Robert Adams' essays

Robert Adams

The more thought I put in about it, the more I realized "Why do People Photograph? is a difficult question to answer. Why do I make photographs? I suppose the simplest answer that does apply to a large group of photographers is the desire to create a historical record of their lives, in which they can revisit the past through a series of pictures. It’s a form of time travel, or a way to secure one’s memories as the years pass.

For many photographers, myself included, I see photography as a means to create a piece of art. What is art? To me, art is in the vision of the observer. My opinion of a photograph is something that grabs the eye's attention when being looked at, something that will cause an emotional response, usually one of being impressed. A photograph is beauty. This allows me to draw the line around photography, and that a photograph will always provoke an emotional response.

When I photograph to make and capture beauty, whether it’s an old building that hasn't been explored for years, or a figure study or an urban landscape, I always want to create something more than if you were just to simply look at it in real life. Each photograph taken is a window into a certain moment, and the collection of images taken over time is who we are and what our values were. A collection of photographs taken by one documents our travels, experiences, relationships and much more. If, as artists, we don’t reinforce what we photograph to some point, we’re just capturing images, which anybody can do in the right place at the right time. For me thats what making a photograph is all about; the drive to capture something that will one day not be there.

When Robert Adams asked the iffy subject of “why do people photograph" it is believable that he had no idea how complicated the subject really is. Everyone has their own ‘why’ and there really isn't a single answer that can cover all possible questions. The most important step is to grab your camera, go out and shoot some photos and go where you have never been taking risks.