Written by: Cormac Scanlan

25 Beautiful Ansel Adams Photos

Truly beautiful travel photos from one of the greatest black and white photographers of our time

Born on February 21st 1902, Ansel Adams was one of the greatest landscape photographers of all time. As a young child he had aspirations of of becoming a concert pianist, but soon set his sights on photography after a family holiday to Yosemite national park in 1916.

Working as caretaker and a photo technician at the Sierra Club in Yosemite Valley, he soon accomplished his dream of becoming a full-time photographer, publishing his first prints of the High Sierras in 1927, and of Taos Pueblo in 1930.

While other photographers concentrated on photojournalism, Adams was the first person to truly pioneer photography as an artform. Shooting almost exclusively in black and white, he worked primarily with large-format cameras to produce stunning high-resolution landscapes and pin-sharp textures.

Adams travelled extensively with his camera, throughout a career spanning over 8 decades, but it was that first Yosemite trip that really stole his heart. Returning a great many times throughout his life, he visited the birthplace of his artform for the last time in 1983, before passing away aged 82, in 1984

Below we highlight the most beautiful works of Ansel Adams’ extensive career. Click on the images to view large.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming



Mt. Moran, Teton National Park

Not everybody trusts paintings but people believe photographs. Ansel Adams

Acomo Pueblo, New Mexico



Church, Acoma Pueblo



Church, Acoma Pueblo



House in Acoma Pueblo

A photograph is usually looked at – seldom looked into. Ansel Adams

Navajo Indians, Canyon De Chelly, Arizona



Navajo Woman and Infant

No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit. Ansel Adams

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico



The Giant Dome, a 60 million year old stalagmite



Large drapery formation known as the Guillatine



Natural formations at Carlsbad Caverns



The Rock of Ages in ‘the Big Room’

A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed. Ansel Adams

Canyon de Chelly, Arizona



Panorama of the valley at Canyon de Chelly

Millions of men have lived to fight, build palaces and boundaries, shape destinies and societies; but the compelling force of all times has been the force of originality and creation profoundly affecting the roots of human spirit. Ansel Adams

Glacier National Park, Montana



McDonald Lake, Glacier National Park



Burned, snow-cover area of Glacier National Park

Some photographers take reality… and impose the domination of their own thought and spirit. Others come before reality more tenderly and a photograph to them is an instrument of love and revelation. Ansel Adams

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona



The Grand Canyon from the cliffs



The Grand Canyon from the cliffs



The Grand Canyon from the cliffs

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence. Ansel Adams

Kings River Canyon, California, 1936



Coloseum Mountain



Boaring River, Kings Region

There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs. Ansel Adams

San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, 1942



Native American Indian dance



Native American Indian dance



Native American Indian dance

There are no forms in nature. Nature is a vast, chaotic collection of shapes. You as an artist create configurations out of chaos. You make a formal statement where there was none to begin with. All art is a combination of an external event and an internal event… I make a photograph to give you the equivalent of what I felt. Equivalent is still the best word. Ansel Adams

Taos Pueblo, New Mexico



Full view of the city



Church at Taos Pueblo

The only things in my life that compatibly exists with this grand universe are the creative works of the human spirit. Ansel Adams

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming



Yellowstone Lake



Fountain Geyser Pool

It is my intention to present – through the medium of photography – intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators. Ansel Adams

Yosemite, California, 1933



Half Dome, Apple Orchard, Yosemite

You don’t take a photograph, you make it. Ansel Adams

More Information about Ansel Adams

112 years after his birth, in March 2014, a collection of the groundbreaking artist’s personally-chosen photographs will be shown at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis.

Many more shots by the legendary photographer can be found on Ansel Adams’ page on the US National Archives website.