three years later, the seventeen-year-old adams joined the sierra club, a new organization dedicated to preserving natural resources and nature's unique treasures. this proved to be an opportune decision, as the group's leaders wished to foment a strong conservation movement and needed adams's assistance. part of their plan was to have a photographer document the sierra club's adventure outings, and members broached the idea to the boy who seemed always to have a camera in tow. the delighted young photographer agreed and soon adams became a connoisseur of the sierra landscape- yosemite in particular-while honing his skills as a visual artist. adams and the sierra club were good for each other: the photographer's prolific output not only lured new supporters to the environmental cause, but adams himself found a platform for his artistic vision- celebrating the glories of nature.