Image:

Technical

This photo looks like it most likely uses natural daylight for its source of lighting as the photo was taken quite far away, it also looks like it includes a good level of exposure as the image is well lit while still maintaining detail around the image. The contrast used around the image especially the sky help to enhance the image and bring out more detail, especially around the top of the mountain and the sky as it creates a dramatic effect while allowing for the detail of the jagged rocks to be viewable. This photo also looks like it uses a wide angle lens with a very small aperture to capture the wide area of the mountain while also keeping most things in frame sharp and in focus. The photo looks like it uses a long shutter speed in order to capture the right amount of light to ensure the photo is well exposed. The photo appears to have minimal grain as well as using various amounts of tones in the tonal range.

Visual

The photo uses a black and white colour scheme with various of tones being used throughout the image which can enhance the detail around some parts like the mountains rock texture or the snow and trees at the bottom of the mountain. We can also see that the image shows a lot of texture as I mentioned before, in areas like the left lower side of the mountain we can see that the jagged edges are easily viewable and identifiable or on the right side of the mountain at the cliff edge where we are able to see the cracks in the rocks and the trees in the distance. The main view point of the image is the half dome and Ansel Adams was able to make it the main view point of the image by using techniques like composition to make the half dome take up most of the image. We can also see that the sky also includes lots of detail as Ansel Adams used colour filters to help with the creation of this photo, by the sky using a dark tone it helps capture that horizon in the background from the bottom of the sky being a lighter shade to the top of the sky being a darker shade.

Contextual

The picture is named Monolith, The Face Of Half Dome and it was taken in Yosemite. This image has a lot of history as it wasn’t the first time Ansel Adams had taken a picture of this half dome. At the age 14 Ansel had visited this same spot on a family trip to Yosemite carrying his Brand-new Kodak Brownie Camera, He snapped several pictures of the Half Dome including one taken upside down on accident but it resulted into it being one of his favourite images of the Half Dome. A decade later he returned to this spot with his fiancée and three close friends where they climbed about more than 3500 feet above Yosemite Valley, Encountering this spot again they decided to set up the cameras and take photographs of the Face Of The Half Dome. He Experimented with a yellow filter at first but it didn’t feel quite as effective as he hoped so he swapped it with a dark red filter which darkened the sky and produced dark shadows and bright light which resulted into the image being the final one he decided to use for his piece named the Monolith, the Face Of Half Dome. It is one of his most famous images and an iconic depiction of one of the most unique spots in the American wilderness.

Conceptual

Ansel Adams took this image to show his passion for not only photography but wildlife. Ansel Adams has been to Yosemite ever since he was young and repeatedly came back by joining the Sierra Club and doing tour groups during summers. Nature or Yosemite in particular served as a place of healing for Ansel Adams who survived the deadly Spanish influenza in 1919 and dedicated himself to try and preserve the wildlife and nature of the Yosemite Valley.