For my Shutterbugs project I needed to research one of my favorite photographers and then try to emulate him or her. I chose Ansel Adams (1902-1984).

Adam's work, spanning 70 years of his life, was a "proselytizing" medium, bringing the beauty of the wild parts of America to the public heart and, with the public behind him, to the politician's table. His collection of mostly black and white photographs has been accredited with helping to establish the Nati0nal Parks organization, and his years of service with the Sierra Club were dedicated to protecting and preserving the wilderness areas that so many of us appreciate.

In the preface of his autobiography, Adams wrote, "People are surprised when I say that I never intentionally made a creative photograph that related directly to an environmental issue, though I am greatly pleased when a picture I have made becomes useful to an important cause. I cannot command the creative impulse on demand. I never know in advance precisely what I will photograph. I go out into the work and hope I will come across something that imperatively interests me. I am addicted to the found object. I have no doubt that I will contiue to make photographs till my last breath" (Ansel Adams: An Autobiography, 1985).

Adams died one month after those words were written. His autobiography was published after his death.

Here are my attempts to emmulate Adams' work:

This is Adams' "Oak Tree, Snowstorm, Yosemite National Park, California, c.1948" This is my "Maple Tree, Snowstorm, Argyle, New York, c.2011" This is Adams' "Dune, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, c.1942"

This is my "Welcome Center, Ontario Canada, c.2001"

This is Adams' "Vernal Fall, Yosemite Valley, California, c.1948"

This is my "Rocky Mountain Snowstorm, Colorado, c.2001"

This is Adams' "Siesta Lake, Yosemite National Park, California, c.1958"

This is my "Crane Pond, Adirondack National Park, New York, c.1999"

This is one of Adams' most notable photographs. It is called "Georgia O'Keefe and Orville Cox, Canyon de Chelly National Park, Arizona, c.1937." I have tried to emmulate this one with two of my children (not terribly successful as you may notice...my version is at the beginning of this post!) I will try again in the warmer weather when there is less snow and I can get a little better angle.

I've started noticing Adams' photography in many places. His work truly does stand out above many other wilderness photographers. My only disappointment in researching Adams was that I could not find any photographs by him of my own beloved Adirondacks.