Ansel Adams set out to be a concert pianist, but before he turned 20, he had fallen in love with a camera and the breathtaking vistas of the American West. It all began in 1916, when he visited Yosemite National Park with his family, and in the ensuing years, he took hundreds of black and white photos that captured its beauty and grandeur.

Adams devoted much of his life and his life's work to preserving the environment, particularly along the Big Sur coastline of California and in Yosemite, where over-use was taking its toll on the natural beauty of the park. He died in 1984, but not before he had raised national awareness about the environment and elevated the skill of photography to a whole new level of art.