Ansel Adams

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

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.

Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.

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.

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.

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

There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.

A good photograph is knowing where to stand.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.

Not everybody trusts paintings but people believe photographs.

You don't take a photograph, you make it.