February 20th is Ansel Adams' Birthday...
Many of you may know that I had the rare privilege to study under Ansel Adams in Yosemite National Park when I was just 19 years old. And as the years go by, I appreciate that experience more and more. Even at 19, I had already been working with black and white film for a solid decade before Adam's taught me his "Zone System". And I would spend another two decades continuing to work in black and white and hone my craft.
Photographing Yosemite National Park with Ansel Adams...sure wish I had thought about taking a selfie back in 1979!
Yosemite National Park is an amazing "classroom" and we spent time photographing the Valley, the Merced River, as well as up in the high country of the Sierra Nevadas. But as much as the instruction, I remember some of the social time we had in the evenings, including cocktails with Ansel and his wife Virginia. I was 19 and they were in their late 70s and it was markedly clear that they were from a different era. Over the years, I've read most of what Ansel published, as well as what has been written about him. What an amazing life to have traveled this country -- and particularly to our National Parks -- seeing many of these places in more pristine condition than we do today, with the crowds and restrictions in place now.
At 19, I was pretty awestruck in his presence. I remember scraping together the last bit of cash I had for the summer -- just enough to buy two of his books at the bookstore in Yosemite -- The Negative and The Print seemed like the obvious choices. And then, in a bit more brazened move, I asked him to autograph them! Honestly, to this day, I can't think of anything more cherished.
Now, the National Park Poster Project lets me share these incredible places -- many of which Ansel Adams visited and photographed -- with people from all over the world, and I hope in some small way, helps to encourage the next generation of National Park supporters. It also provides me with a way to give back, and in the last year, I made financial contributions to the National Park Foundation, the Yosemite Conservancy, Washington's National Park Fund, the Glacier Conservancy, the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park, the Western National Parks Association, Eastern National, Conservancy for Cuyahoga National Park, and Yellowstone Forever. In addition, I have been able to donate posters to Washington's National Park Fund, the Glacier Conservancy and others for their silent auctions to help with their fundraising efforts.
Ansel Adams, who in addition to being an amazing photographer -- was also an environmentalist who was realistic about development and the subsequent loss of habitat. Adams advocated for balanced growth, but was pained by the ravages of "progress". In his autobiography, he stated that, "We all know the tragedy of the dustbowls, the cruel unforgivable erosions of the soil, the depletion of fish or game, and the shrinking of the noble forests. And we know that such catastrophes shrivel the spirit of the people... The wilderness is pushed back, man is everywhere. Solitude, so vital to the individual man, is almost nowhere."
Ansel Adams first visited Yosemite National Park in 1916...it would be another 50 years before my first visit...the first of many. Today, it remains one of my most favorite National Parks, not just for the awe-inspiring beauty that is Yosemite, but also for the memories of camping with my family, backpacking the high country with friends, and of course, the summer of 1979 studying under one of the true masters!
I've just re-printed the 2018 edition of the Yosemite National Park poster, and new Artist Proofs are now available as well. Artist Proofs are the first 25 prints pulled from the print run, and feature the pressman's color bars at the bottom of the print. The pressman uses these color bars to maintain quality, color balance and registration throughout the print run. Prints are dated, signed and numbered 1-25/25. They are very popular, and many have already been sold.You can see the Artist Proof here: https://www.national-park-posters.com/product/yosemite-national-park-artist-proof/
