Recently in humanities 10 we have been considering the word Crazy and what it means to be crazy and what comes with it. The driving question for this unit is “Why Does It Take A Crazy Person To Change The World?”
We started this unit with a short discussion about what crazy means to us and what crazy people have done for our world. We were also introduced to the Apple Think Different Campaign, (here’s the link if you want to check it out) the people that Apple decided were crazy in their own way and should represent their company. We were then given the task of picking one person out of the campaign, and creating a Keynote about them.
I chose Ansel Easton Adams. Ansel was crazy because he explored a field that had not been explored by many, and he thought outside the box. He did not want to continue into a job that everyone had tried. He wanted to create his own path. He was driven to push forward a (then known as) hobby into a career.
He was a very private person, even as a child. He preferred to play with bugs in creeks, then play aggressive sports with other people his age. He began playing piano at a young age and he believed that piano would be his ticket out into the world. He later realized that his hands were to small to become a professional pianist. He could however become a teacher or play for special events but that was not good enough for him.
His father took him to Yosemite for the first time in 1916, he also bought him his first camera this trip. He became addicted to photography and Yosemite. He came back the next year with a better camera and a tripod. After these trips he really started to realize that he can carry photography to a new level. He picked up a part time job at a photo finishing company in San Francisco, and he began to write for photographic journals around his area.
He met his wife in Yosemite, her father owned the photo studio in Yosemite, called Best Studios. The studio is now dedicated to Ansel Adams and his footprint. Around this time Ansel was still quite focused on piano, which meant he would take photos when he could. This lead him to dangerous situations and bad weather at Yosemite.
While taking photographs Ansel would often try using lenses to create different contrasts between the sky and the cliffs. This was a area previously unexplored. Lenses were for those risking a lot, because if you think about it, if you were to use a lens on a photo you would not be able to retake the photo. It was a hard thing to master.
His first portfolio gained him nearly $3,900. People saw his work and suddenly people all over the world were interested. He had an exhibit of his work in the Smithsonian in 1931, and continued to gain praise from here.
This is the slideshow I presented in class along with all this information. It was in Pecha Kucha format.
My thesis for my keynote was : Ansel Adams perseverance and determination allowed him to show the true power of a photograph. His creativity and advancement challenge the way we interpret and partake in photography today.
I believe that this thesis works well with the context of Ansel’s story but it think that if I was to redo the thesis I would include information on his challenges and his story of success.
Hearing about these people taught me a bit about myself. I realized that every one of these people (the apple Think Different campaign people) advanced our living in someway. I also learned that each of these people held themselves to an expectation. They all felt that it was mandatory to meet these expectations that they hold against themselves. It is weird to think about these people being so determined to create something that satisfies them, that it can literally drive them crazy.
I really enjoyed this project and can’t wait to see where it takes us next. Also if you have any questions or comments I would love to hear them! This is the link to my rules of commenting page, if you would like to read more. I would love to hear what words come to your mind when you think of the word crazy!