Born in San Francisco, California in 1902 Ansel Easton Adams was a photographer and environmentalist. He is best known for his black and white landscape photographs. The only child of Charles and Olivia Adams. He was a restless hyper active child who was home schooled by his father and aunt after being kicked out of several private schools. Somewhat of a loner he found joy in nature and its wonders. As a child he taught himself how to play the piano and this was his passion until the late 1920s. His father bought him a season pass to the Panama-Pacific International Expo where he would go daily. It was here he was exposed to modern Art. ‘The most important result of Adams's somewhat solitary and unmistakably different childhood was the joy …show more content…
The Brownie Box was a simple camera that used 117 size film that created 2 ¼ x 2 ¼ negatives. He made a visual diary of his trip with the photos he had taken. “I knew my destiny when I first experienced Yosemite!” ~ Ansel Adams- (Stillman) From that trip on he spent much of his time in Yosemite and at age 17 he became a member of the Sierra Club. He was appointed caretaker of the club’s headquarters and during this time explored the High Sierras. He was friends with the club’s leaders who were founders of America’s new conservation movement. Adam’s message became “The earth has been given to us to live on and enjoy and we have an obligation to preserve it for future generations.”- (Stillman) He was the Director of the Sierra Club for 38 years. He also met Virginia Best in Yosemite and the two married in 1928 and had two children …show more content…
As they were driving in the Chama River Valley towards Sante Fe Ansel saw the moon rising above the Truchas Peaks in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Ansel stopped the car and hurried to set up his camera. He could not locate his exposure meter and was concerned that the sun would disappear behind the clouds. It was then he recalled ‘that the luminance of the moon ws 250 candles per square foot.’~ Ansel Adams (Stillman) Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico 1941 would become one of of his best known images. He sold one of the first prints of Moonrise in 1941 for roughly twenty five dollars and in 1979 a print of Moonrise sold for $12,000. There are more than twelve hundred prints in existence. A 1948 print sold at auction for