Frederick Sommer

About

Master photographer best known for his images of desert landscapes. He was adept at still-lifes, horizonless landscapes, jarred subjects, negatives, and nudes.

Before Fame

He took up photography in his early twenties while he was recovering from tuberculosis.

Trivia

He had no musical training, but he was fascinated by the beauty of musical notes on paper, and he designed many (mostly unplayable) musical scores during his lifetime.

Family Life

He was born in Italy and grew up in Brazil. He met his wife Frances Elisabeth Watson while he was a student at Cornell University. They didn't have any children.

Associated With

His majestic photographs of Western landscapes were compared to the similarly stunning images of photographer Ansel Adams.