Ansel Adams in the National Parks

“There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.” - Ansel Adams

As an ardent advocate for wilderness preservation, renowned photographer Ansel Adams visited plenty of national parks during his lifetime. The wonder of nature and the wild is ever present in Ansel Adams in the National Parks. With more than 225 photographs, including 50 unpublished images, it presents the most comprehensive collection of Ansel Adams’ photographs of America’s National Parks and wilderness regions.

Released in October, 2010, by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, the 344-page hardcover book includes commentary by Andrea G. Stillman, who worked for Adams in the 1970s, and original essays by Wallace Stegner, critic Richard B. Woodward and William A. Turnage of The Ansel Adams Trust along with quotes drawn from Adams’ personal archives.

From Canyon de Chelly in Arizona and Mount Ansel Adams in Yosemite National Park to Joshua Tree, Jasper and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park via Redwood, Bryce Canyon and Death Valley, the photographs all capture the timeless beauty of Adams’ work. I paid extra attention to Autumn Moon, High Sierra from Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, California, 1948, and Merced River, Cliffs of Cathedral Rocks, Autumn, Yosemite, 1939, as well as shots of Mount McKinley and Yosemite Valley in winter – clear favorites.

Apart from the portfolio, I enjoyed Stegner’s essay with notes on how Adams’ training in music affected his work as a photographer. Not to mention the quote “what the photographer sees, and what he says about what he sees, have far greater importance than the possession of mere mechanical equipment.”

Ansel Adams in the National Parks makes a perfect gift for Adams’ fans, photographers, nature lovers, environmentalists, and anyone else with an interest in national parks and preserving the wilderness of America. Purchase via Amazon or The Ansel Adams Gallery.