Adams

For the life of me I can not find this quote about Ansel Adams, but it was something along the lines of, "Our world is in decay and photographers like Adams are shooting rocks." I always found that to be quite the witty statement and something a documentary photojournalist would say. But I gave that quote some thought this past week.
I had the opportunity to cover the North Carolina side of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park for three days this week. Thursday morning I raced the sun up, and found myself in silenced awe. Seldom, if ever, have I found myself frozen by beauty. The sunrise in the mountains, the clouds whispering through the valleys, and the stillness of nature, I look at my photographs and just sneer at the disgrace they are to the view and experience that I felt looking over the mountains.
Adams had the right idea. Escapism. The world is in decay. It probably always has been and probably always will until the end of time, but to still find beauty is a true treasure.
Here are a few Ansel Adams quotes that I found while looking for the above quote.
“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer - and often the supreme disappointment.”
“Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships.”
“A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into.”