Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams 

 Ansel Adams was born in San Francisco on 20th February, 1902. His original ambition was to become a concert pianist until he visited Yosemite National Park in 1916 where he took his first photos and then his ambition changed and wanted to become a photogapher. Hewas best known for his black-and-white photographs of the American West, especially in Yosemite National Park.   He  worked as a photo technician and as a caretaker at the Sierra Club in Yosemite Valley before he was able to become a full-time photographer. His first one-man show was held in San Francisco in 1932. This was followed by another in New York in 1936. Greatly influenced by the work of Paul Strand. 

With Fred Archer, Adams developed the Zone System as a way to determine proper exposure and adjust the contrast of the final print. The resulting clarity and depth characterized his photographs and the work of those to whom he taught the system. Adams primarily used large-format cameras despite their size, weight, setup time, and film cost, because their high resolution helped ensure sharpness in his images.

I have chosen him because I find his work really beautiful and inspiring. He has an amazing use of black and white and his photography is eye catching.