ANSEL ADAMS (1902 – 1984)
ARTISTS
American photographer and environmentalist, Adam’s work became synonymous with the natural landscapes of the American West. He received his first camera—a Kodak Brownie—during a family trip to Yosemite in 1916, an experience that sparked a lifelong connection to both photography and the Sierra Nevada. In 1919 he joined the Sierra Club, later becoming its official photographer and a lifelong board member. His early portfolios, including Parmelian Prints of the High Sierra (1927), established his reputation. In 1932 he co-founded Group f/64 with photographers such as Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham, promoting “straight photography” defined by sharp focus and meticulous technical control.
Adams developed the influential Zone System, a method for managing exposure and tonal range, and championed the idea of “visualization” of the final print. His photographs played a significant role in advocating for the preservation of America’s national parks, notably contributing to the creation of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. During World War II, he documented life inside the Manzanar War Relocation Center in his series Born Free and Equal (1944), highlighting the injustice of Japanese American internment.
Over his career, Adams received numerous honors, including three Guggenheim Fellowships, membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1966), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1980). After his death in 1984, the Minarets Wilderness was renamed the Ansel Adams Wilderness, and a Sierra Nevada peak was designated Mount Ansel Adams in 1986.