Iain McCulloch

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Ansel Adams: His Life and Work

Iain McCulloch

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Biography

Ansel Adams is one of the worlds best known landscape photographers. He is also a rather

controversial figure. More than any other photographer he can polarise opinion. Many of his

devotees will jealously defend the reputation of ‘Saint Ansel’ no matter what. At the other

extreme there are those for whom his attitudes & approach to photography (and conservation)

are anathema and who fail to acknowledge his strengths and positive contribution to the

subjects. As one might expect, the truth probably lies somewhere between these extremes of

opinion.

Although best remembered as a landscape photographer, Adams’ was not limited to this field

of photography. It is, however, true his most well known work attempts to capture his vision

of the natural world. This vision, together with his technical contributions, and his role as

educator and author have served to make Adams one of the most influential photographers of

all time.

Ansel Adams was born in San Francisco, California, on February 20th

1902, the son of

Charles Hitchcock Adams and Olive Bray. When he was four years old he fell during an

aftershock of the great earthquake of 1906. The broken nose which he sustained during this

incident contributed to his distinctive appearance in later life. A year later the Adams family

fortune collapsed in the financial panic of 1907.

Adams was an only child and his parents were relatively elderly. He grew up in an

environment which was both socially and emotionally conservative. The young Adams had

problems fitting in at school. In later life he observed that, in the modern world, he might

have been diagnosed as a hyperactive child. There is also the distinct possibility that he

suffered from dyslexia. His lack of success at various institutions led to Adams being

withdrawn from school and tutored at home.

By the age of twelve Adams had developed two

abiding passions: nature and the piano. Indeed, by

1920, the latter had become Adams intended

profession. His love of nature had begun while

growing up close to the Golden Gate in California. It

developed further during his visits to Yosemite and

the Sierra Nevada which began in 1916 and

continued until his death.

Adams love of the Yosemite Sierra was to have a

profound influence on his photographic career. He

felt that his life was “coloured and modulated by the

great Earth gesture” of the area [Adams, 1948, p14].

In 1916, his parents gave him a Kodak No. 1 Box

Brownie which he began using in the Yosemite

Valley gaining his early experience of photography.

In 1919 he joined the Sierra Club becoming friends

with many of the clubs leaders who were among the

founders of America’s conservation movement.

Adams first published photographs appeared in the

Figure 2: Ansel Adams Portrait by Edward

Weston (1946)

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Sierra Club’s 1922 Bulletin, and his first solo exhibition was held at the headquarters of the

club in San Francisco in 1928. He even met his wife, Virginia Best, in Yosemite. The couple

married in 1928 and were to have two children.

The Sierra Club organised annual month-long visits to the Sierra Nevada which attracted as

many as two hundred members. Adams accompanied these outings as photographer and by

the late 1920s realised that he could earn a living as a photographer. His transition from

jobbing concert-pianist to professional photographer accelerated following a meeting with

Albert M. Bender, a San Francisco insurance magnate and patron of the arts, who arranged

the publication of Adams’ first portfolio in 1927.

In the 1920s and early 1930s Adams was influenced by a number of the great photographers

of the day. In 1927 Adams met Edward Weston, with whom he would later found the

renowned Group f/64. Although short lived, f/64 had a profound effect on the future direction

of American photography. Another photographer whose work had a powerful impact on that

of the young Adams was Paul Strand, who Adams was later to give credit for his move from

the ‘pictorial’ style he had favoured in the 1920s.

In 1933 Adams made his first visit to New York in order to meet Alfred Stieglitz. Adams

particularly admired the philosophy and commitment to the medium shown by Stieglitz and

made a conscious effort to emulate these in his own life. His association with Stieglitz was an

important factor in the recognition which Adams received through the 1930s and 1940s.

Recognition does not, however, pay the bills and Adams worked as a commercial

photographer shooting everything from portraits to catalogues. Even so, the intermittent

nature of the work meant that Adams’ was never free of financial pressures until late in his

life.

Adams described himself as a photographer-lecturer-writer. He certainly exhibited enormous

energy and capacity for work. This energy was also apparent in his social life where “Adams

was a great party man and loved to entertain. He had a very dominating personality and would

always be the centre of attention” [Newhall, 1993, p235]. Above all, Adams was a natural

communicator who spent much of his life fighting for the conservation of the wilderness

which he loved and to promoting photography as a fine art. He died of heart failure,

aggravated by cancer, on April 22nd

1984 in Monterey, California, aged 82.

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Landscape Photography

As stated earlier, Adams is probably best known

as a landscape photographer. His photographs

were to become the symbols of the American

wilderness. One of his earliest, and perhaps best

known photographs is Monolith, Half Face of the

Dome (figure 3), taken in 1927. This was Adams’

first fully visualised photograph. In fact 1927 was

a pivotal year in Ansel Adams’ career since it was

also the year he met Albert Bender.

Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada provided Adams

with the subject matter for much of his landscape

work. Adams was renowned for his use of ‘straight photography’ which emphasised the

clarity of the lens and where the final

print shows no appearance of being

manipulated, either in the camera or the

darkroom. His black and white images

were not, however, simply documenting

nature. They are reflections of Adams’

vision of nature and as such they

attempt to intensify the natural beauty.

A change in Adams’ style can be seen

in the 1930s as he began to move away

from the ‘pictorial’ style which had

characterised his work in the 1920s.

This is generally credited to the

influence of the photographer Paul

Strand who Adams met in 1930.

Figure 3: Monolith, Face of Half Dome, 1927

Figure 4: Moon and Half Dome, 1960

Figure 5: Half Dome, Merced River, 1938

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A criticism which has been levelled at Ansel Adams is

that he manipulated the landscape to achieve the

photograph he required, even to the extent of having

swathes of forest destroyed. At first glance, this may

seem at variance with Adams’ well known and

lifelong advocacy for the environment. However, his

photographs also served as a spur for public

opinion which, in turn, helped put pressure on

the American government leading to legislation

for the protection of Adams’ beloved wilderness.

Whether he believed that the ends justified the

means, or was simply determined to achieve the

photograph he wanted at any cost, most modern

photographers find the idea of such destruction

repellent. However, a more charitable view would

take into account the standards of his day. Perhaps the

modern audience should accept the beauty and

technical excellence of his photographs, while

acknowledging that such a cavalier attitude to the

subject landscape would be unacceptable today.

Adams also attracted considerable criticism

for not including people, or indeed any

evidence of humanity, in his photographs.

However, this really fails to appreciate

Adams’ aims.

Figure 7: El Capitan, 1952

Figure 6: Mount Williamson, Sierra

Nevada, 1945

Figure 9: Teton Range and Snake River, c1942

Figure 8: Oak Tree, Snowstorm, 1948

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A further criticism of the work of

Adams’ and his contemporaries

was made by the French

photographer Henri Cartier-

Bresson who complained that “the

world is falling to pieces and all

that Adams and Weston

photograph is rocks and trees”

[Adams, 1978, p498].

Such criticisms are hardly

surprising when one considers

contemporary global events! The

different choices of subject matter

are, in part, simply reflecting those

subjects which were exercising the

minds of contemporary Europeans and Americans. However, one could argue that, no matter

how terrible the global events become, it is important that somebody should take the time to

photograph the rocks and trees!

Figure 10: Moonrise, Hernandez, NM, 1941

Figure 11: Gate of the Valley, 1948

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Other work

Adams work as a commercial photographer

covered a wide range of subjects, from

portraiture to architecture, from still-life to

catalogues. Indeed, some of his most striking

and beautiful photographs are still-life images

or details from nature. Although many people

will immediately recognise an Ansel Adams

landscape, few will identify his other work as

readily.

Figure 12: Dogwood Blossoms, 1938

Figure 13: Sequoia Roots, 1950

Figure 14: Rose and Driftwood, 1932

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Technical Contributions

Adams’ technical mastery was second to none. He revelled in both the theory and practice of

photography. He served as principal consultant with Polaroid and Hasselblad (as well as

acting as a consultant to many other photographic companies). The ten volumes of technical

manuals which he published are among the most accessible and influential books ever

published on the subject.

Perhaps the best known of Adam’s technical contributions to photography is the ‘Zone

System’ which he formulated, in conjunction with Fred Archer, in 1939/40. The Zone System

is a set of techniques which allow the photographer to consistently control the tonal range in

the black-and-white negative. The photographer imagines the subject in shades of grey from

it’s deepest shadow to its’ brightest highlight. This is known as ‘pre-visualisation’. The

shades in the subject are related to the ‘Zone Scale’ (figure 15 below), and this is used to

adjust the exposure to give the optimum result.

The numbers assigned to the zones varies in different publications, with some ranging from I

to X and others from 0 to IX. In either case, the lowest figure is total black (zone I in figure

15 above) and the highest is total white (zone X in figure 15). Zone VI in figure 15 represents

mid-grey which represents the tone which would be expected for a subject brightness about

mid-way between the darkest and lightest.

To achieve consistent results using the Zone System the photographer must standardise key

aspects of their technique as applied to their specific equipment and working conditions. This

preparatory work can be time consuming, but need only be carried out once unless the

equipment and or conditions change.

Figure 15: Zone Scale

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Conclusions

The position of Ansel Adams as one of the most influential photographers of all time cannot

be denied. His route to this position was unorthodox. Although best known for his landscape

photography, particularly those taken in Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada, Adams also worked

with many other photographic subjects. This was especially true of the time he worked as a

commercial photographer. His style developed under the influence of many of the greatest

photographers of the day, including Edward Weston, Paul Strand, and Alfred Stieglitz.

Adams’ technical mastery was second to none. With the Zone System he provided a set of

techniques to control the tonal range of the negative during exposure and development. His

technical manuals are accessible and remain among the most influential books ever published.

This reflects Adams’ great skill as a communicator.

Adams’ work is not essentially concerned with describing reality, but rather with representing

it in a highly selective manner. His photographs conveyed the majesty and grandeur of the

American west to many who had never had the opportunity of experiencing it in person. The

landscapes emphasise the dramatic and unspoilt nature of the subject. This reflected the fact

that Adams was an environmentalist as well as a photographer.

Adams was, however, a product of his age and also of his unusual and rather solitary

upbringing. As we look back from the centenary of his birth it is perhaps appropriate to judge

his perceived faults in the context of his time. The undoubted masterpieces which he

produced should be accepted as reflections of his world. These, together with his technical

contributions to the field of photography are his legacy. Ansel Adams is often described as a

legend. His work is visually rewarding and he is certainly a photographer who will be long

remembered.

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Bibliography

Adams, A., (1935), Making a Photograph, San Francisco.

Adams, A., (1948), Yosemite and the High Sierra, Little, Brown & Co., Boston.

Adams, A., (1952), Natural Light Photography, New York Graphic Society, Boston.

Adams, A., (1954), Death Valley, San Francisco.

Adams, A., (1956), Artificial Light Photography, New York Graphic Society, Boston.

Adams, A., (1972), Ansel Adams, Little, Brown & Co., Boston.

Adams, A., (1978), Oral History, University of California, Berkeley.

Adams, A., (1988), Letters and Images, Bullfinch Press, New York.

Adams, A. & Barker, R., (1980), The Camera, Little, Brown & Co., Boston.

Adams, A. & Barker, R., (1981), The Negative, Little, Brown & Co., Boston.

Adams, A. & Barker, R., (1983), The Print, Little, Brown & Co., Boston.

Adams, A. & Schaefer, J.P, (1999), The Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of

Photography, Bullfinch Press., New York.

Busselle, M., (1988) The Complete 35mm Sourcebook, Mitchell Beazley, London.

Graves, C., (1996), The Zone System for 35mm Photographers (2nd

Edition), Focal Press,

Oxford.

Langford, M., (1986) Basic Photography (5th

Edition), Focal Press, Oxford.

Langford, M., (1989) Advanced Photography (5th

Edition), Focal Press, Oxford.

Newhall, B., (1993), FOCUS: Memoirs of a Life in Photography,

Schaefer, J.P., (1998), Ansel Adams Guide, Bullfinch Press, New York.