Ansel Easton Adams was born on February 20, 1902 in
San Francisco, California. One defining moment in his life came in
1916 when he and his family went to Yosemite National Park. It was
there that he took his first pictures thanks to a Kodak Brownie Box camera.
Despite his enjoyment of this vacation, Ansel later planned on becoming
a great concert pianist. But, his musical talent was less impressive
than his ability to capture nature. Then, among other great accomplishments
of his, he created the zone system of developing. This system allows
a picture to contain a larger variety of shades of black, white, and gray
than ever before. Thanks to his work with the zone system, his black
and white photos became famous, making him a recognized hero in American
history. Outside of his professional success, Ansel had a wife and
child. After being married to Virginia Best for five years, Ansel
and his wife have their son Michael in 1933. For the next fifty years,
Ansel stays busy all over the United States as a member and head of various
conservation groups. His work even leads him to several awards.
Then, on April 22, 1984, his life ends due to heart failure. But,
his legacy lives on in his photos, and at the peak named for him in 1985,
Mount Ansel Adams.
