Go to many national parks in the US, stunning natural reserves where wildlife is left relatively to itself, and where stunning scenery lies around almost every corner and twist, and you’ll be likely to find some similar things.
There are old-school wooden lodges, camping grounds and trails to follow, and, oftentimes, whether posted up on message boards by trails, framed in lodge dining rooms or on postcards in the visitor centre’s shop, you’re likely to see photos by Ansel Adams. The legendary photographer travelled to many parks, taking photographs that are famous for their scale and beauty.
The US National Archives house many of his photographs, from a variety of national parks, and we’ve gathered some stunning highlights right here for your viewing pleasure.
Misty mountains
This shot shows how Adams had a true eye for the sky, able to see clouds forming and flowing and capture them at just the right moment. This pair of mountains has a cloud passing through them that looks straight out of Lord of the Rings.
Reflective
This shot of Acoma Pueblo, in New Mexico, nearly radiates heat, the white-out blanch of the low buildings reflecting the sun’s glare. That pool of still water in the foreground creates a mirror for the world which palely shows the building again, and we love the light palette of the photo overall.
Postcard view
This looks like a still from an animated movie or a painting, so perfect is the framing and so varied are the profiles of the mountains on show, while that single tree’s silhouette at the bottom provides a lovely touch, and the cloud in the middle is just how you’d imagine one in your head.
Death Valley
Death Valley national park is one of those locations that is clearly named to dissuade people from visiting, but visit we do nonetheless, and its apparently arid climes actually hide some crazy beauty. We’re not sure what the blurred light elements are in the bottom of this shot, but they lend the photo an ethereal, magical feel.
There’s nothing like a placid lake to make for a calming picture, and this photograph is a beautiful example. You can almost hear the natural silence that surrounds Adams as he takes this shot, with the many different hills and mountains all sloping down to the one lake.
A sliding scale
This portrait shot of the dam gives a great sense for how huge it was (and remains) - standing on top of it can be a vertigo-inducing experience even in modern times, so must have been even more impactful back in the 40s when this shot was taken.
The sky’s the limit
Again, here Adams shows his unique talent by pretty much making the sky the real star of the show - the limitless variation of the cloud cover, their colour and depth all making for an amazing tableau. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have an amazing mountain below it all.
Adams might have been often preoccupied with the huge end of the scale, but he clearly also had an eye for detail, and you may see why this patch of lichen took his fancy, spreading out on a sheer rock face. Its texture is just as compelling and unique as the clouds photographed elsewhere.
Going to church
From another angle, this structure in Acoma Pueblo makes the settlement look more impressive and structured, with that church in the back left of the frame actually looking borderline grand, with its two towers, even despite a lack of ornamentation.
Here, again, Adams shows his eye by using the power line in the foreground to draw your eye back to the dam and then beyond it, to the rolling mountains and hills on the horizon, each fainter than the last as you head into the distance.
