Moonrise, Hernandez
In 1941 Adams was hired for 6 months to create photographs of the lands under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior. He set out on a roadtrip out west with his son and friend and captured this shot with made him even more well known. Ansel talks about the photo-"It was made after sundown, there was a twilight glow on the distant peaks and clouds. The average light values of the foreground were placed on the "U" of the Weston Master meter; apparently the values of the moon and distant peaks did not lie higher than the "A" of the meter. . . . Some may consider this photograph a "tour de force" but I think of it as a rather normal photograph of a typical New Mexican landscape. Twilight photography is unfortunately neglected; what may be drab and uninteresting by daylight may assume a magnificent quality in the halflight between sunset and dark."
Rose and Driftwood
Not only is this photo beautiful, but it is very meaningful to Ansel and many others. This was one of Ansel's first photographs. He was young and his mother had just brought in a rose from her garden for Ansel. Being a young artist, Adams immediately placed the flower on the wood and took a picture of it. This photo was a big deal because it displayed a trying moment in Ansels life. With this photo Ansel decided to pursue photography instead of music. Just think about that. If Ansels mother hadn't brought in a pink rose, you might not even know his name.
Clearing Winter Storm
This photo is a very well known photo by Ansel Adams that has no explanation. This photograph was taken at Yosemite National Park in 1940. Ansel worked for the national park service and took pictures at every one of the parks. He portrayed them in there real beauty. He is most well known for photos at the Tetons, Yosemite, and Yellowstone.