Mary Street Alinder – författare

In this bestselling autobiography, completed shortly before his death in 1984, Ansel Adams looks back at his legendary six-decade career as a conservationist, teacher, musician, and, above all, photographer. Written with characteristic warmth, vigour, and wit, this fascinating account brings to life the infectious enthusiasms, fervent battles, and bountiful friendships of a truly American original.

In his early years in Yosemite, Adams formed the habit of writing letters at every opportunity. His correspondence, therefore, provides virtually the full record of his life. Throughout the years, wherever he went, from Southwest to Maine to Alaska, he wrote literally thousands of letters and postcards. Among the family, friends, fellow photographers, environmentalists and politicians with whom he corresponded rank such eminent names as Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Jimmy Carter, Garry Trudeau and Edward Weston. This volume of letters reveals the growth of the artist and the man, as well as the development of the art of photography.

First published in 1996, Mary Street Alinder''s biography of Ansel Adams remains the only full biography of one of the greatest American photographers. Alinder is a respected scholar, and also had a close connection to Adams, serving as his chief assistant in the last five years of his life. The portrait she creates of him is intimate and affectionate; it is also clear-eyed. She takes on his difficult childhood in San Francisco, the friendships and rivalries within his circle of photographers, his leadership in America''s environmental movement, his marriage, his affairs, and his not-always-successful fatherhood. Enriched by her uniquely personal understanding of Adams the man, she explains the artistic philosophy that, paired with his peerless technique, produced an inimitable style. Her biography is likely to remain unrivaled.This new edition will bring the classic up to date and includes research that reveals new information and a deeper understanding of his greatest photographs. It will also include thirty-two pages of reproductions of Adams''s work and snapshots of the artist and close friends.

An engaging, illuminating group biography of the photographers of the seminal West Coast movement-the first in-depth book on Group f.64.Group f.64 is perhaps the most famous movement in the history of photography, counting among its members Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Dorothea Lange, Willard Van Dyke, and Edward Weston. Revolutionary in their day, Group f.64 was one of the first modern art movements equally defined by women. From the San Francisco Bay Area, its influence extended internationally, contributing significantly to the recognition of photography as a fine art. The group-first identified as such in a 1932 exhibition-was comprised of strongly individualist artists, brought together by a common philosophy, and held together in a tangle of dynamic relationships. They shared a conviction that photography must emphasize its unique capabilities-those that distinguished it from other arts-in order to establish the medium''s identity. Their name, f.64, they took from a very small lens aperture used with their large format cameras, a pinprick that allowed them to capture the greatest possible depth of field in their lustrous, sharply detailed prints. In today''s digital world, these “straight” photography champions are increasingly revered.Mary Alinder is uniquely positioned to write this first group biography. A former assistant to Ansel Adams, she knew most of the artists featured. Just as importantly, she understands the art. Featuring fifty photographs by and of its members, Group f.64 details a transformative period in art with narrative flair.