Yet there's always more to learn about any artist beyond the public image. That's what the Sierra Club had in mind when it asked [Ric Burns] to do a biography of [Ansel Easton Adams], who was a member of its board from 1934 to 1971. "Ansel Adams: A Documentary Film" airs Sunday at 9 on PBS.

"What we wanted was a program that honored Ansel Adams on the centennial of his birth," said PBS programming chief John Wilson, when asked about the association of the publicly supported PBS with the Sierra Club. "We have every confidence in Ric Burns and we also know that Ric only took on this production if he was in complete control editorially."

Mark Samels, senior producer of "American Experience," said much the same thing. "We have worked with Ric on a number of films, from 'The Donner Party' to his epic series, 'New York,' " he said. "Sierra Club Productions initiated the project and contacted Ric, but from that point on it was in Ric's hands. Anyone who sees the film and knows Ric's work will recognize it as one of his."