Marion Patterson is a renowned nature photographer who has been photographing since 1956. She studied under luminaries like Dorothea Lange and Minor White at the San Francisco Art Institute. From 1958-1961, she worked closely with Ansel Adams in Yosemite. When she felt discouraged that her work was not selling, Minor White advised her to keep working and taking chances if she inspires even one person. Patterson's photographs provide a quiet meditation on natural beauty and reflect her influences from the West Coast school of photography. She has had major solo exhibits around the world and her photographs are published and exhibited widely.

1. About Nature Photographer Marion Patterson in Perreualt Magazine by Brigitte
Perreualt
Play. Laugh. Dance. Sing. Delight in everything. It’s all a dance.
One time when I was in despair because nobody was buying my work and I was
broke, I phoned Minor White. He said, “What’s wrong?” I said, “I’m tired of doing
work that nobody looks at and nobody wants. I just want to quit all this.” He said,
“If one person is inspired by seeing something you have done you must keep
working. Now forget about yourself. Get to work. Take chances.”
... From wonder into wonder existence open - Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching
Marion Patterson's photographs are indeed inspiring and invite reflection,
emotions, peace. They provide a quiet meditation on the beauty of our natural
environment in a manner that reflects the author’s lifelong ties to the West Coast
school of photography, deeply influenced by Edward Weston and Ansel Adams.
Mrs. Patterson worked extensively with Ansel Adams, and has taught
photography at several California colleges. She has had major solo exhibits of her
work in the United States, Germany, The Netherlands, and Mexico. A native San
Franciscan and Stanford graduate, Marion Patterson has been involved in
photography since 1956, when she began studies at the San Francisco Art
Institute with such luminaries as Dorothea Lange and Minor White. From 1958 to
1961, she worked for Virginia and Ansel Adams in Yosemite and has remained
closely associated with the Adams family since then. From 1961 to 1964 she was
assistant to the photography editor of Sunset Magazine.
While at Sunset, she prepared her first Major exhibit, which was shown at the San
Francisco Museum of Modern art in 1965. Living in Oaxaca, Mexico, for a year
resulted in another one-woman exhibit, at the Oakland Museum in 1966. Her
Photo graphs have been widely published and exhibited nationally and
internationally. “When I look at a picture of Marion’s, I react to the openness, the
sense that the subject isn’t clearly set in boundaries that exclude it from what lies
around it. With continued viewing of the images, a deeper awareness emerges
beyond the frame. Marion’s photographs are all about nature reaching out of the
frame.”
- From the Foreword by Charis Wilson