The Process and the Page: Developing Photographic Books

In the 20th century, American photographer Ansel Adams adopted the book form as a way to organize, disseminate and promote his artwork. Adams took a keen interest in every aspect of his books’ production and design, from sequence and typestyle to reproduction quality and pricing. The Process and the Page presents working materials from the Center for Creative Photography’s archives to demonstrate how Ansel Adams and nine other photographers, including Richard Avedon, Paul Strand and W. Eugene Smith, explored this essential means of preserving and presenting their body of work.

Curated by Rebecca Senf, the exhibition features fascinating artifacts such as actual contracts, maquettes, printer’s notes and more, illustrating the photographic book-making process from start to finish.

Ansel Adams and Dave Gardner on Press, Ansel Adams Archive, Center for Creative Photography © Jim Alinder