Ansel Adams"When words become unclear, I shall focus with

photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence."

– Ansel Adams

Most Known for… Adams rose to prominence as a

photographer of the American West, particularly Yosemite National Park, using his work to promote conservation of wilderness areas.

His iconic black-and-white images helped to establish photography among the fine arts.

Early Life Born: February 20,1902 Place of Birth: San Francisco, California Ansel broke his nose after the San

Francisco earthquake of 1906, when an aftershock threw him into a garden wall.

Adams taught himself the piano at age 12, which would become his early passion.

In 1916, following a trip to Yosemite National Park, he also began experimenting with photography.

In 1928, Ansel Adams married Virginia Best, the daughter of the Best’s Studio proprietor.

Photography Career In 1927, Adams produced his first portfolio,

Parmelian Prints of the High Sierras, in his new style, which included his famous image Monolith, the Face of Half Dome.

Monolith, the Face of Half Dome (1927)

Career continued… Adams expanded his works, focusing on detailed

close-ups as well as large forms from mountains to factories

In 1930 Taos Pueblo, Adams's first book, was published.

While in New Mexico, He meet a man named Strand, who encouraged Adams to change his approach from a soft expression of subjects to a much clearer, harder treatment, so-called "straight photography."

Church, Taos Pueblo (1930)

Techniques & Style He decided to broaden his subject matter to still life and close-up photos, and to achieve

higher quality by "visualizing" each image before taking it.

He emphasized the use of small apertures and long exposures in natural light, which created sharp details with a wide range of focus.

For example: Rose and Driftwood (1933), one of his finest still-life photographs.

Rose and Driftwood (1933)

Critics In 1931, featuring 60 prints taken in the

High Sierra. He received an excellent review from the Washington Post, "His photographs are like portraits of the giant peaks, which seem to be inhabited by mythical gods."

Group f/64 In 1932, Adams had a group show with

Cunningham and Edward Weston and they soon formed Group f/64.

Small aperture setting that gives great DOF.

Achievements In 1940, Ansel put together A Pageant of

Photography, the most important and largest photography show in the West to date, attended by millions of visitors.

Two Reason Why He Like B&W 1. Color could be distracting, and could

therefore divert an artist’s attention away from achieving his full potential when taking a photograph.

2. Adams was a “master of control”.

“Zone System” With Fred Archer, he pioneered the “Zone

System,” which helped determine the optimal exposure and development time for a given photograph.

Introduced the idea of “previsualization”, which involved the photographer imagining what he wanted his final print to look like before he even took the shot.

Allowed for nearly total control of all the potential variables that factor into a final print.

World War II After the internment of Japanese people

during World War II, Adams photographed life in the camps for a photo essay on wartime injustice.

Weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Adams shot a scene of the moon rising above a village. Adams re-interpreted the image—titled “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico”.

"Moonrise Over Hernandez"

More Photographs "The Tetons - Snake River"

Wyoming, 1942

Jeffery Pine (1940)

Later Life Adams spent much of the 1970s printing

negatives in order to satisfy demand for his iconic works.

Death: Adams had a heart attack and died on April 22, 1984. He lived to be 82 years old.

Work Cited "Ansel Adams Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television,

n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/ansel-adams-9175697>.

"Photographer Ansel Adams Biography." Photographer Ansel Adams Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.photographywest.com/pages/adams_bio.html>.

"Ansel Adams." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansel_Adams>.

"World Biography." Ansel Adams Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/A-An/Adams-Ansel.html>.