Ansel Adams is best known for a series of photographs he produced of America's natural heritage known collectively as the National Park Service Photographs, representative examples of which are reproduced here. This assignment was especially commissioned in 1941 by Harold Ickes of the United States Department of the Interior and the aim was to record for posterity areas that had been designated national parks, as well as portraying the Native American homelands and other monuments and areas of reclamation of the great American wilderness. These would also be used as photo-murals to decorate the walls of the Department of the Interior. Ickes was already familiar with Ansel's work having seen detailed studies of leaves and ferns which featured in an exhibition of 1936. Indeed, he liked them so much that he hung one in his own office. He eventually made Ansel's acquaintance when the photographer came to lobby Congress, seeking to have Kings River Canyon, California designated a national park. Originally, only painted murals by established artists were thought suitable for inclusion in the Mural Project, as it came to be known, as photography had yet to be considered worthy of being regarded as an art form, rather than a way of recording or documenting reality; but Ickes was convinced that Ansel's work was artistically valid and would make its own inimitable contribution to the scheme. The collection of works commissioned in 1941 was intermixed with earlier studies of the Kings Canyon area dating back to 1936, and these and the new prints were offered as part of the commission. The photographs are a pictorial testament to the majesty of the American West, captured with technicalaccuracy and imbued with sheer inventiveness and a deep empathy for the regions which Ansel sought to protect and maintain intact. They range from rivers and canyons, close-ups of plant life, Native American villages and their inhabitants, the mysterious and enigmatic underworld of the Carlsbad Caverns and the geysers and twisted forms of Yellowstone National Park. Together, they offer a visual feast and a source of delight and nourishment for the spirit.

Discover this "evocative celebration of the life, career, friendships, concerns, and vision" of Ansel Adams, America's greatest photographer (New York Times) "No lover of Ansel Adams' photographs can afford to miss this book." - Wallace Stegner In this bestselling autobiography, completed shortly before his death in 1984, Ansel Adams looks back at his legendary six-decade career as a conservationist, teacher, musician, and, above all, photographer.Illustrated with eight pages of Adams' gorgeous black-and-white photographs, this book brings readers behind the images into the stories and circumstances of their creation. Written with characteristic warmth, vigor, and wit, this fascinating account brings to life the infectious enthusiasms, fervent battles, and bountiful friendships of a truly American original. "A warm, discursive, and salty document." - New Yorker

Ansel Adams (1902-1984) produced some of the 20th century's most iconic photographic images and helped nurture the art of photography through his creative innovations and peerless technical mastery. The Camera--the first volume in Adams' celebrated series of books on photographic techniques--has taught generations of photographers how to harness the camera's artistic potential. This time-honored handbook distills the knowledge gained through a lifetime in photography and remains as vital today as when it was first published. Along with visualization, image management, Adams' famous Zone System, and other keys to photographic artistry, The Camera covers 35mm, medium-format, and large-format view cameras, while offering detailed advice on camera components such as lenses, shutters, and light meters. Beautifully illustrated with photographs as well as instructive line drawings, this classic manual belongs on every serious photographer's bookshelf. "Adams is a clear-thinking writer whose concepts cannot but help the serious photographer." - New York Times "A master-class kind of guide from an undisputed master." - Publishers Weekly Over 1 million copies sold. Publisher's Note: This ebook of The Camera works best as a digital companion to the print edition. The ebook was produced by electronically scanning and digitizing a print edition, and as a result, your reading device may display images with halftone or moiré patterns.

ANSEL ADAMS: 400 PHOTOGRAPHS presents the full spectrum of Adams' work in a single volume for the first time, offering the largest available compilation from his legendary photographic career. Beautifully produced and presented in an attractive landscape trim, ANSEL ADAMS: 400 PHOTOGRAPHS will appeal to a general gift-book audience as well as Adams' legions of dedicated fans and students. The photographs are arranged chronologically into five major periods, from his first photographs made in Yosemite and the High Sierra in 1916 to his work in the National Parks in the 1940s up to his last important photographs from the 1960s. An introduction and brief essays on selected images provide information aboutAdams' life, document the evolution of his technique, and give voice to his artistic vision. Few artists of any era can claim to have produced four hundred images of lasting beauty and significance. It is a testament to Adams' vision and lifetime of hard work that a book of this scale can be compiled. ANSEL ADAMS: 400 PHOTOGRAPHS is a must-have for anyone who appreciates photography and the allure of the natural world.

Ansel Adams (1902-1984) produced some of the 20th century's most iconic photographic images and helped nurture the art of photography through his creative innovations and peerless technical mastery. The Negative--the second volume in Adams' celebrated series of books on photographic techniques--has taught generations of photographers how to use film and the film development process creatively. Examples of Adams' own work clarify the principles discussed. This classic handbook distills the knowledge gained through a lifetime in photography and remains as vital today as when it was first published. Anchored by a detailed discussion of Adams' Zone System and his seminal concept of visualization, The Negative covers artificial and natural light, film and exposure, and darkroom equipment and techniques. Beautifully illustrated with photographs as well as instructive line drawings, this classic manual can dramatically improve your photography. "Adams is a clear-thinking writer whose concepts cannot but help the serious photographer." - New York Times "A master-class kind of guide from an undisputed master." - Publishers Weekly Over 1 million copies sold. Publisher's Note: This ebook of The Negative works best as a digital companion to the print edition. The ebook was produced by electronically scanning and digitizing a print edition, and as a result, your reading device may display images with halftone or moiré patterns.

Ansel Adams (1902-1984) produced some of the 20th century's most iconic photographic images and helped nurture the art of photography through his creative innovations and peerless technical mastery. The Print--the third volume in Adams' celebrated series of books on photographic techniques--has taught generations of photographers how to explore the artistic possibilities of printmaking. Examples of Adams' own work clarify the principles discussed. This classic handbook distills the knowledge gained through a lifetime in photography and remains as vital today as when it was first published. The Print takes you step-by-step--from designing and furnishing a darkroom to mounting and displaying your photographs, from making your first print to mastering advanced techniques, such as developer modifications, toning and bleaching, and burning and dodging. Filled with indispensable darkroom techniques and tips, this amply illustrated guide shows how printmaking--the culmination of photography's creative process--can be used expressively to enhance an image. "Adams is a clear-thinking writer whose concepts cannot but help the serious photographer." - New York Times "A master-class kind of guide from an undisputed master." - Publishers Weekly Over 1 million copies sold. Publisher's Note: This ebook of The Print works best as a digital companion to the print edition. The ebook was produced by electronically scanning and digitizing a print edition, and as a result, your reading device may display images with halftone or moiré patterns.

Despite his significance, little scholarly attention has been paid to Adams's contributions as an artist or his place in photographic history. This handsome book addresses this gap by looking beyond his reputation as a Sierra Club environmentalist and examining in depth his life as an artist, and the complexities of his creative vision. 80 illustrations.

America's greatest photographer on his greatest subject--featuring the Yosemite Special Edition Prints, a collectible collection of photographs selected by Ansel Adams during his lifetime, yet never before published in book form. The photographs of Ansel Adams are among America's finest artistic treasures, and form the basis of his tremendous legacy of environmental activism. In the late 1950s, Adams selected eight photographs of Yosemite National Park to offer exclusively to park visitors as affordable souvenirs. He hoped that these images might inspire tourists to become activists by transmitting to them the same awe and respect for nature that Yosemite had instilled in him. Over the following decades, Adams added to this collection to create a stunning view of Yosemite in all its majesty. These photographs, the Yosemite Special Edition Prints, form the core of this essential volume. Adams' luminous images of Yosemite's unique rock formations, waterfalls, meadows, trees, and nature details are among the most distinctive of his career. Today, with America's public lands increasingly under threat, his creative vision remains as relevant and convincing as ever. Introduced by bestselling photographer Pete Souza, with an essay by Adams' darkroom assistant Alan Ross, Ansel Adams' Yosemite is a powerful continuation of Adams' artistic and environmental legacies, and a compelling statement during a precarious time for the American earth.

The invitation to photograph the nation's parklands was the perfect assignment for Adams, as it allowed him to express his deepest convictions as artist, conservationist, and citizen. These stunning photographs of the natural geysers and terraces in Yellowstone, the rocks and ravines in the Grand Canyon, the winding rivers and majestic mountains in Glacier and Grand Teton national parks, the mysterious Carlsbad Caverns, the architecture of ancient Indian villages, and many other evocative views of the American West demonstrate the genius of Adams' technical and aesthetic inventiveness. In these glorious, seminal images we see the inspired reverence for the wilderness that has made Ansel Adams' work an enduring influence on environmentalism as well as art.