Ansel Adams is an iconic Landscape photographer. He photographed largely in the American west with much of his work based in Yosemite National Park. Whilst he did some still life and portraiture, Landscape was his true metier. He was a master technician. He previsualised his images in photographic terms, anticipating the negative and ultimately the printing process. He was a master printer.
He is also credited with inventing the zone system for determining exposures. This system is based on determining the correct exposure by using a key part of the image as a reference point - for example a shadow area in the foreground might be used as ther reference with the exposure for this set for example at zone 2. This decision would determine the way in which other areas of the image would be exposed.
In his work Adams envisioned how he wanted the final photographic image to look. This might not be a literal representation of the scene before him. For Adams "expression was more important than reality, idea more important than fact, the print more important than its subject. For it is only in the print that such magnificence can be unfailingly orchestrated".
Most of his works are landscape vistas on a grand scale. Whereas Weston chose vernacular subjects, from modest shells to toilets! Adams generally chose the grandeur of the mountains. It may be for this reason that his work invokes a greater emotional response for me. That said Adams avoids describing his emotions, stating " I try to avoid describing how I visualize a photograph because of the failure of words to convey the qualities of expressive images". This sentiment is repeated many times in his written work.
I have collected Adams' books for some time and so have studied many of his images. A full list is included in the bibliography below. My favourite book however is Examples The Making of 40 Photographs . I like this book because it is highly instructive. Adams discusses his thinking when making 40 of his very well known images. They range from landscape to portraits, but the former is most prominent. Some of my favourite Adams images are shown below.
Landscape Photography Bibliography
- Andrea G Stillman (2007), Ansel Adams 400 Photographs, Little Brown New York USA
- Andy Grundberg (1999), Crisis of the Real, Aperture Foundation New York
- Ansel Adams (2007), Examples The Making of 40 Photographs, Little Brown New York USA
- Ben Maddow(1989), Edward Weston, His Life, Aperture Foundation New York USA
- Charlie Waite (1989), Scottish Islands, Constable London
- Charlie Waite (1992), The Making of Landscape Photographs, Collins and Brown London
- Charlie Waite (1999), Seeing Landscapes, Collins and Brown London
- Charlie Waite (2002), In My Minds Eye, Photographers Institute Press East Sussex UK
- Charlie Waite (2005), Landscape, Collins and Brown London
- Clive Minnitt and Phil Malpas(2009), Finding the Picture, Envisage Books London
- David Noton (2008), PHOTOGRAPY ESSENTIALS: WAITING FOR THE LIGHT, David & Charles PLC, London
- Fay Godwin(1985), Land, William Heinemann London
- Fay Godwin(1990), Our Forbidden Land, Jonathan Cape London
- Fay Godwin(1998), Glassworks & Secret Lives, Stella Press East Sussex UK
- Fay Godwin(2001), Landmarks, Dewi Lewis Publishing Stockport UK
- Galen Rowell (1995), Mountain Light, Sierra Club Books San Francisco USA
- Galen Rowell (2001), Inner Game of Outdoor Photography, Norton & co New York USA
- Galen Rowell (2002),Galen Rowell's Vision: The Art of Adventure Photography, University of California Press USA
- Harry Callaghan (1993), Ansell Adams in Color, Little Brown New York USA
- Hunter, Biver & Fuqua(2007), Light Science & Magic, Elsevier Oxford UK
- James Bentley & Charlie Waite (1987), Languedoc, George Philip London
- James Bentley & Charlie Waite (1987), Languedoc, George Philip London
- Joe Cornish, Charlie Waite, David Ward, Eddie Ephraums (2006), Working the Light, Argentum London
- Joe Cornish, Charlie Waite, David Ward, Eddie Ephraums (2007), Developing Style and Vision, Argentum London
- Joel Meyerowitz (2002), Cape Light, Little Brown and Company New York USA
- John Berger, Ways of Seeing, Penguin Modern Classics
- John P Schaefer (2007),The Ansel Adams Guide Book 2 Basic Techniques of Photography, Little Brown New York USA
- John P Schaefer (2007),The Ansel Adams Guide Book I Basic Techniques of Photography, Little Brown New York USA
- John Szarkowski (1981), American Landscapes, The Museum of Modern Art New York USA
- Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection 01 (2007), AA Publishing
- Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection 02 (2008), AA Publishing
- Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection 03 (2009), AA Publishing
- Liz Wells (1996), Photography:A Critical Introduction, Routledge Oxon
- Liz Wells (2003), The Photography Reader, Routledge Oxon
- Marc Garanger (1989), Louisiane, Kodak
- Robert Adams (1996), Beauty in Photography, Aperture Foundation New York USA
- Robert Adams et al (2009), New Topographics, Steidl Germany
- Stephen Shaw (2004), Uncommon Places The Complete Works, Thames and Hudson, London
- Susan Sontag, On Photography, Penguin Books London
- Terence Pitts (2008), Edward Weston (Icons Series), Taschen
- TPOTY Awards (2010), TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Journey Three, Travel Photographer of the Year Suffolk UK
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