Ten of Ansel Adam’s Best Landscape Photographs Analyzed

Anybody serious about their photography has already heard of Ansel Adams, and probably seen at least some of his work. For those who haven’t, Ansel Adams is one of the most accomplished landscape photographers the world has ever seen. He coined the now-common term of ‘visualization’, as far as the photo making process is concerned. Yes, he believed in making photographs as opposed to simply taking photographs, as he often told his students and assistants. Ansel Adams was also instrumental in defining the zone system, which was a critical part of his photography. So how do you select the ten best images out of the voluminous work of a man so dedicated to his photography? In all honesty, any selection process can seem to fall short by one yard stick or the other.

Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico

Some may call this Ansel Adams’ most popular image, and it probably is. Ansel Adams had recalled that he was driving after an unsuccessful day (by his standards!)in the field, when he saw a landscape that he wanted to shoot. He briskly set up his large format, not wanting to let go of the quickly-changing light. He only had time for one single exposure before the light changed!

Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

This is one of Ansel Adam’s most popular images. Notice his zone system at work. It is not too hard to identify 6-7 zones in this black and white image, but if you look carefully you’d probably be able to see even more.

McDonald Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana

Once again, you can clearly see the two extreme zones (pure black and pure white) in this image, and a lot more in between. The ripples on the water tell us that Ansel Adams didn’t use a very long exposure to make this image, but definitely a small aperture, keeping the depth of field in mind. A record of a very sunny day, without doubt!

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Ansel Adams photographed America’s national parks extensively. Yet again, we see multiple zones in this image. Many other photographers have tried to match Ansel Adam’s creative use of the zone system over the years, and it wouldn’t be too dramatic to state that not many have come close to his masterful technique.

Jackson Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Here we see the Jackson Lake with foreground interest in the form of tree trunks, and the Teton Range in the background. The stark contrast on the top of the frame is by no accident for sure. The trees on the left appearing really dark, I’m guessing Ansel Adams used a magenta filter coupled with some burning process in the dark room.

Boulder Dam, Arizona/Nevada.

The high level of contrast in this image is probably what makes it special. The extreme tones add drama to an otherwise sober subject. It is a fitting example of the creative use of exposure.

Geyser pool, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Church, Taos Pueblo National Historic Landmark, New Mexico.

This image somehow shouts out ‘Mexico’ doesn’t it?!? From the extremely hard light and short shadows we can tell this was photographed near noon. So how did Ansel Adams get a dark sky? Probably a red filter, and the darkroom burning process as well.

Trees at Yosemite, California

Photographing snow can pretty much take care of one end zone (pure white) when photographed at optimum exposure. I can imagine a photographer such as Ansel Adams having the irresistible urge to go ahead and somehow introduce the opposite zone (pure black), creating extreme contrast as demonstrated in this image.

Junction Peak, Kings River Canyon, California

Ansel Adams was also an active environmentalist, and his photographs of nature helped his cause to a good extent. Ironically, Adams came from a family well established in the lumber business, an industry he condemned later in life!