Born February 20, 1902, Ansel Easton
Adams was one of the most celebrated
and highly influential photographers of
the 20th century, famous for his boldly
printed, large format black and white
landscape photographs of the American
West, especially Yosemite National Park.
A master manipulator of the gray
spectrum, his majestic American
landscapes with their stunning and
dramatic range of tones are technically
flawless.
Adams often said, the negative is the
equivalent of the composer’s score
and the print is the equivalent of the
conductor’s performance. And like a
conductor controlling his musicians in
the orchestra pit, Adams manipulated his
images through the use of push-and-pull
processing and then extensive dodging
and burning in the printed process, which
as he explained were “steps to take care
of mistakes God made in establishing
tonal relationships.”
Adams died on April 22nd, 1984 at the
age of 82. In a career that spanned six
decades, his body of work continues to
inspire generations of photographers and
conservationists alike.
PHOTOGRAPHERS
NM CliQ Magazine | April 2016
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