Ansel Adams: known to most people for his outstanding and breathtaking photography. To some the question is what importance does he have. To others he is a brilliant photographer. Ansel Adams was born in San Francisco, California on Feb 20, 1902 to Charles and Olive Adams. Ansel Adams remembers the great earthquake of 1906 that occurred when he was four years old. It began like the roar of thunder but it ended up being worse, it rattled the walls vigorously and violently. Ansel's nanny Nellie held her bed close to his and held on to him very tight. After the quake, Nellie took Ansel's hand and walked him to his mother’s room. His mom startled but she was okay. His mom was not going to let an earthquake ruin her daily routine; as she was an orderly woman, the first thing she did was fix breakfast. After the earthquake, Ansel was playing outside when the biggest and most fierce aftershock came, throwing him to the ground. He fell face first, landing on his nose, immediately breaking it, rendering him a mouth breather. His face has been a little misshapen since that experience.

When he was younger, he had what they would now call hyperactivity, which often got him in trouble at school. His dad later pulled him out and he did studies at home. By the age of twelve, Ansel had taught himself how to play the piano and read the music. His father saw that he had talent, and got him an extraordinary music teacher named Miss. Butler. Ansel thinks that his dad must have warned her about his undisciplined character. She was proper with a kind voice and manner but showed Ansel no leniency whatsoever. Practice after practice, week after week the lessons went on. Through the lessons and as he got older, he admits not being such a scatterbrain. By 1920, he said that being a concert pianist was his sound profession. His family knew a spectacular violinist named Kathleen Parlow, who lived next door; she invited them to lunch with her friend named Mischa, also a violinist. Mischa talked continually of himself, and the dastardly character of most critics and musicians. After lunch they all went to Ansel's house, Kathleen thought that Mischa would like his house. Almost immediately after entering the home, he demanded that Kathleen get her violin, he played for hours unaccompanied. He asked Ansel to accompany him on the piano, Ansel nervous and scared to death he played timorously. Afterwards, Mischa asked to buy Ansel's piano for five thousand dollars! Ansel refused, still Mischa asked ten thousand dollars! Ansel kept his ground and still refused. Mischa and Kathleen left shortly after that. A few years later he ran into Mischa again, still Mischa insisted that he wanted to buy the piano; still, Adams refused.

At the age of fourteen, Ansel Adams started taking pictures of Yosemite. Ansel's first camera was the Kodak Brownie Box, which he received as a gift from his mom and dad before the family trip to Yosemite in 1916, that trip was the first time he had seen Yosemite in person. After that summer, Ansel would go there on a regular basis. He had seen pictures of Yosemite before in books he had read. During that trip, he attempted to take a picture of Half Dome by standing on a tree stump. The stump wobbled loose, making him falling to the ground upside down just as the shutter released. He wound it to the next picture and continued taking pictures. Later, he took the roll to Pillsbury Pictures, Inc.. He told the developer to leave it in there so he could see how it turned out, when he got his pictures back, he found that it turned out that the picture did indeed turn out.

Ansel met Virginia Best through her father, Harry Best, owner of Best Studies. Ansel met them both during one of his three-month visits to Yosemite. He wanted to practice the piano, while he was up there, and Harry let him use his. Ansel found Virginia to be beautiful in more ways then one; her personality and her voice attracted him. He later married her in 1928 and they had two children.

In 1932, Ansel went to New Mexico to decide if he would continue with music or photography. While Ansel enjoyed the sweet sound of music, he also enjoyed photography. He went to New Mexico to take a picture for his current project, Taos Pueblo. While there, he stayed with Paul Strand, a photographer, and his wife Becky. Ansel asked if Paul if he had any suggestions for him. Paul said he only had negatives that he could see as he did not have any photos with him. When Ansel Adams looked at the negatives, he clearly saw for the first time, what he wanted. In one night, Ansel Adams changed his entire profession, to photography.

He was in a group called f/64 with, Imogen Cummingham, John Edwards, Sonya Noskwiak, Henry Swift, Willard Van Dyke and Edward Easton. This group believed in true photography, the natural art of it.

Ansel Adams died at the age of 82, on April 22. 1984. An autopsy showed that his death was because of respiratory arrest due to cardiogenic shock, more commonly known as a heart attack. One request that he had was when he died, he wanted a sample his tissues to be taken to see what affect the photograph chemicals such as selenium, had on his body. Dr. Morrison followed through with his request, later finding that the chemicals had little, or no effect on his body. His wife Virginia wanted closure. His body was later taken to, Little Chapel by the Sea in neighboring, Pacific Grove. Ansel Adams was the lead story, on every station for the national and local news.

If it were not for Paul Strand influencing Ansel Adams, we would not have such magnificent photographs of Yosemite, New Mexico and many other National Parks. Ansel to some is known as mentor, a friend, someone they look up to, he has influenced many people, even me. Ansel's inspiring photographs attract not only a photographer, but also anyone who enjoys the beauty of Yosemite, and a photograph.