Adams, on the woody for the win.

How many megapixels is that thing?

The New York Times has a behind-the-scenes look at some of Ansel’s most striking Yosemite photographs. Narrated by his assistant Andrea Stillman, this AV slide show offers a rare look into the methods of one of the greats.
The first two photos and their accompanying voice over offer an immediate insight to his love for Yosemite, a passion that married well with his amazing photographic skill:

When we flew across the country together, he would look out the airplane window and he could name every single peak in the Sierra. He had the landscape of the Sierras in his bones.

as well as the artistic caveats he made for himself in order to portray this beautiful, public land in a way that was totally his own. His Yosemite looks like it’s own world:

Adams shot in black in white to accomplish what he called a “departure from reality,” shooting in color meant that his audience would expect the image to mirror nature exactly.

Head over to the Times and check it out.

At dawn

See the light on the mountains? You have to wait all day and all night for that.