Arty Farty Friday ~ Ansel Adams ~ Pisces Again.

1902 was a very good year for the arts, especially for anything connected to photography and film. The prevailing astrological stew brought forth numerous men who were later to become film producer/directors. Some of the best known are: David O.Selznick, Vittoria de Sica, Anatole Litvak, Harold Schuster, William Wyler, Darryl F. Zanuck, and photographer Ansel Adams. The position of the outer planets, Neptune, especially, and Pluto, in communications sign Gemini almost certainly contributed to this cornucopia of film and photographic talent.



Famous photographer and conservationist, Ansel Adams was born 20 February 1902, allegedly at 3am, in San Francisco, Astrodatabank gives it a "B" rating, so it's likely to have come from some published biography.


A birth time of 3 am puts outer planets close to the ascendant/descendant angles, giving them extra significance. Technological Uranus and creative Neptune harmoniously trine or sextile his most personal planets, Sun, Venus and Mercury which lie in the late degrees of Uranus-ruled Aquarius and 00* of Neptune-ruled Pisces.

I see Ansel Adams as a clear blend of Aquarius and Pisces, with extra dynamism coming from his Moon in Leo and the Sagittarian ascendant.

Neptune connects to photography and is also the ruler of his Pisces Sun. Uranus, ruler of Aquarius where 3 of his personal planets lay, connects to technology, and technology is involved in cameras. It all fits rather well!

Below is a tiny sample of the work of Ansel Adams, with two quotations attributed to him. Many more examples of his photographs can be seen at the Ansel Adams Gallery, and via Google Image.

"In my mind's eye, I visualize how a particular... sight and feeling will appear on a print. If it excites me, there is a good chance it will make a good photograph. It is an intuitive sense, an ability that comes from a lot of practice."

"It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment".
(The more things change, the more they remain the same!).

A very good year......and Ansel Adams

1902 was a very good year for the arts. Oddly (or perhaps not), the prevailing astrological stew brought forth numerous men who were later to become film producer/directors. A few of the better known names are: David O.Selznick, Vittoria de Sica, Anatole Litvak, Harold Schuster, William Wyler, Darryl F. Zanuck - and there are others. Composer for musical theatre, Richard Rodgers, writers Ogden Nash and John Steinbeck, aviator Charles Lindbergh, TV personality Ed Sullivan, astrologers Grant Lewi and Carl Payne Tobey, and photographer Ansel Adams are also of this rare vintage. SEE HERE for more.

The position of the outer planets almost certainly contributed to this cornucopia of talent. Pluto lay between 17 and 19 Gemini, Neptune between 29 Gemini and 3 Cancer, Uranus between 18 to 20 Sagittarius. For a good part of the year Pluto (and sometimes Neptune) opposed Uranus in Sagittarius. Saturn remained in Capricorn throughout the year.

From amongst that line-up of luminaries I've already blogged about Ogen Nash (here),. I've mentioned the two astrologers in several blog entries too. Next up is famous photographer and conservationist, Ansel Adams.

Ansel Adams was born 20 February 1902, allegedly at 3am, in San Francisco. That 3am birth time is so convenient that I do wonder if it's a guess or rectification (I must learn to be more trusting and less cynical!)




A birth time of 3 am puts those magical outer planets near to the ascendant/descendant angles, giving them extra importance and strength. They are trining or sextiling his most personal planets, Sun, Venus and Mercury which lie in the last degrees of Aquarius and 00* Pisces. His Moon at 4 Leo opposes Jupiter at 3 Aquarius. This time of birth puts MC in Libra, ruled by artistic Venus - but no planets are there.

I see Ansel Adams as a clear blend of Aquarius and Pisces, with extra dynamism coming from his Moon in Firey Leo and the Sagittarian ascendant. Sun Mercury and Venus trining Neptune and sextiling Uranus are likely to be the key features here.

Neptune rules photography and is also the ruler of his (just in) Pisces Sun. Uranus, ruler of his Aquarian planets rules the technology involved in cameras generally, so the sextile to his personal planets will have been helpful.

It's becoming a little clearer now why so many film director/producers featured in that list of 1902 luminaries !

Below is a small sample of the work of Ansel Adams, with two quotations attributed to him.

"It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment".(The more things change, the more they remain the same!).

"It is my intention to present - through the medium of photography - intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators."