Lasting Effects
The photograph is a powerful object. Those taken by Ansel Adams have had a profound influence on public opinion and even the government. Adams successfully lobbied Congress on behalf of the Sierra Club for the creation of Kings Canyon National Park. President Johnson appointed Adams to his environmental issues task force. Additionally, he discussed environmental issues and concerns with President Ronald Reagan ("EarthBase"). He was also honored with the Sierra Club’s John Muir Award (1963) for his contributions to the environmental movement and the first Ansel Adams Award (1980) for wilderness conservation by The Wilderness Society. His works prompted people to consider the beauty and grandeur of nature and realize the importance of preserving it. He sought to show the spiritual power of nature and impress upon others the need for preserving our national parks (Gray 8).
Adams’ work has been an impetus behind the environmental movement. For those trapped in cities or suburbia, viewing his works may provide the only chance for some people to realize the grand scale of nature. His photographs bring nature to the people and also to the heart. Unfortunately, his photographs have also done the opposite of what he intended. According to a recent Ansel Adams exhibit at the J.B. Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, his works have brought dramatic numbers of visitors to the sites he photographed in the parks. This has had a somewhat destructive effect upon the very lands he wanted to save and preserve forever. He even stated that he did not want the parks turned into recreational areas (Gray 10). Regardless of unintended ill effects, though, Ansel Adams’ work has done much to promote wilderness preservation. His accomplishments in photography will long be used to measure others. Ansel Adams will forever define landscape photography.
| Ansel Adams' work has inspired countless other photographers. Michael Heller, winner of the NPAA award and the Best of Gannett award, had the opportunity to work with Adams at Yosemite. Heller's photograph on the left was made on Tri-X film with a 6x7 Pentax at about 17,000 feet as the Kitty Hawk balloon was over the Rockies on its non-stop flight across North America. The center and left images are landscape photographs taken by Heller, reminiscent of Adam's work. |
The above three photographs are © Michael Heller and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, stored, manipulated, projected, used or altered in any way. The author would like to extend thanks to Mr. Heller for granting permission for the use of the above photographs on this website. Visit »ASA1000 - Personal Photographic Perspectives or »WaterLine - Southwest Florida Boating and Fishing to view more of Michael Heller's excellent work.
[ Contents | Introduction | Biography | Photography | Lasting Effects ] ©1998 Eric S. Barr |