Ansel Easton Adams

(February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist. His black-and-white images of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park, have been widely reproduced on calendars, posters, books, and the internet.❲1❳

Adams and Fred Archer developed the Zone System as a way to determine proper exposure and adjust the contrast of the final print. The resulting clarity and depth characterized his photographs. He primarily used large-format cameras because the large film used with these cameras (primarily 5×4 and 8×10) contributed to the clarity of his prints.

Adams initiated the photography group known as Group f/64, along with fellow photographers Willard Van Dyke and Edward Weston.