Ansel Adams 1902 – 1984

Nationality: American

Career span: 50 years

Favourite medium: medium-format black and white film photography

Famous for:
1) black and white landscape photos, especially of the American West (e.g. Yosemite)
2) testing Polaroid’s film technology (where he was a long-time consultant)
3) developing “zone exposure” to get maximum tonal range from black-and-white film: it involved using a light meter to obtain a film negative with silver densities corresponding to a high number of distinct shades of white, grey, and black

His Passions and Inspirations:
1) Nature and Conservation of nature (through National Parks)
2) promoting photography as an art form distinct from accepted art forms of the day
3) promoting fundamentals of photography, such as precision, sharp focus
4) Teaching “pure” photography – i.e. not making photographs look like paintings or etchings

Other points of interest:
1) originally trained as a concert pianist
2) co-founded “Group f/64″ with E. Weston and I. Cunningham to help establish photography as a legitimate art form, distinct from other accepted art forms such as painting and sculpture
3) co-founded the department of photography at the Museum of Modern Art
4) Career in photography likely influenced by the tendency of advertisers in the 1920’s to use photographs rather than hand drawings under the belief that photographs were more persuasive. The mood of the 20’s and 30’s was towards realism in photography, which likely came about as a result of the depression and the want for direct communication.