Adams, Ansel Easton (1902–1984)

US photographer. He is known for his printed images of dramatic landscapes and organic forms of the American West. Light and texture were important elements in his photographs. He was associated with the zone system of exposure estimation and was a founder member of the ‘f/64’ group which advocated precise definition.

In 1916 Adams made his first trip to the Yosemite National Park, California; the Yosemite and the High Sierras remained a major focus of his work throughout his life. Aiming to establish photography as a fine art, he founded the first museum collection of photography, at New York City's Museum of Modern Art 1937.

Although Adams first became a professional musician, he turned to professional photography in the late 1920s. His love of nature also carried over into his work as a conservationist and director of the Sierra Club from 1936.