The Summer I Studied Photography with Ansel Adams in Yosemite

In 1979, I had the rare privilege of studying under Ansel Adams in Yosemite National Park when I was just 19 years old. As the years go by, I appreciate that experience more and more.

I had a keen interest in photography from a very early age and had already been working with black-and-white film for nearly a decade before I began working with Adams' Zone System. I would spend the next twenty years continuing to work in black and white and honing my craft.

Photographing Yosemite National Park with Ansel Adams... sure wish I had thought about taking a selfie back in 1979!

Yosemite Was the Perfect Classroom

Yosemite National Park is an amazing classroom, and we spent time photographing the Valley, the Merced River, and the high country.

But as memorable as the instruction was, I also remember the social time in the evenings—including cocktails with Ansel and his wife, Virginia.

I was 19. They were in their late 70s. And it was pretty clear that they came from a very different era.

Over the years, I've read most of what Ansel published, along with much of what has been written about him. What an extraordinary life—to have traveled this country, and particularly our National Parks, during a time when many of these places were far less crowded and constrained than they are today.

Two Books I Still Treasure

At 19, I was pretty awestruck in his presence.

I remember scraping together the last bit of cash I had for the summer—just enough to buy two of his books at the bookstore in Yosemite. The Negative and The Print seemed like the obvious choices.

Then, in a somewhat more brazen move, I asked him to autograph them.

Honestly, to this day, I can't think of anything I cherish more.

From Photography to National Park Posters

The National Park Poster Project has given me an opportunity to share these incredible places—many of which Ansel Adams also visited and photographed—with people around the world.

I hope, in some small way, that the work helps inspire the next generation of National Park supporters and gives people another way to celebrate the places that mean so much to them.

It also gives me a way to give back.

Ansel Adams: Photographer and Conservationist

Ansel Adams was not only an extraordinary photographer—he was also a committed environmentalist who understood the tension between development and the protection of wild places.

He advocated for balanced growth, but he was deeply troubled by the environmental costs of unchecked progress.

That connection between art and conservation still resonates with me today.

Why Yosemite Still Means So Much to Me

Ansel Adams was born on February 20, 1902, and first visited Yosemite National Park in 1916. It would be another 50 years before my first visit—the first of many.

Today, Yosemite remains one of my favorite National Parks, not just because of its awe-inspiring beauty, but because of the memories tied to it:

• Camping with my family
• Backpacking the high country with friends
• Photographing the Valley and surrounding wilderness
• And, of course, that unforgettable summer of 1979 studying under one of the true masters

Some places become part of your story.

For me, Yosemite is one of those places.

Bring Yosemite Home

Over the years, Yosemite has inspired several of my National Park Posters designs. Each one reflects a different view of the park and a different memory of this extraordinary landscape.

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