Ansel Adams (1902–1984)

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this book is priceless because it is a collection of photographs by arguably one of the most preeminent photographers in American history of one of the darkest time periods in American history. In keeping with his zone system style of photography where the subject is clear, Adams' photos taken at Manzanar give the viewer a glimpse into the souls of the people being photographed. While there are many photos of group activities and a handful of show more scenic shots, the majority of the photos in this book have individual people as their primary subjects. The value of this book for a classroom teacher or anyone else is humanizing the American citizens who were interned at the Manzanar Relocation Center because of their Japanese ancestry. The photos make the people relatable and can teach us all that our commonalities with those who we perceive as not like us are much stronger than our differences. show less

Wow. I just checked this out to see some pretty pictures, but it turns out I'm learning a lot, too. And not by reading the text, but rather just the captions to the photos. I'm not a photographer, never have been, but have learned a tiny bit over the decades from osmosis. Turns out that choosing the right emulsion and paper to make the print has a lot to do with the results; it's not just exposure, time of day, etc. Light meters come in different modes (not sure what word) like for incident show more light or reflective light, too.

What I love about this book is that it shows a bunch of pictures that were taken at the same time, and/or from the same place, and showing the dramatically different results Adams got.

He even shows some images that he admits were not done well. "In retrospect, this [choice of filter strategy] was a mistake."

If I were a photographer I would want to look over the whole series of these 'textbooks' from Adams, and maybe get into film photography, too. It seems that doing so would be both hugely frustrating (not to mention expensive) but also allow for so very much more creativity than can be done with digital cameras. Or maybe I'm wrong... maybe digital cameras can give results akin, in the hands of an artist who knows the possibilities.

I need to find a print of 'Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico.' The sky, with setting sun, lit clouds, and moon all at the same time is amazing enough, but the white crosses of the cemetery also came out brilliantly.

I'd probably give this four stars but I 'read' so little of this that I can't legitimately rate it.
Skimmed, May 2024 show less

In his lifetime Ansel Adams photographed 40 national parks and ‘made’ thousands of images, many of which have apparently become very well known and easily recognisable in the United States.

Ansel Adams: In The National Parks is a gorgeous book featuring some 225 of Adams’ shots, 50 of which are published for the first time. All images in the book are in Adams’ preferred black and white, and together create a portfolio of dramatic, majestic and captivating photography. Adams’ gift show more for capturing some element of his life-long passion and reverence for America’s wilderness areas is evident in each image presented in this book.

Along with the photographs there are quotes and excerpts from Adams' letters, essays from those who know Adams’ work and a couple of commentaries on a group of related images all of which help illuminate Adams’ philosophy on both photography and the wilderness.

Personally I find I usually prefer black and white photography, I love the drama and contrast, the emphasis on texture and subtlety. These images deliver all of those elements and more.

The only two very minor grumbles I can come up with are the sequencing of images, it would have been interesting to see all the photos from Yellowstone together, same with the Yosemite images and those from the Sierra Nevada etc. And I would have liked to have seen 2 or 3 carefully selected images in colour for comparison, especially if the title indicated they were Autumn images, I’m sure the colours in those would have been beautiful.

Overall, wonderful book full of stunning images. show less

Adams the wilderness champion; illustrated.

Most people know Ansel Adams’ iconic photographs of gorgeous natural scenery in US national parks. But Adams’ passion for national parks went farther than documentation. He was also a forceful advocate who spoke and wrote in defense of preserving wilderness in national parks. This small gem pulls together familiar Adams images of national parks with his writing, both formal and informal, on national parks especially his most beloved Yosemite. show more

Adams’ most significant contribution to conservation was popularizing the concept of wilderness as spiritual retreat; a concept that demands we protect wilderness from too much human use, too much human carelessness, and even too much human love. This is where this book offers something enlightening and became more than just another pretty compilation of Adams’ photos. The images illustrate the places his words seek to describe, defend, and protect within the historical context of the national parks system formation and development at critical junctures.

The images are smaller scale than we are used to seeing them; however, they are sharp high-quality reproductions. This is not a comprehensive treatment of Adams’ views or a complete compilation of his writing. The selections in this book introduce his views to new readers and remind those, like me, who may have overlooked it that Adams was a serious conservationist. show less