Ansel Adams Mirror Lake Analysis

The photograph I chose to do an analysis on was taken by Ansel Adams and is titled Mirror Lake, Morning, Yosemite National Park. This photograph was taken in 1935, in Yosemite National Park which is located in California. Ansel Adams was born on February 1902, in San Francisco, California. Ansel Adams rose to a prominent photographer of the American West, particularly capturing photos in Yosemite National Park. Ansel Adams used his work to promote conservation of wilderness areas. His iconic black-and-white images helped in establishing photography among the fine arts. The publication of his first portfolio was his professional breakthrough and after its release, he got a number of commercial assignments. Ansel Adams formed the Department of
”Ansel Adams was a visionary figure in nature photography and wilderness preservation, and is seen as an environmental folk hero and a symbol of the American West” (The Sierra Club). Ansel Adams’ work has gone for as much as $722,000, this being in the top 20 most expensive photographs sold. This specific photograph was one of Adams’ favorite subject matter, being black and white, makes this the epitome of all of Adams’ photographs. Adams’ practiced photography as an art, he believed that photography was a product of science. He said that only by understanding the science of it could photography produce art. Mirror Lake, Morning, Yosemite National Park was taken in black and white. this photograph is considered a landscape photograph. The first thing to capture the eyes of viewers in this photograph is the shadow of the large mountain reflecting in the body of water below it. Lining this body of water is
In this photograph I believe the figure is the large body of water casting a shadow of the objects surrounding it. These objects are considered the ground, or the surrounding visual information the figure stands out from. The mountains and trees in the photo would be considered positive shapes, because they are perceived as figures. These objects would also be considered organic shapes because they are objects that are irregular and are the living forms of nature. Another element of art I find in this photograph is texture. Our eyes when looking at this perceive a rough, bumpy and coarse surface on the rocks. The body of water in the photo looks very smooth. Everything about the texture we see makes us want to feel the real texture of what we