[2] As early as April 1839, Adamson's talents were recognized, and Fox Talbot, the inventor of the calotype, would call his pictures "Rembrandtish".

[5] Adamson's brother John, a general practitioner, lecturer, and curator of the University Museum, produced the first calotype in Scotland in 1841.

[1] The young chemist,[6] Adamson, established his photographic studio at Rock House, Calton Hill Stairs in Edinburgh, on 10 May 1843.

[7] In June, Brewster recommended Adamson to David Octavius Hill (1802–1870), a painter of romantic Scottish landscapes, who hired him;[5] and they were commissioned in 1843 to make a group portrait of the 470 clergymen who founded the Free Church of Scotland.

After Hill and Adamson decided to publish their work, they purchased a specialised camera in 1844, but their plans to produce albums, paid by subscription, did not gain traction.

Their social documentary series on Newhaven fishing families, which depicted living conditions and community relationships, was to be the most notable work of the partnership.