Paul Adams, Photography Professor at BYU, Finds Meaning in Photography’s Physical Purpose
For nearly 23 years, photography professor Paul Adams has taught at Brigham Young University, guiding students through both the technical and philosophical dimensions of image-making. But long before his work appeared in galleries and institutions such as the Smithsonian, Adams was a teenager cleaning at a meat market to buy his first camera.
“I worked in a meat market, cleaning up after the butchers to save up enough money to buy a camera when I was 15,” Adams said.
Adams originally came to BYU intending to study filmmaking. After returning from his mission and reevaluating his academic path, he enrolled in a photography course intended only for majors.
“The only photography class that would fit into my schedule was for majors,” he said. “The professor said, ‘Well, it’s only for photo majors. Are you a major?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I am.’ From there, I was committed.”
That decision introduced Adams to professor John Telford, a mentor whose influence shaped both his career and artistic philosophy.
“He was the one that showed me what a career in photography looked like,” Adams said. “I saw his life and his career, and I said, ‘Yeah, that’s what I want to do.’”
The two later taught together at BYU before Telford’s passing. Adams described their relationship as extending far beyond the classroom.
“He became like a second dad to me,” Adams said. “We traveled the world together.”
Now, Adams teaches alternative photographic processes. This area of photography is rooted in historical methods from the 19th century. Rather than relying solely on digital technology, these processes require artists to physically construct images through chemical, mechanical and hand-worked techniques.
One of the methods Adams teaches and researches is photogravure, a process in which photographs are etched onto copper or polymer plates using ultraviolet light before being inked and printed by hand through an intaglio press.
“It’s a physical process,” Adams said. “It takes a good part of a day just to make one.”
The method differs significantly from contemporary digital photography, where images can be produced and replicated almost instantly.
“There are subtleties to the print that are unparalleled,” Adams said. “Every print is one of a kind. Every print is unique.”
Because each plate is inked and wiped by hand, even prints produced from the same image contain slight variations.
“There is something precious about the hand process and the touch of the artist,” Adams said.
His work with historical processes has also shaped some of his most recognized projects. Among them is a series documenting some of the last known speakers of Native American languages across the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Working with a student collaborator, Adams traveled to photograph speakers using wet plate collodion tintype photography, a process developed during the mid-1800s.
“This woman was one of the last speakers of her language,” Adams said of one portrait subject. “We would make these portraits of them using this mid-1800 process.”
The photograph from the project was displayed at the Smithsonian.
While Adams’ projects vary in subject and process, he said a consistent motivation underlies much of his work. Referencing a line from author Robert Fulghum, Adams summarized that perspective simply.
“This world is still a pretty fine place,” he said.
Adams acknowledges that there are legitimate reasons for anxiety, uncertainty and concern. Yet he believes art can serve a purpose beyond documenting suffering. Rather than dwelling exclusively on what is broken, he hopes his work reminds viewers of the beauty, wonder and goodness that still exist.
“There are a lot of things that cause anxiety or concern,” Adams said. “But ultimately, the world is still just a pretty good place, and I like to celebrate that.”
For Adams, his creative perspective is also inseparable from his faith. Asked how religious belief influences his work, he compared its impact to something fundamental and ever-present.
“Asking how faith influences my art is like saying, ‘How has oxygen affected your life?’” Adams said. “It affects everything. I believe Heavenly Father gives us gifts and gives us talents and abilities. If He trusts you to use those skills and abilities to meet His goals, then He will keep adding to you.”
As photography enters a new era shaped by artificial intelligence, Adams approaches the technology with curiosity rather than concern. Having already witnessed photography's transition from film to digital media, he sees AI as another evolution rather than a threat.
“AI doesn't worry me,” Adams said. “I think it is an opportunity.”
While he acknowledges the technology's growing influence, Adams believes the human element of art will remain irreplaceable.
“I think there will always be a place in this world for the heart and the mind,” Adams said. “AI will never change that.”
