Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black and white images of west America as well as helping find Group f/64, advocating “pure” photography (sharp focus, use of the full tonal range of a photograph), he went on to develop an image making system called the Zone System through the deep understanding of how tonal rage is recorded and developed, resulting in clear, deep images. Ansel was a environmental conversation advocate and conveyed this through his photography.
In 1916, at 14 years old, Adams photographed Yosemite National Park and developed his work at the Sierra Club where he would come back every summer of his life. In 1925 he became the director of the club till 1971. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter awarded Adams the Presidential Medal of Freedom for “efforts to preserve this country’s wild and scenic areas, both on film and on earth.”
Image analysis
This image by Ansel Adams presents the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. In the foreground we can see trees as well as the river which makes a good strong line, leading our eyes from the foreground, through the midground, all the way to the mountains and clouds in the background. The shot is taken from afar which distances the viewer and shows how small we are as humans in comparison to nature, it puts the power of the sublime in perspective and makes the viewer respect it. The image being black and white also creates a detaching effect by contrasting two colours; dark shades such as black feel further away than lighter shades. Humans don’t tend to see in black and white so this change of perspective can distance it from reality. A pallet of colours can often distract the viewer from the subject thus you can convey the meaning of a photograph in a more powerful manner using a monochrome format. This photo was taken using a natural light source, considering the clouds we can assume it was dull and cold light. The dark clouds contrast well with the bright clouds The textures, lines and shapes, such as the ripples in the water, appear more prominent since black and white create such a powerful contrast, this makes the photograph look harsh and cold. There is a lot of grey in the photograph which makes the tone sombre and dark. The overall mood is heavy and melancholic.