Ansel Adams

About Ansel Adams
D.O.B: 20/02/1902
D.O.D: 22/04/1984
Place of birth: San Francisco, California, United States
Place of death: Monterey, California, United States
Main Medium: Black and White Landscape Photography
Main Techniques: Zones System, Pre-Visualistation
Group: F64 (Group comprised of 7 San Francisco photographers 
stands for depth of field)


Zones System 


Pre-Visualisation
The process of visualising how you desire the image to appear prior to taking the image.  This seemingly simple process gives the artist a set goal to work towards and a plan to follow.  They must think of the various steps which they must take to achieve their goal prior to embarking on the shoot.

Ansel Adams Black and white
The majority of Ansel Adams' work is taken in black and white.  

The curved lines of the river create the feeling of peacefulness in the image which is further added to by the natural imagery of the fields and mountains.  The mountains in the image add a sense of power to the scene.

This image carries connotations of religion, this can be observed from the cross and what is presumably a church in the image.  The clay walls of the church give the building a rustic feel and the humbleness of the image is added to through the black and white colouration.

This image carries connotations of isolation and peacefulness as well as suggesting that man is one with nature.  This can be inferred from the image of the manmade boat next to the natural tree.

Ansel Adams in colour
Adams often felt constricted by the colour process as it did not allow him to create the extensive variety of expressive tones which he desired however he produced a series of coloured prints.  The images which Adams creates apply colour manipulation to create a a strong colour contrast.

 





Images Inspired by Ansel Adams taken by Stan Rose
Adams was such a pivotal figure in the photographic genre of landscape photography that he inspired many to create pastiches of his work here are some examples by photographer Stan Rose.



Influence on my work
Adams has influenced my work by showing me ways in which black and white landscape can be developed and can create engaging images which has lead to me developing my style to accommodate this kind of photography as it is not something which I would have previously considered.