Ansel Adams

Title: Ansel Adams

Author: Barry Pritzker

Synopsis: Enjoy the beauty and variety of the American experience through the work of these great artists. With stunning full-color plates, additional black-and-white illustrations, and concise, authoritative text, these unique, beautifully produced studies present the life, work, and achievements of America's greatest painters, architects, and photographers. A stunning portfolio of 65 full-page reproductions presents the magnificent landscapes, nature studies, still lifes, and portraits of this great American photographer. In addition to this visual delight, the text covers Adams's life, work, teaching, the directorship of the Sierra Club, and more.

Review: Ansel Adam

The introduction talks about Ansel Adam's life's work. The first camera he received was in 1916 at the age of fourteen. 

 Ansel was deeply influenced by Paul Strand - an American Photographer and Filmmaker. 

Ansel traveled with his family to photograph Yosemite National Park and is known for his preservation of wild and scenic areas. Ansel met his wife Virginia Best in Yosemite. They wed in 1928 and had two children.

This coffee table book provides more than 80 captivating images. Because the book is almost rectangular, many of the pictures span more than one page. Sections covered are,  "Canyons and Caverns", "Mountains and Skies", "Portraits and Close-ups", an Indian Life, Past, and Present".

In addition to Ansel's natural scenes, there are images of Georgia O'Keeffe and Dorothea Lange along with other people he admired and photographed. 

I am a huge fan of black-and-white photography and love this beautiful book. It was good to see photographs included of Ansel Adams receiving awards of distinction a few years before he died in 1984.

Ansel Adam's Legacy