Ansel Adams: 1902-1984
Ansel Adams is celebrated as the most eloquent photographer of the American West. Born in San Francisco in
1902, Adams gave up a promising musical career when he discovered that a photograph could capture the emotion
and awe with which he viewed the natural beauty of the world.
Although Adams is best known for his images of grand landscapes, his artistic vision encompassed a wide range of
subjects and themes. Ansel Adams's special creativity was in his ability to visualize the combined effect of exposure
and development on the final image.
As a writer and a teacher, Adams had a tremendous impact on the history of creative photography; as an ardent
environmentalist he helped to preserve much of America's unspoiled wilderness for future generations. Although he
received many awards during his lifetime, his most treasured was the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by
President Carter in 1980.
A few weeks before meeting with President Gerald Ford in 1975, Ansel sent the president a
large print of one of his famous photos, "Clearing Winter
Storm, Yosemite." President Ford loved it so much that he
hung it over the fireplace in his private office adjacent to the
oval office, in place of a more traditional painting. The day
Ansel arrived at the White House, one of the first things the president did,
even before they sat down, was to take
Ansel into the private office and show him where his picture
was hanging. Ford was very proud of it.
(David Hume Kennerly, enn.com)
Ansel Adams' portfolios include an extensive study of the small and grand details of
Yosemite National Park,
the Big Sur Coast,
the Sierra Nevada,
the American Southwest
and America's National Parks.
His work also includes
portraiture, architectural studies, and commercial illustration.
The diversity, evolution in style, and the historical
context of his work makes Ansel Adams one of the most
prolific and historically significant photographers of our time.
Ansel Adams died in April 1984. His wife, Virginia, passed away in January 2000.
(The Ansel Adams Gallery)
In 1984 the Minarets Wilderness was
renamed to honor the famous photographer and environmentalist.
The Ansel Adams Wilderness is a rugged area that includes the high country east of
the Sierra crest. The wilderness includes the North Fork, Middle Fork and lower South Fork San Joaquin
River, spectacular alpine scenery, and deep granite-walled gorges. Lower elevations have scattered
benches and small plateaus. Perennial streams and several lakes can be found within the wilderness.
There is a variety of wildlife and fish. The wilderness is the summer range for deer. Elevations vary from
7,000 to 14,000 feet, with the central part of the wilderness containing many lakes. The Pacific Crest
and John Muir trails cross the area.
Prints
Below are a small subset of Ansel Adams prints, giving a glimpse into a few of his porfolios.
I can only give you a small amount of information on this page, but Ansel Adams wrote a book about how he made many of the prints shown here. Examples : The Making of 40 Photographs is of much more value than which f-stop he used, or how long he developed the negative, or how he dodged the print. It contains short stories of the circumstances surrounding each print, in addition to an excellent rendition of the prints themselves. I've had this book in my library for years, and read it every once in a while, for the pleasure of understanding the inspiration he had.
National Parks
Yosemite National Park
SouthWestern United States
Sierra Nevada
Big Sur Coast of California
Biographical references:
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