Ansel Adams

(American, 1902 – 1984) Pioneering landscape photographer and environmentalist, Ansel Adams is known for his black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association of photographers advocating “pure” photography which favored sharp focus and the use of the full tonal range of a photograph.

Adams was a life-long advocate for environmental conservation, and his photographic practice was deeply entwined with this advocacy. At age 12, he was given his first camera during his first visit to Yosemite National Park. He developed his early photographic work as a member of the Sierra Club. He was later contracted with the United States Department of the Interior to make photographs of national parks. For his work and his persistent advocacy, which helped expand the National Park system, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980.

Ansel Adams helped to organize the Friends of Photography, Carmel CA, and co-founded the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona. Adams photographs are in major national and international museum collections throughout the world.  All images courtesy of the Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.