Ansel Adams made significant contributions to the field of photography. He is best known for his stunning black and white landscape photographs, particularly of the American West. Adams played a crucial role in elevating photography to the level of fine art through his technical mastery, innovative techniques, and dedication to capturing the beauty of nature. He also co-founded the Group f/64, a collective of photographers advocating for a sharp focus and high depth of field in their images. Additionally, Adams was a prolific writer and educator, sharing his knowledge and passion for photography through books, workshops, and lectures. His work and advocacy continue to inspire and influence photographers around the world.

The Zone System was a technique developed by Ansel Adams to determine the optimal exposure and tonal range in black and white photography. It involves dividing the tonal range of a scene into 11 zones, ranging from pure black (Zone 0) to pure white (Zone X). Each zone represents a specific level of brightness or darkness in the final image. By carefully metering the light and adjusting the exposure and development process, photographers can control the placement of different tones within the zones to achieve the desired visual effect. The Zone System allows photographers to capture a wide range of tones and details in their photographs, resulting in images with high contrast and rich tonal range.

By using the zone system you could make a more interesting image “You don’t take a photograph, you make it” is an oft quoted saying from Ansel Adams. While Ansel Adams would spend hours in the dark room to develop his photographs today it is in post processing that we can achieve drama from the raw photo. Of course it is impossible to create a good photo from a poor composition and this can only be achieved within camera. As with other art, it is important where the photograph is taken. Ansel Adams reaffirms this in another famous quote: A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” Of course you also need to know when to take the shot or when it is ‘the decisive moment”. It is also important to bear in mind that Ansel Adams wanted his dark room manipulations to reflect how he felt about a scene and was not just a technical exercise. So darkening the sky for example would reinforce what he felt about the scene he was photographing. In this way processing a photograph can help create a mood of grandeur, sadness, hope, beauty, excitement and more. Knowing how one wants to see the final image will influence what photograph we take. Pre-visualisation of the final image will help us to select compositions that may go unrecognised.

Ansel Adams and the Group f/64 reacted against what was called Pictorialism, which was an attempt to make photography like paintings through soft-focus, diffused light, and textured papers. While important at the time, the goals of pictorialism have not been entirely discredited. There is no reason why either approach cannot be used to achieve artistic and stimulating results. It really depends upon how the mood or emotion within an image can be achieved. There can be a good Pictorialist as well as a good f/64 type of photo. Unfortunately, in the wrong hands there are plenty of examples of boring and unworthy images taken by either type of photographer.

Evening, McDonald Lake, Glacier National Park (1942)

“Moon and Half Dome”