John Adams

July 19, 2011By admin5

I found some old photos from a commercial shoot back around the 4th of July. We shot an actor portraying John Adams as he wrote letters to his wife Abigail. The shoot was mainly video focused, but here are a few stills! We used an old corner office, cleared out the furniture, and lit it for night.

abigail adams

commercial photography

eclaration of independence

fourth of july

ryan johnson photography

United States of America

USA

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5 Comments

Jim Cooke

July 22, 2011

I think you mean John Adams.
John Quincy was his son; he married a woman named Louisa Catherine. JQA’s mother was Abigail.
Go to my website for a look at John Quincy Adams – our first photographed president.

Ryan Johnson

July 22, 2011

Woops. You are right sir. Thanks for the catch.

Jim Cooke

July 22, 2011

Boston, September 27, 1842:
Today, I visited a Daguerrean Gallery to have my photograph taken. They took me to the top of the house where a round house has been erected; it had windows like a green house, with a door opening to the sun. I took a seat at the corner of a settee so that the light of the Sun came obliquely on the side of my face. There was a small telescope nearly in front of me pointed directly at me. And at a corresponding angle on the other side a mirror. A tin or metallic plate was fitted into the telescope, and on that metallic plate the photographic impression is made. Not more than two minutes were required for each impression during which I was required to keep my head immovable, looking steady at one object. They kept me there an hour and a half, and took seven or eight impressions, all of them very bad. An exposition of sleep came over me, and I found it utterly impossible to keep my eyes open for two minutes together. I dozed, and the picture was asleep. I give it up in despair. How the impression is taken or comes upon the plate is utterly inconceivable to me.

– from John Quincy Adams Journal

Ryan Johnson

July 25, 2011

Ha. As cliche as it is to say, technology has come so far. Now we have the ability to take a photo with a phone and upload it to the internet wirelessly. And two out of three of those nouns weren’t even invented yet. What a great find! Thanks for posting this!

Jim Cooke

July 25, 2011

Photographer, Meg Birnbaum was interested in replicating an image of John Quincy Adams from a later session where he didn’t fall asleep.
You can see the result at:
http://www.megbirnbaumphotography.com/double-take.html#lizard

John Adams

About the Author

5 Comments

Jim Cooke

Ryan Johnson

Jim Cooke

Ryan Johnson

Jim Cooke