Ansel Adams’ Love Affair with Yosemite Celebrated in New Book

Mount Ansel Adams Photo by Ansel Adams

Mount Ansel Adams
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There is perhaps no other photographer that has helped shape our impression of the American landscape more than Ansel Adams. His black and white imagery of the American West is iconic, showing the majesty of the untamed environment. Synonymous with Adams is Yosemite. It was here that he was given his first camera as a young 14-year-old boy and it was Yosemite that inspired some of his most memorable photographs. Ansel Adams' Yosemite is a new publication that looks at his love affair with the National Park and all it has to offer.

The book focuses on Adams' photographs from his Yosemite Special Edition Prints portfolio. Born from a commission in the 1950s to select photographs as souvenirs for park visitors, Adams continued to add to his Yosemite collection over the following decades. From Bride Veil Falls to the cliffs of Half Dome, the natural monuments immortalized by Adams have remained iconic thanks to his work.

Over 160 pages, Ansel Adams' Yosemite photographs take center stage. Never before published in book form, the streams, meadows, and mountains leap from the page. To help put his work into perspective, the publication features a foreword by former White House photographer Pete Souza, as well as an essay by Adams' darkroom assistant Alan Ross.

This timely publication continues the legacy of environmentalism that Adams supported throughout his life. Perhaps now, more than ever, with the American landscape increasingly under threat, his work is a reminder of what we risk losing. “Ansel's photographs originated as expressions of his deep emotional connection to nature,” writes Souza, “and became powerful tools to build support for its preservation. Viewed today, Ansel's photographs carry as much power and meaning as ever.”

Ansel Adams' Yosemite is available both in both hardcover and e-book.

Ansel Adams' love affair with Yosemite—which he first visited at 12-year-old—spanned his entire life.

Ansel Adams Photo of Yosemite

Clearing Winter Storm

Cathedral Rocks by Ansel Adams

Cathedral Rocks

Ansel Adams Photo of Bride Veil Falls

Bride Veil Falls

His landscape imagery is responsible for shaping how we view the majestic national park.

Lodgepoe Pines by Ansel Adams

Lodgepoe Pines

Sequoia Roots by Ansel Adams

Sequoia Roots

Forest in Snow by Ansel Adams

Fir Forest in Snow

Ansel Adams Yosemite Photography

Merced River, Cliffs of Cathedral Rocks

Ansel Adams' Yosemite is a collection of photographs that have never been published in book form.

Tenaya Lake by Ansel Adams

Tenaya Lake

Moon and Half Dome by Ansel Adams

Moon and Half Dome

Unpublished Ansel Adam Photos of Yosemite

Half Dome Evening

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by the Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.

Related Articles:

The Surprising Story Behind Ansel Adams’ Most Famous Photograph

55+ Quotes From Master Photographers to Inspire You to Take Great Pictures

Historic Panorama Archive of Pacific Northwest Used to Suppress Forest Fires

National Geographic Photographer’s Stunning Landscapes Pay Tribute to Ansel Adams

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Staff Editor and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book "Street Art Stories Roma" and most recently contributed to "Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini." You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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