Ansel Adams was a famous early American naturalist and photographer, perhaps best known for his stunning black-and-white photographs of Yosemite National Park.

Working along with Fred Archer, Ansel Adams helped to develop the "Zone System" a photographic technique that determined optimal film exposure and development.

One of Ansel Adams' most famous photographs was "Moon and Half Dome" which debuted in 1960 to worldwide acclaim.

Ansel Adams first visited Yosemite National Park was in 1916, when he traveled there with his family. It inspired him to write the following: The splendor of Yosemite burst upon us and it was glorious... One wonder after another descended upon us... There was light everywhere... A new era began for me. (Quote courtesy of Wikipedia's article on Ansel Adams.)

From the Publisher's Weekly editorial review of Ansel Adams: An Autobiography:

An accomplished musician, ardent conservationist, master photographer and teacher, Ansel Adams (19021984) made a major cultural contribution to the American nation, which awarded him the Medal of Freedom. This life story describes his boyhood discovery of California's Yosemite and High Sierra, a land he loved and photographed the remainder of his life. He traces the development of his esthetic beliefs and technical style, including the widely emulated Adams "zone system" of scenic composition and exposure. A chapter on his early efforts offers one of the best definitions yet articulated about photography as art. There are lively accounts of his acquaintance in conservation work with several U.S. presidents, and of relationships he had with photographer colleaguesStieglitz, Steichen, Weston, Georgia O'Keeffe, Nancy and Beaumont Newhall, Paul Strand, Dorothea Lange, Imogen Cunningham, Edwin Land and others. The 270 illustrations here include personal shots of family, friends and wilderness high jinks, as well as many Adams masterworks like "Yosemite Half-Dome" and "Moonrise, Hernandez."