Ansel Adams (1902–1984) was one of the most celebrated American photographers, particularly renowned for his stunning black-and-white landscape photographs of the American West. He was born in San Francisco, California, and his early exposure to the natural beauty of the Sierra Nevada mountains had a profound influence on his later work.

Adams’ photographs often focused on capturing the grandeur and serenity of the American wilderness, including iconic locations such as Yosemite National Park. He was a master of technical precision in photography, known for his meticulous attention to detail in both capturing and printing images.

Throughout his career, Adams produced numerous iconic images, many of which have become synonymous with the American landscape. His work continues to be celebrated for its artistic vision, technical mastery, and its ability to evoke a sense of awe and reverence for the natural world.

Style:

Ansel Adams’ masterful manipulation of contrast and his keen understanding of light were integral elements of his photographic style, each complementing the other to produce breathtaking images of the American landscape. His photographs often showcased a wide tonal range, from deep, velvety blacks to luminous, glowing whites. Through careful exposure and meticulous darkroom techniques, Adams achieved a perfect balance of light and shadow, creating images that exuded depth, drama, and emotion.

Biographical Context:

Adams grew up in a relatively unstable financial situation but was deeply influenced by his early exposure to the natural beauty of the Sierra Nevada mountains during family trips. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Adams honed his skills as a photographer and became increasingly involved in the art world.

Historical context:

Adams came of age during the Great Depression of the 1930s, a time of economic hardship and social upheaval in America. Despite the challenges of the era, Adams continued to pursue his passion for photography and conservation, finding solace and inspiration in the natural landscapes of the American West.

Psychological:

Adams was not only a photographer but also a committed environmentalist. His photographs often reflected his concern for the preservation of wilderness areas and the impact of human activity on the natural world. This suggests a sense of empathy and altruism, as well as a desire to use his art as a means of advocating for social and environmental change.

5characters:

-high in contrast

-black and white

-good composition

-sharp

My favourite picture:

This is my favourite picture beacuse i love how this picture only shows the beauty of the lanscape as it takes away the colors from the beach mountain and the sea as it can sometimes distract us. I love the giant contrast in this picture and how he uses a the mountain as a foreground to help his composition and at the same time let us focus on the waves in the back. I like how he has the shadows in the picture really dark making it hard to spot details in the mountain so the waves in the back pop out more.

How does it inspire:

This image gave me a lot of inspiration as of how i should edit my photos and think about how i can use foregrounds better in my pictures to make the main subject pop more in the photo.

Initial ideas: Work with reflections with water and windows.

Research starting points:

Naoya Hatakeyama is 65 years old, from Japan. Most of his reflection photos are focused on urban photography but not like usual symmetrical water reflection shots. He flips them over and specifically focuses on the reflection itself. He does not go for a crystal clear reflection like a mirror but has it slightly blurred. A lot of his photos are cool colors and leaning towards low key, setting up a kind of a low mood and sad feeling.

Lisette Model 81 one years, old from Austria. A lot of her black and white reflection photos are focused on urban landscape and includes people in her photos by using windows. These are similar to double exposures, and has very dramatic effects and also adds on a very surreal feeling to the photos. This feeling is further on increased as she makes the people in her photos, almost the same height as the tall buildings.

Darren (°2009, Hong Kong, China) is an artist who mainly works with photography. By exploring the concept of landscape in a nostalgic way, Darren often creates work using creative game tactics, but these are never permissive.

His photos are characterised by the use of everyday objects in an atmosphere of middleclass mentality in which recognition plays an important role. By taking daily life as subject matter while commenting on the everyday aesthetic of middle class values, he investigates the dynamics of landscape, including the manipulation of its effects and the limits of spectacle based on our assumptions of what landscape means to us. Rather than presenting a factual reality, an illusion is fabricated to conjure the realms of our imagination.

His works establish a link between the landscape’s reality and that imagined by its conceiver. These works focus on concrete questions that determine our existence.  Darren currently lives and works in Beijing.