Shelby Lee Adams

Shelby Lee Adams (born October 24, 1950)[1] is an American environmental portrait photographer and artist best known for his images of Appalachian family life.

Shelby Lee Adams
Photograph of Shelby Lee Adams
Adams in 2010
Born (1950-10-24) October 24, 1950 (age 73)
Alma materCleveland Institute of Art, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Known forPhotography

Life and career

Adams has photographed Appalachian families since the mid-1970s.[2] He had first encountered the poor families of the Appalachian mountains as a child, travelling around the area with his uncle, who was a doctor.[3] His work has been published in three monographs: Appalachian Portraits (1993), Appalachian Legacy (1998), and Appalachian Lives (2003).

The True Meaning of Pictures

Adams was the subject of a documentary film by Jennifer Baichwal in 2002 - The True Meaning of Pictures: Shelby Lee Adams's Appalachia. This was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, and at the Sundance Festival in 2003.[4][5] The film critiques and defends Adams' method in photographing Appalachian people for his previously published books.

Awards

Books by Adams

  • Appalachian Portraits. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1993. ISBN 0-87805-646-7; ISBN 0-87805-667-X.
  • Appalachian Legacy: Photographs. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1998. ISBN 1-57806-048-6; ISBN 1-57806-049-4.
  • Appalachian Lives. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2003. ISBN 1-57806-540-2.
  • Salt and Truth. Richmond, Va.: Candela, 2011. ISBN 0-9845739-1-7.

Permanent collections

References