As a child, Ansel Adams struggled in public schools possibly due to hyperactivity or dyslexia. His family tutored him until he was moved to a private school and graduated with an education equivalent to that of an eighth grader. Adams loved playing the piano and was planning on having a career as a concert pianist. However, he began taking pictures at Yosemite National Park and realized this was a far better source of income. In 1927, Adams' first fully visualized photograph was published. Soon after this Albert M. Bender, a patron of the arts, gave Ansel Adams the money to do his creative work. While this work was wonderful, Adams still struggled to pay the bills and was forced to do much commercial work. He would spend up to 18 hours a day working at times. While Ansel was never completely caught up, he enjoyed the busy lifestyle and career doing something he loved. The picture above of Adams' was taken at McDonald's lake in Glacier National Park. I chose this photo for several reasons. I love how the black and white still shows the incredible detail of the water. You can still even see the reflection of the mountain and the sky because of the large amount of contrast in this photo. The black water and cloudy sky gives this photo an almost eerie and depressing feeling whereas with color it might have been a happy, bright and sunny day.
