Ansel Adams was one of the most famous photographers of his time. He was born in 1902 in San Francisco, California. Growing up, Adams was nervous and shy. He did not do well in school because of his behavioral problems and an earthquake that left his nose crooked, making him clumsy. As a result, he was home-schooled by family members and tutors starting from the age of twelve. It is important to note that Adams' unique and solitary childhood led him to develop an early relationship with nature, often taking long walks or hikes in the San Francisco area. Adams developed a passion for the piano early, teaching himself and eventually finding a teacher who rigorously demanded excellence, giving Adams the direction and discipline that would later shape his photography career. At the age of fourteen, Adams' family visited Yosemite and he used a camera he received as a gift to capture the incredible sights he witnessed. This would later be recognized as the beginning of his lifelong love of photography and nature together. In 1917 Ansel Adams made his second trip to Yosemite. He arrived better equipped with supplies and better cameras and began a part-time job as a darkroom assistant, learning to develop photos and print film. Adams' experiences at Yosemite were instrumental in shaping his career and life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In 1919, Adams joined the Sierra Club, an environmental organization founded by John Muir, an influential naturalist and conservationist. Adams took a job as a caretaker at the Sierra Club LeConte Lodge in Yosemite, and his stay during this time allowed him to expand his career as a photographer and conservationist. His residence in Yosemite also allowed him to come into contact with many important people of his time, including Joseph LeConte, a leading environmental scientist. The Sierra Club was essential to Adams' success. According to William Turnage and Oxford University Press, 1922 was the first year that photographs of Adams appeared in the club's bulletin, allowing his career to really take off. In 1934, Adams was elected to the board of trustees and “was well established as both a Sierra Nevada artist and Yosemite advocate” (William Turnage, 2016). Yosemite was a really significant part of Adams' life - he even met his wife there and they married in 1928. Ansel Adams used his photography to influence politics. In 1936 Adams represented the Sierra Club at a parks conference in Washington. The club selected him to submit a proposal for a park in the Kings River Sierra because it believed his photographs would have a great influence on those making the decision. The Sierra Club was smart to choose Adams to represent them, because photography had been a key part in the creation of other famous parks such as Yosemite and Yellowstone. After submitting his proposal, Adams received an invitation from the Secretary of the Interior to create a photomural of his landscapes to be placed in the new Department of the Interior building. It was truly a great honor, but the park proposal had not yet been accepted, so Adams continued his efforts. In 1938 he published a book, Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail, which came to be highly regarded by respected artists and photographers. This book may have been the reason the National Parks Service took a second look at Adams's Sierra Nevada portfolio andwrote to him: "We recently forwarded to Secretary Ickes the complimentary copy of your new Sierra Nevada portfolio that you sent to the National Park Service. Yesterday the Secretary took it to the White House and showed it to the President, who was so impressed that the Secretary gave it to him as a gift. In the ensuing discussion, Secretary Ickes expressed his keen desire to have a copy for his own use as well” (Robert Turnage, 1980). Shortly thereafter, Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes wrote to Adams, saying: “My dear Mr. Adams: I am thrilled with the book—The John Muir Trail—which you have been so generous to send me. The pictures are exceedingly beautiful and impressive. I hope that before this session of Congress adjourns, the Park National John Muir in the Kings Canyon area will be a legal fact. Then we can be sure that your descendants and mine will be able to take photos as beautiful as the ones you took, as long as they have your skill and artistic talent." (Robert Turnage, 1980). It's truly remarkable that Adams' photos were able to speak on a level that influenced the decision to make the park a reality. Finally, in 1940, Kings Canyon became a national park. Adams received a message from the National Parks Service stating that his book, Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail, was the most influential piece in the creation of the park. National Park Service Director Arno Cammerer wrote, “As long as that book exists, it will continue to justify the park” (Robert Turnage, 1980). This really shows how significant Adams' works were in the political realm. Adams continued to be involved with the government, starting his mural photography project for the Department of the Interior in 1941. He ended up having to put his work on hold due to World War II. During this period he worked as a “photographic consultant” for the armed forces and also worked for the Office of War Information. He visited the Manzanar War Relocation Center and documented Japanese Americans in the camp, ultimately paving a new path for civil rights (Wilderness.net, 2006). In 1968 Adams received the Conservation Service Award from the Department of the Interior, and in 1979 he appeared on the cover of Time Magazine. In 1980 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Carter, the highest honor a citizen can receive. For all his influence in politics, Adams was also inducted into the California Hall of Fame by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver in 2007. Every single photograph Adams took had meaning, but a few works stand out as most influential. . Among these works is a very famous photograph entitled "Monolith, the Face of Half Dome" (see Appendix A). This photograph was part of Adams's first complete portfolio, published in 1927. It was considered his "first fully displayed photograph" (William Turnage, 2016), and for the rest of his career Adams would be recognized for this stellar image. The photo captures a sight that the general public probably wouldn't have been able to see easily. Adams had to climb four thousand feet through a considerable amount of snow to reach a granite outcropping. From there he set up his camera and waited for the light to fall on the cliff, finally capturing the iconic shot. The image allows the audience to see what was so important to Adams for so many years. By exposing citizens to these images, Adams is able to impress upon them the importance of national parks. Although the concept of sustainability is relatively new, as an environmentalist, Adams had many of the same ideas in mind way back whenhe photographed parks like Yosemite. “Monolith, the Face of Half Dome” is a great representation of photography that introduces nature to the public and shows them that it needs to be preserved. Another notable work by Ansel Adams is his photograph entitled "Clearing Winter Storm" (see Appendix B). Taken in Yosemite National Park in 1940, this photograph clearly demonstrates Adams' intimate relationship with photography and Yosemite. He knew the park so well that he always knew where to go to capture the perfect moments, and his passion for nature always came through in his photographs. This forced everyone who watched them to feel as interested in the environment as he did. By eloquently capturing the view of Yosemite Valley in this photograph, Adams has succeeded in portraying the importance of conservation. Environmentally, Adams' primary issues were Yosemite National Park, the National Park System, and wilderness conservation (William Turnage, 2016). In particular, he opposed the National Parks Service's attempts to overdevelop parks, insisting that nature should remain in its most natural form. "Clearing Winter Storm" shows its ideal image for all parks. The photo is so stark and clearly demonstrates how the environment should remain forever. Adams' images are all based on inspiration. They inspire audiences to care about the world they live in. A particularly inspiring photograph by Ansel Adams from 1944 strikingly portrays the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. He titled the image “Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada, from Lone Pine” (see Appendix C). This photograph, showing the large scale of the mountain range, is a great motivation for the public. They see this great encapsulation of the mountains and realize that the land is precious and valuable. It is wild, magnificent, and majestic, and thanks to Ansel Adams, every American is now aware of the vast characteristics that make America unique. This photo is also widely appreciated for the technique used. Adams always carefully considered every element in his photos, making sure the light was perfect and the situation was perfect for the photo. “The varying composition of light and shadow persists as a mystical and enchanting image of wilderness. Adams uses his visualization techniques to create a rich and powerful landscape scene that inspires the viewer to share in the beauty of nature” (Kaela Nurmi, 2014). Adams' impeccable technique adds to the effectiveness of the message depicted through his photos, and as a result, he largely succeeds in motivating the American people to take care of the wilderness around them. Ansel Adams was not alone in his powerful desire to preserve what remained of the wilderness and natural beauty of the United States. Rachel Carson, born five years after Adams, had values ​​and opinions very similar to Adams's. Carson, a well-known author, published a book titled Silent Spring in 1962. Carson's ideas in her book focused on the harmful use of chemicals and pesticides, a concept that was not widely accepted at the time. He also wrote to Reader's Digest to suggest publishing an article documenting a series of tests on DDT, but the magazine rejected his proposal (Natural Resources Defense Council, 2015). Thirteen years later, Carson again attempted to raise public interest in the harmful effects of DDT, but was again rebuffed. Carson decided to take the subject into his own hands and began writing Silent Spring, which included the effects of chemicals (particularly DDT) on nature and the planet. It received negative feedback from the industrieschemicals and general panic on the part of the public, because these issues had not yet been brought to light and it was the first time they were being considered. Carson was ultimately recognized and praised for her dedication to bringing these environmental issues to the public. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980, the same year Ansel Adams received it. Like Ansel Adams, Rachel Carson enlightened audiences with new information about the environment and the future. On page ten of Silent Spring, Carson states: “Nature has introduced great variety into the landscape, but man has shown a passion for simplification. In this way it nullifies the intrinsic checks and balances by which nature keeps the species within limits” (Silent Spring, 1962, 10). Carson essentially states that humans have made a habit of overriding nature's natural behavior and interfering with natural processes. Adams shared this opinion, as he worked tirelessly to convey the importance of preserving our natural world through his incredibly influential photographs. Adams was particularly adamant about overdeveloping parks. He has often emphasized the concept of the “spiritual-emotional aspects of parks and wilderness areas” (Digital Public Library of America, 2016) and has often expressed his negativity towards overtourism and overdevelopment in parks. Adams knew that excessive human activity in such natural places would upset the ideal balance between man and nature. Rachel Carson felt the same way, stating: “The most alarming of all human attacks on the environment is the contamination of the air, land, rivers and sea with dangerous and even lethal materials” (Silent Spring, 1962, 6). It is evident that both Carson and Adams cared deeply about the preservation of natural beauty in the world, and both dedicated their lives to expressing their opinions through their art. In addition to Rachel Carson, Adams' views were shared by Aldo Leopold, an American author, scientist, ecologist, conservationist, and conservationist. Aldo Leopold was born in 1887, fifteen years before Adams, and was “considered by many to be the father of wildlife management and the United States Wilderness System” (Aldo Leopold Foundation, 2016). An advanced writer and scholar, Leopold developed the idea for a book appealing to public audiences that discussed "mankind's relationship to the natural world" (Aldo Leopold Foundation, 2016), and in 1949 Leopold's A Sand County Almanac was published. A Sand County Almanac provides complex explanations and observations about the different types of plants and animals that Leopold found on the farm he was trying to restore to its natural state (Richard Pierre, 2016). The Sand County Almanac is believed to be “one of the most respected environmental books ever published” (Aldo Leopold Foundation, 2016), leading Leopold to be recognized as “the most influential conservation thinker of the twentieth century” (Aldo Leopold Foundation, 2016). A Sand County Almanac introduces Leopold's idea of ​​the "land ethic" - an idea that humans should begin to be more responsible and aware of the biotic community. Ethics deals with what is right and wrong, and earth ethics applies the idea of ​​morality to the environment around us. Aldo Leopold's central theme is found in this excerpt from A Sand County Almanac: “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise” (A Sand County Almanac, 1949). This statement is in direct line with Ansel Adams' belief that nature should remain pure as captured and portrayed through its..