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Why People Photograph: Selected Essays and Reviews
A now classic text on the art, Why People Photograph gathers a selection of essays by the great master photographer Robert Adams, tackling such diverse subjects as collectors, humor, teaching, money and dogs. Adams also writes brilliantly on Edward Weston, Paul Strand, Laura Gilpin, Judith Joy Ross, Susan Meiselas, Michael Schmidt, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and Eugène Atget. The book closes with two essays on "working conditions" in the nineteenth- and twentieth-century American West, and the essay "Two Landscapes." Adams writes: "At our best and most fortunate we make pictures because of what stands in front of the camera, to honor what is greater and more interesting than we are."
189 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1994
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1584 people want to read
About the author
Robert Adams
72 books40 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
See this thread for more information.
Robert Adams is an American photographer best known for his images of the American West. Offering solemn meditations on the landscapes of California, Colorado, and Oregon, Adams’s black-and-white photos document the changes wrought by humans upon nature. “By Interstate 70: a dog skeleton, a vacuum cleaner, TV dinners, a doll, a pie, rolls of carpet. Later, next to the South Platte River: algae, broken concrete, jet contrails, the smell of crude oil,” he wrote. “What I hope to document, though not at the expense of surface detail, is the form that underlies this apparent chaos.”
Born on May 8, 1937 in Orange, NJ, his family moved around the Midwest throughout his childhood, finally settling in Wheat Ridge, CO in 1952. Adams went on to study English at the University of Redlands and received his PhD in English from the University of Southern California in 1965. It wasn’t until the near completion of his dissertation for USC that Adams began to take photography seriously, learning techniques from professional photographer Myron Wood and reading Aperture magazine. In the 1970s, he released the book The New West (1974), and a year later was included in the seminal exhibition “New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape.” Adams has twice been the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship and once the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. Adams lives and works in Astoria, OR. Today, his works can be found in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others.
See this thread for more information.
Robert Adams is an American photographer best known for his images of the American West. Offering solemn meditations on the landscapes of California, Colorado, and Oregon, Adams’s black-and-white photos document the changes wrought by humans upon nature. “By Interstate 70: a dog skeleton, a vacuum cleaner, TV dinners, a doll, a pie, rolls of carpet. Later, next to the South Platte River: algae, broken concrete, jet contrails, the smell of crude oil,” he wrote. “What I hope to document, though not at the expense of surface detail, is the form that underlies this apparent chaos.”
Born on May 8, 1937 in Orange, NJ, his family moved around the Midwest throughout his childhood, finally settling in Wheat Ridge, CO in 1952. Adams went on to study English at the University of Redlands and received his PhD in English from the University of Southern California in 1965. It wasn’t until the near completion of his dissertation for USC that Adams began to take photography seriously, learning techniques from professional photographer Myron Wood and reading Aperture magazine. In the 1970s, he released the book The New West (1974), and a year later was included in the seminal exhibition “New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape.” Adams has twice been the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship and once the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. Adams lives and works in Astoria, OR. Today, his works can be found in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 15, 2009
I've already talked about Adams in my previous review, but it's hard to get a sense of what makes him so special without reading him. So here's a few samples:
"At our best and most fortunate we make pictures because of what stands in front of the camera, to honor what is greater and more interesting than we are. We never accomplish this perfectly, though in return we are given something perfect--a sense of inclusion. Our subject thus redefines us, and is part of the biography by which we want to be known."
"Art does not deny that evil is real, but it places evil in a context that implies an affirmation; the structure of the picture, which is a metaphor for the structure of the Creation, suggests that evil is not final."
"There will come a time when we stop naming places for lake shores that aren't there, and attaching to names eastern suffixes like 'glen' and 'green'. And if we call them by names that are accurate, we may ultimately find it easier to live in them."
"Finally, there is the joy to be found in a landscape experienced with family and friends. There are days that become, in the urgent and hushed sharing of a wonderful place with someone else, as much as I expect to know of the world for which I dream. To hear one's name, and the invitation, spoken with the assurance you will together see the same gift--'Look'."
And, from Beauty in Photography:
"Our discouragement in the presence of beauty results, surely, from the way we have damaged the country, from what appears to be our inability now to stop, and from the fact that few of us can any longer hope to own a piece of undisturbed land. Which is to say that what bothers us about primordial beauty is that it is no longer characteristic."
"If, as a personal matter, I have chosen not to make color pictures, it is because I have remembered how hard it is to write good free verse, with which color photography has some similarities, both being close to what occurs naturally."
Well, enough said--or rather, quoted.
"At our best and most fortunate we make pictures because of what stands in front of the camera, to honor what is greater and more interesting than we are. We never accomplish this perfectly, though in return we are given something perfect--a sense of inclusion. Our subject thus redefines us, and is part of the biography by which we want to be known."
"Art does not deny that evil is real, but it places evil in a context that implies an affirmation; the structure of the picture, which is a metaphor for the structure of the Creation, suggests that evil is not final."
"There will come a time when we stop naming places for lake shores that aren't there, and attaching to names eastern suffixes like 'glen' and 'green'. And if we call them by names that are accurate, we may ultimately find it easier to live in them."
"Finally, there is the joy to be found in a landscape experienced with family and friends. There are days that become, in the urgent and hushed sharing of a wonderful place with someone else, as much as I expect to know of the world for which I dream. To hear one's name, and the invitation, spoken with the assurance you will together see the same gift--'Look'."
And, from Beauty in Photography:
"Our discouragement in the presence of beauty results, surely, from the way we have damaged the country, from what appears to be our inability now to stop, and from the fact that few of us can any longer hope to own a piece of undisturbed land. Which is to say that what bothers us about primordial beauty is that it is no longer characteristic."
"If, as a personal matter, I have chosen not to make color pictures, it is because I have remembered how hard it is to write good free verse, with which color photography has some similarities, both being close to what occurs naturally."
Well, enough said--or rather, quoted.
May 11, 2008
A collection of essays on photography, some of which are slightly related, others of which are not. There are some interesting insights and inspirations in some of the essays, but as a whole, I found the collection to be lacking. I had hoped to gain a better perspective on why people photograph and what makes for a classic artistic photograph, what makes photography in and of itself a great artistic medium, but didn't really find that here.
June 6, 2020
عنوان الكتاب جذاب لكنه مضلل بعض الشيء. بالرغم من أن روبرت آدمز يكشف بين الحين والآخر عن دوافع الناس لالتقاط الصورة.
يناقش الكتاب هذا الموضوع بأشكال مختلفة تحت ثلاثة أقسام رئيسية:
الأول: يعبر فيه عن مجموعة من الافكار العشوائية المرتبطة بالتصوير من قبيل الفكاهة، الكتابة، التدريس، كسب المال، والموضوع الاخير يوضح فيه بأن الفنانين عادة ما يقومون بتربية الكلاب!
القسم الثاني وهو أكثرهم أهمية في نظري، يطرح أمثلة للنجاح في عالم التصوير، ويناقش أعمال بعض المصورين مثل إدوارد ويستون، باول ستراند، دوروثي لانج، وغيرهم.
الجميل هو اعتماد روبرت آدمز في تحليله على جانبين هما جمالية الصورة والدوافع النفسية والفكرية وراء التقاط بعض الصور.
تكرر انتقاده لكتاب السيرة الذين يفشلون في معرفة موضوعهم جيداً وبما يكفي لربط شخصياتهم بأعمالهم، لذلك يلجأون للتركيز على الشخصية، أو فشلها، أو الأسوأ تقديم تفسيرات زائفة لأعمالهم!
القسم الثالث والأخير كان ممل بعض الشيء بالنسبة لي. يناقش فيه ظروف العمل خلال ثلاثة قرون (١٩، ٢٠،٢١) علاقته مع الطبيعة وماذا تعني له، وتجربته خلال العمل على تصوير مشاهد من الغرب الامريكي.
لغة الكتاب صعبة بعض الشيء، وتحتوي على الكثير من الاشارات والدلالات التي تحتاج جهد اكبر في البحث عن معانيها.
يناقش الكتاب هذا الموضوع بأشكال مختلفة تحت ثلاثة أقسام رئيسية:
الأول: يعبر فيه عن مجموعة من الافكار العشوائية المرتبطة بالتصوير من قبيل الفكاهة، الكتابة، التدريس، كسب المال، والموضوع الاخير يوضح فيه بأن الفنانين عادة ما يقومون بتربية الكلاب!
القسم الثاني وهو أكثرهم أهمية في نظري، يطرح أمثلة للنجاح في عالم التصوير، ويناقش أعمال بعض المصورين مثل إدوارد ويستون، باول ستراند، دوروثي لانج، وغيرهم.
الجميل هو اعتماد روبرت آدمز في تحليله على جانبين هما جمالية الصورة والدوافع النفسية والفكرية وراء التقاط بعض الصور.
تكرر انتقاده لكتاب السيرة الذين يفشلون في معرفة موضوعهم جيداً وبما يكفي لربط شخصياتهم بأعمالهم، لذلك يلجأون للتركيز على الشخصية، أو فشلها، أو الأسوأ تقديم تفسيرات زائفة لأعمالهم!
القسم الثالث والأخير كان ممل بعض الشيء بالنسبة لي. يناقش فيه ظروف العمل خلال ثلاثة قرون (١٩، ٢٠،٢١) علاقته مع الطبيعة وماذا تعني له، وتجربته خلال العمل على تصوير مشاهد من الغرب الامريكي.
لغة الكتاب صعبة بعض الشيء، وتحتوي على الكثير من الاشارات والدلالات التي تحتاج جهد اكبر في البحث عن معانيها.
February 20, 2019
I didn't get this book. For the way it's written it was quite difficult to read. There are many intimate references to other artists and art, and it feels like I have to adjust to "the vibe" to appreciate it. Some of the insights are delightful, but most of it I've found to be more like comments for close circle of friends, which sadly I'm not a part of.
October 7, 2018
Adams writes about photographers like - almost - no other. The deepness with which he can describe a picture or the style of an artist is amazing and makes this book necessary. The essay on Paul Strand alone is enough to make this book worth buying. And the final two essays that relate landscape photography with environmental concern are Adams at his best.
July 17, 2012
The book falls closer to the 4 stars than the 3 to me. Starts amazingly!
And Adams goes around the humanitarian aspects of being a photographer and his surroundings, describing them beautifully and emotionally using his English literature skills, using poems too which makes even more emotional and closer to the heart.
He then goes to describe the main artists' works and their emotional backgrounds and how their lives affected their photographic styles and techniques. So interesting I say but sometimes it got dull..
The last part is when he describes the working conditions in 19th, 20th centuries, the landscape changes, the influence of humans on the deterioration of nature and landscapes that he used to see. In this part he goes a little depressing and black visioned you feel there's no green areas at all, but that's the price you pay of literate, exaggeration. It's still beautiful, his hopes for more responsibility toward nature and landscapes and the green areas..
All in all, this book is totally worth it for photographers.
“At our best and most fortunate we make pictures because of what stands in front of the camera, to honor what is greater and more interesting than we are. We never accomplish this perfectly, though in return we are given something perfect - a sense of inclusion. Our subject thus redefines us, and is part of the biography by which we want to be known.”
And Adams goes around the humanitarian aspects of being a photographer and his surroundings, describing them beautifully and emotionally using his English literature skills, using poems too which makes even more emotional and closer to the heart.
He then goes to describe the main artists' works and their emotional backgrounds and how their lives affected their photographic styles and techniques. So interesting I say but sometimes it got dull..
The last part is when he describes the working conditions in 19th, 20th centuries, the landscape changes, the influence of humans on the deterioration of nature and landscapes that he used to see. In this part he goes a little depressing and black visioned you feel there's no green areas at all, but that's the price you pay of literate, exaggeration. It's still beautiful, his hopes for more responsibility toward nature and landscapes and the green areas..
All in all, this book is totally worth it for photographers.
“At our best and most fortunate we make pictures because of what stands in front of the camera, to honor what is greater and more interesting than we are. We never accomplish this perfectly, though in return we are given something perfect - a sense of inclusion. Our subject thus redefines us, and is part of the biography by which we want to be known.”
August 15, 2009
THis collection of essays was not exactly what I was expecting. The title is very misleading, in my opinion. I was expecting a book about the idea of photography, instead I got a collection of essays mostly about some famous photographers.
June 29, 2023
I have always wondered about the importance of a photograph. There are a lot of subjective ways to go around this question and the answer would never be wrong. This great book by Robert Adams illustrates this point very profoundly. I love reading it, the way it was written is also very poetic in an elaborative way. Though this book has a lot to offer, the only downfall is that it is a comparative study of different photographers of the time, that too, not in a very detailed way and hence problematic in that area.
Having said all this, it still opens one's mind about nature and the ways of seeing it in which we are surrounded.
Having said all this, it still opens one's mind about nature and the ways of seeing it in which we are surrounded.
May 7, 2021
Robert Adams, in this book, has connected the day to day life with the art of photography. Through the little things like dogs, landscapes, and houses, he has shown how people can feel connected to their surroundings. In this book, Adams also talks about his colleagues and the success stories of Edward Weston, Paul Strand, Laura Gilpin, and others. He also provides a view of the working conditions in the 19th and 20th centuries.
One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “photographers may or may not make a living by photography, but they are alive by it.”
One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “photographers may or may not make a living by photography, but they are alive by it.”
June 9, 2024
I think I expected more of a universal insight into the title of the book. Rather I found most of it to be myopic view into a fading American west and a few landscapes photographers that focused on those areas. I’d say the first quarter of the book and the last one are the most interesting parts; nostalgic and melancholic, with an ode to the loss of space and the importance of preserving those memories.
June 3, 2018
I found the book interesting as it discussed not just the changes in what photographers wanted to show with their photographs, but what is no longer there, what was needed for so many photographers, such as the loss of space in the west. I enjoyed the last chapters as the author chatted on his own views of the environment, where we are now , what we have lost and what we are still losing.
May 6, 2020
This was by far one of the most helpful books I've read regarding my own work at this stage. Very interesting and it his a lot of truths that I felt, but never saw put down in words. It's a book I'll read more than once - one that is destined for that special spot next to my bed.
July 22, 2020
Read this book for the prose and the insights into photographers, photography, and the way that these two work within our particular time. Do not read this if you expect straight ahead explanations of why people photograph. The writing is wonderful and the insights deep.
May 2, 2022
Lots of interesting ruminations about photography and art in its practice and its appreciation, as well as it’s relation to the American landscape. I found the “Examples of Success” portion weaker than the rest, but still containing some useful insights.
August 6, 2024
the vast majority of the book feels overwhelmingly candid and refreshing despite being written about 30 years ago. adam’s is honest and personal, and writes with an infectious passion about photographing.
January 11, 2018
Eh. Didn't learn anything new.
January 27, 2018
Wonderful short collection of essays on photography and the approach of photographers to their art.
March 4, 2018
Incisive writing from a philosophic and technical point of view from someone within the photography community itself.
March 20, 2019
Macnificent
February 11, 2021
The majority of the content is either too specific or a little outdated. I didn't enjoy it as much as "Beauty in Photography". Still great writing though.
August 1, 2014
Admittedly this book is marketed toward a self selecting group. Still I think it is important to reflect on the merits of reading or not reading this book. As others have pointed out, the title is misleading. There are hints of interesting insights hidden throughout the book but more often Adams' essays read like a short book report. Unfortunately the insights are hidden and it takes a lot of weeding through pages of quotes from other books and commentary on why he thinks they got it wrong to find the insights.
March 29, 2011
With respect but not much enthusiasm, I would say
that the light in this book comes mostly through
well-deployed quotations from the work of other
and better writers. I appreciate learning about some
good photographers I had not heard of before. But the
book is uneven, with what reads as freshly thought
sections being followed by sort of padding consisting
of old book reviews and essays written for other purposes.
that the light in this book comes mostly through
well-deployed quotations from the work of other
and better writers. I appreciate learning about some
good photographers I had not heard of before. But the
book is uneven, with what reads as freshly thought
sections being followed by sort of padding consisting
of old book reviews and essays written for other purposes.
October 28, 2014
An amazing small book of essays on photography, art, the environment and America. Yes, America, with an 'A.' All from the perspective of a photographer of course, but it's so much more than just another book on photography. Worth reading and rereading, especially when one has the time and space to think more seriously and quietly about the ideas and discussions it contains.
May 11, 2016
A book that asks big questions and describes a lot of the problems with being "a photographer" or having a "a photographer's life" though those titles can play out in a myriad of ways.
The later parts of the book it drops off a bit. Focusing more on the works of other photographers and for my interests was too dated to matter.
The later parts of the book it drops off a bit. Focusing more on the works of other photographers and for my interests was too dated to matter.
September 8, 2016
Largely, "Why Photographers Photograph" rather than the title. But it does touch on the veracity of photography (oh, for those innocent days) and its ability to record the (past) state of nature. In this its tone can resemble a lament. This also leaks into his eloquent interpretations of the classic American photographers.
March 3, 2010
Reads like an intellectual biography. Interesting insight into the mind of a professional photographer, but for me less valuable on more abstract ideas about why we photograph, which I think others like Barthes and Sontag do much better.
February 15, 2012
I somehow was sidetracked and haven't finished this yet, but I was inspired by everything I have read so far. This book was extremely helpful in aiding me in writing my artist statement for my bfa project, and also gave me more of a drive for my work.
August 28, 2015
Very interesting book with perspectives on what Master Photographer's employed. Philosophy and deep thoughts regarding photography. Excellent book and was rather hard to put down. After reading 32 pages one day, I finished all 182 the next day...
December 25, 2015
The first third of this book had me captivated, but the rest was a chore to get through. Some of the essays about particular photographers were nice, but I kept having to jump out of the book to search online for a visual reference.
October 16, 2007
absolutely brilliant, inspiring articles. i'd recommend to everyone.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews