Dispatches From a Ruined Paradise – The New York Times

Robert Adams’s succinct preface to his 2010 book of photographs “What Can We Believe Where?” begins with uplift: “In common with many photographers,” he writes, “I began making pictures because I wanted to record what supports hope: the untranslatable mystery and beauty of the world.” Adams’s aim was true. Look at one of his photographs and you’ll see a record of mystery and beauty. The photographic elements are simple. Bright sunlight, generally; crisp shadow; the occasional moody nocturne. We feel as if we are being taught to see with a visual primer. Better yet, turn the pages of one of his books (he has made more than 50) or walk around an exhibition of his work, inhabiting the flow of his decisions. You are likely to feel your breath getting calmer and your senses quietened.