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.'' BOMC featured alternate. October