From Landform to Art Form: Ansel Adams and the Beauty of Nature

1. Summit Hill ElementaryArt EDventures “From Landform to Art Form” 3rd Grade-Social Studies Geographic Understandings Ansel Adams Brought to you by S.H.E. PTA PLEASE NOTE: This presentation is to be used for educational purposes only. Do not reproduce.

2. Meet Ansel Adams “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” 1902 - 1984

3. Artist and Conservationist • Ansel Adams is considered one of America’s most famous photographers and environmental heroes. • He spent much of his life taking photos of our National Parks. His art made millions of people aware of the importance of conserving both nature and our natural resources. • Adams served as an official photographer for the Sierra Club; a group that protects America’s wilderness. He believed that people could, and should, live in harmony with nature. Ansel Adams using his View Camera.

4. A California Kid • Ansel Adams was born in San Francisco, California in 1902. When Adams was four, the great quake of 1906 shook San Francisco. During an aftershock, he fell and broke his nose; it remained crooked his entire life. • As a child, he spent much of his free time playing on the sand dunes near the area where the Golden Gate bridge now stands. This is where his love for nature was born. • Adams didn’t do well in the traditional classroom and by age 12 he no longer went to school. His father and aunt tutored him at home. • He was very bright and taught himself to play the piano and read music. He thought he wanted to be a concert pianist when he grew up. The Golden Gate Before the Bridge by Ansel Adams The Golden Gate The Golden Gate Bridge from Baker Beach by Ansel Adams

5. Ansel’s View Camera • He was an avid mountaineer; when he was about 18 he took a trip to Yosemite National Park with his new camera, a gift from his dad. • He “packed in” to Yosemite with his burro, Mistletoe. She carried nearly 100 pounds of gear: his camera, tripod, portable darkroom and camping stuff. Adams also carried a 30 pound pack filled with film and food. • Ansel took the photographs, and developed the film while in the wilderness, by setting up a portable dark room in a tent. • It was during this trip that he decided to become a photographer instead of a pianist. This life changing decision resulted in some of the most famous photographs in the world. Ansel’s Burro, “Mistletoe” The View Camera – This camera is extremely heavy and takes a long time to set up

6. Landform or Art Form? Mount Williamson, Sierra Nevada, California by Ansel Adams Oak Tree at Sunrise, Northern California by Ansel Adams “Jazz” by Matisse Some people feel that landscape photography is not an art form; they feel that it just shows what exists. What do YOU think?

7. Variety of Landforms Long’s Peak from Road Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado by Ansel Adams Sand Bar, Rio Grande River Big Bend National Park, Texas by Ansel Adams Ansel Adams captured a variety of different landforms on film. What type of landforms are shown above?

8. More Landforms… Yosemite National Park, California Death Valley National Monument, California Yosemite National Park, California Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona Which Landforms did Ansel capture in these photographs?

9. Is the Ocean a Landform? Yes, ocean IS a landform!!! Pacific Vista, California by Ansel Adams Scripps Pier, San Diego, California By Ansel Adams Both photographs show the ocean but they are so different. What differences do you see?

10. What was Adams Framing Here? Jeffrey Pine, Sentinel Dome Yosemite National Park, California Framing his subject was another way that Ansel “made” a photograph instead of just “taking” a picture. What do you think he was drawing your attention to, or “framing”, as it is called in photography?

11. The Zone System Sea Star • Adams developed a technical system called the Zone System which included the scale to the right. • The scale broke down black, white and grey into 9 specific shades. • Adams used this system by making notes, when he took the photograph, which Zone each section of the photograph should look like then matched it when he developed his film. • At this time, cameras were completely manual, so this helped Ansel, and other photographers, have more control over their photos. Right Whale Moray Eel

12. Love Of The Land Ansel Adams was not only a world famous photographer he: • tested new products for Kodak and Polaroid. • helped established the first artistic photography department in a museum. • published a photography magazine called “Aperture”. • wrote several artistic and technical books about photography, and • worked as an activist to conserve nature and the wilderness. Mount McKinley, Wonder Lake Denali National Park, Alaska By Ansel Adams

13. Art EDventures Sample Painted Foil Relief Landform Now it’s your turn to work with black, white and landscapes to create a foil relief landform inspired by Ansel Adams’ amazing photographs!

14. Project Art EDventures • Choose an Ansel Adams landscape from this presentation. Then draw your own version of it on the dull side of a piece of foil with your pencil. Keep it simple don’t add a lot of detail. • Now fill in your landscape using different patterns. For example, fill your sky with little dots, for water add swirls, etc. Do this to your entire landscape. • Choose one color of paint and put some on a plate. Then add a few spots of black and white paint on your plate, but make sure the colors stay separate. • Add some of the color you chose to the spots of white to make several different tints of your color. Tint: a variation of color made by adding white to it. • Add some color to your black spots to make several different shades of your color. Shade: the darkness or lightness of a color. • Think of Adam’s Zone System and the different shades of black, grey and white he used`. • Now turn your foil over to the shiny side and paint your monochromatic (single color) landscape with your different tints and shades. • Use a paper towel to blot off any extra paint so you can see your design on the foil through the paint. • Glue your tin foil down to construction paper. • When you are finished, sign your name and “Draw the Paw” on the front of your art.

15. Supply List • 25 sheets of tin foil, approximately 12 inches long • Pencils • Black, white and colored acrylic paint (child will choose ONE color) • Glue, approximately 13 bottles to share • 25 sheets of dark construction paper • 25 Paint brushes • 25 Used magazines (for use under tin foil) • Plastic containers, one for clean water and one for dirty water • Paper towels • Water

16. G.P.S. Ties Georgia Education Standards – Grade Three Geographic Understandings SS3G1 - The student will locate major topographical features of the United States of America. • Identify major rivers of the United States of America: Mississippi, Ohio, Rio Grande, Colorado, Hudson. • Identify major mountain ranges of the United States of America: Appalachian, Rocky. c. Locate the equator, prime meridian, and lines of latitude and longitude on a globe. d. Locate Greece on a world map.

17. Art EDventures Made Possible by your Donations to the S.H.E. P.T.A. Dear Parent(s), I went to Art EDventures today with my class. I learned all about Ansel Adams, a famous photographer and conservationist. He was born in San Francisco, California before the Golden Gate Bridge was even built! He worked with major art museums to develop artistic photography departments and he brought awareness to the importance of keeping our National Forests safe from development and destruction. He loved to photograph the land and we talked about several of the landforms he took pictures of including the tallest mountain in the United States, Mount McKinley. After we talked about Mr. Adams, and the things he did for the world of art and the environment, we made a really fun project. Ask me about it! By the way, if you ever see the paw on any of my art work, you’ll know it was done in Art EDventures. Ansel Adams Art EDventures Made Possible by your Donations to the S.H.E. P.T.A. Dear Parent(s), I went to Art EDventures today with my class. I learned all about Ansel Adams, a famous photographer and conservationist. He was born in San Francisco, California before the Golden Gate Bridge was even built! He worked with major art museums to develop artistic photography departments and he brought awareness to the importance of keeping our National Forests safe from development and destruction. He loved to photograph the land and we talked about several of the landforms he took pictures of including the tallest mountain in the United States, Mount McKinley. After we talked about Mr. Adams, and the things he did for the world of art and the environment, we made a really fun project. Ask me about it! By the way, if you ever see the paw on any of my art work, you’ll know it was done in Art EDventures. Ansel Adams