaumont and Nancy Newhall.⁠
Permission to reproduce courtesy of , Scheinbaum and Russek Ltd., Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“To photograph truthfully and effectively is to see beneath the surface and record the qualities of nature and humanity ...
05/27/2026

“To photograph truthfully and effectively is to see beneath the surface and record the qualities of nature and humanity which live or are latent in all things. Impression is not enough. Design, style, technique—these, too, are not enough. Art must reach further than impression or self-revelation. Art, said Alfred Stieglitz, is the affirmation of life. And life, or its eternal evidence, is everywhere.” —A.A.

📷: ‘Roots, Foster Botanical Garden, Honolulu, Hawaii,’ 1947. Photograph by Ansel Adams.

“Visualization, and the conscious application of fundamental techniques, does not inhibit the creative-intuitive faculti...
05/26/2026

“Visualization, and the conscious application of fundamental techniques, does not inhibit the creative-intuitive faculties; it protects and augments them. The creative-intuitive forces must dominate from the start in all expressive work. If not, the whole concept of photography as a creative medium would be invalid. But a sloppy performance of a photograph is as obnoxious as a sloppy performance of music. Subject alone — or any mere simulation of reality — cannot support a work of art in any medium. — A.A.

“Frozen Lake and Cliffs, Kaweah Gap, Sierra Nevada, California,” 1932. Photograph by Ansel Adams.

05/26/2026

“I believe there is nothing more disturbing than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept!” — A.A.

“Dome and Half Moon”Portrait of Ansel Adams by Alan RossCopyright ©️Alan Ross Photography
05/24/2026

“Dome and Half Moon”
Portrait of Ansel Adams by Alan Ross
Copyright ©️Alan Ross Photography



The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust was established by Ansel Adams to steward his artistic and environmental legacie...
05/23/2026

The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust was established by Ansel Adams to steward his artistic and environmental legacies, consistent with his own ethos and intentions. The Trust did not authorize, endorse, consent to, or acquiesce in the “AI-generated color version” of “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico” exhibited and offered for sale by Danziger Gallery at The Photography Show presented by AIPAD in April.

This was a substantial editioned offering at a major international sales event. It exploited Ansel’s name, reputation, and his most iconic image, while failing to identify any human artist responsible for its creation.

The Trust was not consulted or notified before the work appeared. Once alerted, we reached out to James Danziger in real time, notifying him of the Trust’s rights, and asking for the work to be removed.

Correspondence shared with the Trust shows that, despite our formal notice, Mr. Danziger subsequently leveraged Ansel’s name, “Moonrise,” and the AIPAD presentation while pursuing a proposed commercial AI colorization venture involving other artists’ estates.

Ansel was an innovator who expanded the expressive and technical possibilities of his medium. He was remarkably prescient about—and excited by—the potential of computers to transform photography. The Trust’s concerns are not about AI or creative experimentation in the abstract.

This is fundamentally about artists’ rights and moral rights—and respect for human dignity.

No one should trade on another person’s name, reputation, and labor for private commercial ends without consent and candor. The unauthorized exploitation of Ansel’s actively stewarded legacy reflects a gross failure of ethical and professional judgment.

Few figures fought harder than Ansel to secure photography’s place as fine art, or contributed more to the cultural conditions that gave rise to today’s photography market. That this episode occurred at AIPAD is especially egregious and disheartening.

The Trust is committed to defending Ansel’s legacy as necessary and will continue to address this matter through the appropriate channels. We are grateful to all who have expressed concern, support, and solidarity.

Address

Carmel Highlands, CA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Ansel Adams posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share