Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Hear Harry Callahan discussing his initial days in photography and the first time seeing an Ansel Adams print

Hear Harry Callahan discussing his initial days in photography and the first time seeing an Ansel Adams print

Harry Callahan discussing his start in photography and the first time he viewed an Ansel Adams print, from the documentary Harry Callahan: Eleanor and Barbara (1983).
Checkerboard Film Foundation (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
  • Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
    Impressionism is a style of art that showcases natural light, movement, and moments.
    What Is Impressionism?
    What Is Impressionism?
  • Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
    Construction of the Sagrada Família began in 1882—and is still ongoing.
    Media Editor: Miranda Chabot
    Sagrada Família: The World's Oldest Construction Site
    Stylized illustration of the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona with sunburst lines and blue labels reading "Sagrada Familia" above the building.
  • Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
    Degas' interest in painting ballerinas speaks to his love of classic beauty.
    A Look Behind the Curtain in The Ballet Class
    Painting by Edgar Degas, "The Ballet Class," features ballerinas in rehearsal.
  • Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
    Filming Alaska's black bears (Ursus americanus) in their natural habitat.
    A Wildlife Filmmaker's Close Encounters With Black Bears
    A Wildlife Filmmaker's Close Encounters With Black Bears
  • Great Museums Television (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
    A discussion of George Eastman and the museum established on his estate, from Picture Perfect: George Eastman House.
    The Life and Inventions of George Eastman
    The Life and Inventions of George Eastman
  • Checkerboard Film Foundation (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
    Photographer and curator John Szarkowski discussing the work of Ansel Adams, from the documentary Speaking of Art: John Szarkowski on Ansel Adams (2004).
    Hear John Szarkowski discussing the work of Ansel Adams, Lake McDonald
    Hear John Szarkowski discussing the work of Ansel Adams, Lake McDonald
  • Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
    Don't let film photography become a lost art.
    Media Editors: Lauren Sims , Kira Helm
    How (And Why) To Develop Photos in a Darkroom
    A person in glasses examines a strip of film in a darkroom. Overlaid text reads "What's the point of film photography?" with "film photography?" highlighted in blue.
Related Articles: Harry Callahan , History of photography

Transcript

HARRY CALLAHAN: I think I've mainly been naive all my life; I never knew much about what was going on. Maybe if I knew too much, I would be too influenced, or maybe if I knew the history of art, you know, I might have been stifled by it. When I first started photography I--I learned technique, to a certain extent, from camera clubs, but it was never a beautiful quality like you--like--well, like an Ansel Adams print, which I finally saw for the first time--the first beautiful print that I'd ever seen. That was photography to me. And it was just like total freedom. I felt that I could--I was an artist, and I hadn't even made a picture yet.

[Ocean sounds]