Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams (Feb. 20 1902 — Apr. 22, 1984), born in San Francisco, California. He was photographer and environmentalist. He lived in an environment that was decidedly Victorian and both socially and emotionally conservative. As a child he had a hard time fitting in, he didn't do well in his classes. He spent most of his time taking nature walks.
Ansel had a wide variety of artistic talents, for example he was a very good piano player. He worked as a pro photographer with 8x10 view camera. He had a great eye for composition. By developing the "Zone System" he was able to make black and white images that are some of the best in the world then and now.
Some of my favorite Adams photographs:

1: I like the fantasy feeling I get from the first image. The way the light and mountains reflect off of the water is almost magical.

2: I love the way it looks like your on another planet. It's almost like you on the moon looking at earth, instead of the other way around.

3: I love the different textures in this photo. The way the soft flower petals compare to the rough wood.