Scroll down to learn more about Adams with 10 interesting facts about his life and work.
Here are 10 fascinating facts about American photographer Ansel Adams.
His love of nature began during childhood.
Photo: ©️Alan Ross Photography
Adams was born on February 20, 1902 in San Francisco, California.
He was injured during an earthquake.
Ansel was just four years old when San Francisco was hit by the great earthquake of 1906.
Photo: ©️Alan Ross Photography
During an aftershock, he lost his balance and fell face-first into a garden wall, breaking his nose.
The damage was so severe that it remained crooked throughout his life.
Tenaya Lake, Mount Conness, Yosemite National Park, California, circa 1946.Photo: Ansel Adams.
Tenaya Lake, Mount Conness, Yosemite National Park, California, circa 1946.Photo: Ansel Adams. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
He almost pursued a career as a concert pianist.
Adams began teaching himself how to read music and play piano at age 12.
Half Dome, Merced River, Winter, Yosemite National Park, California, 1937.Photo: Ansel Adams. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
Throughout the 1920s, Adamss frequent visits to the region sparked an interest in photography.
The splendor of Yosemite burst upon us and it was glorious, he once wrote.
There was light everywhere.
Sequoia Roots, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California, circa 1950.Photo: Ansel Adams. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
A new era began for me.
Using a Kodak Box Brownie camera, Adams began capturing that light as imagery.
By 1930, he decided to make photography his full-time career.
Moonrise, Joshua Tree National Park, California, 1948.Photo: Ansel Adams. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
He became famous for his photo of a granite summit.
It included his famous imageMonolith, the Face of Half Dome.
The image depicts a huge granite summit in Yosemite that reaches 5,000 feet above the valley.
Cathedral Rocks, Yosemite National Park, California, circa 1949.Photo: Ansel Adams. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
Half Dome, Merced River, Winter, Yosemite National Park, California, 1937.Photo: Ansel Adams.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
He was a technical genius.
Afternoon Sun, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, 1943.Photo: Ansel Adams. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
Many argue that there is no other photographer from his era that knew more about taking photos than Adams.
He wrote 10 technical manuals on photography, and he even consulted Polaroid and Hasselblad on technical matters.
His specialized knowledge and innovation helped to form the style of photography he became famous for.
Aspens, Northern New Mexico, 1958.Photo: Ansel Adams. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
He didnt always photograph landscapes.
Although hes best known for his photographs of nature, Adams also dabbled in other subject matters.
Adams donated the collection of over 200 photographs to the Library of Congress in 1965.
Denali and Wonder Lake, Denali National Park, Alaska, 1948.Photo: Ansel Adams. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
Sequoia Roots, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California, circa 1950.Photo: Ansel Adams.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
One of his photographs has been to outer space.
Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park, California, 1937.Photo: Ansel Adams. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
He was presented with the Medal of Freedom.
Through his art, Adams intended to showcase the beauty of national parks to get to encourage nature conservation.
Carter acknowledged Adams environmental efforts and dubbed the photographer a national institution.
Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 1941.Photo: Ansel Adams. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
Moonrise, Joshua Tree National Park, California, 1948.Photo: Ansel Adams.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
He was friends with Georgia OKeeffe.
Moon and Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California, 1960.Photo: Ansel Adams. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
Georgia OKeeffeand Ansel Adams first met in Taos, New Mexico in 1929 and maintained a lifelong friendship.
She was already established as an artist at the time, and Adams was just beginning his career.
They bonded over their mutual appreciation of nature and were both drawn to the landscape of the American southwest.
White House Ruin, Morning, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 1947.Photo: Ansel Adams. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
It showcased the works of both artists, side by side.
He couldnt print every photo.
Throughout his career, Adams always developed and exposed his photos himself in his own makeshift darkroom.
Dune, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, 1941.Photo: Ansel Adams. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
Cathedral Rocks, Yosemite National Park, California, circa 1949.Photo: Ansel Adams.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
Aspens, Northern New Mexico, 1958.Photo: Ansel Adams.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
Denali and Wonder Lake, Denali National Park, Alaska, 1948.Photo: Ansel Adams.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park, California, 1937.Photo: Ansel Adams.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 1941.Photo: Ansel Adams.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
Moon and Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California, 1960.Photo: Ansel Adams.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
White House Ruin, Morning, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 1947.Photo: Ansel Adams.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
Dune, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, 1941.Photo: Ansel Adams.
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
