Yosemite Valley Set I

Overview

Yosemite Valley Photography Set I

Of all the American landscapes that Ansel Adams immortalized through his images, Yosemite was the most deeply personal. In Yosemite he discovered his spiritual home and built his family. He first visited the Park in 1916 and he returned every year thereafter, meeting his wife there and then raising his family within Yosemite's splendor. Ansel hoped his images would inspire park visitors to become activists for Yosemite's preservation, instilled with a deeper connection to the natural world and desire to protect it. With that as his main goal, Ansel conceived this series of Yosemite Special Edition Photographs in the late 1950s. With images of Half Dome, Lake Tenaya, Merced River and more, he invited everyone to be of part of his 'art as activism" by pricing the prints at an affordable cost. We honor that intention today, offering these stunning silver prints to all who wish to express their love for Yosemite and desire to protect it as a natural wonder.

Today, with America’s wild spaces increasingly under threat, Ansel’s vision for the Special Edition Photographs remains as relevant as ever.

Yosemite Special Edition Photographs are the closest photographic reproductions to Ansel’s original masterpieces, painstakingly handcrafted from his negatives by former assistant Alan Ross. Alan Ross worked under Ansel’s direct observation from 1975 until 1984, and has been producing the series in accordance to Ansel's instructions ever since. Each silver photograph shimmers with brilliance, with richly perfected black and white tones. From a selection of 29 stunning images of Yosemite, each photograph is printed in 8x10 inches and authorized by the Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust. With professional framing available, this collection ranges in price from $1125 (mounted and matted) to $2400 (framed).

We invite you to stand with Ansel in his commitment to honoring and cherishing the unparalleled beauty of Yosemite by showcasing an Ansel Adams Yosemite Special Edition Photograph. As an owner of a Special Edition Photograph, you too can share Ansel's vision, inspiring others to preserve and protect Yosemite for years to come.

Technical Information on Yosemite Special Edition Photographs

About the Images

Yosemite Photographs

Bridalveil Fall

Ansel Adams made this image with a 6 1/2" x 8 1/2" Korona view camera and a glass plate negative around 1927. The image captures Yosemite 's majestic Bridalveil Fall, including the curling mist that inspired its Native American name pohono , meaning “puff of wind.” The fall looms large in family lore: in 1901, Harry and Anne Best, the parents of Ansel's wife Virginia, were married at its base. "Bridalveil Fall" is emblematic of the images Adams made during the late 1920s, a critical development period in his career.

During this time, he asserted control of the photographic process by accentuating and minimizing different aspects of his images, a process he called visualization. Adams discussed visualization in "Modern Photography 1934-35: The Studio Annual of Camera Art," writing that before exposing the negative, "The photographer visualizes his conception of the subject as present in the final print."

His friend Francis Farquhar described Adams ' brilliance at visualization in a 1931 article for Touring Topics: "It is the artist's genius which enables him to perceive at once the arrangement of masses, the flow of lines, and the texture of surfaces in the object of vision, whether it be a mountain, a landscape, a building, a cloud, a tree, a human form or face, or anything whatsoever." Adams emerged from the 1920s with a new vision of his role as an artist and abandoned his ambition to become a concert pianist.

"Bridalveil Fall" appeared in Sierra Nevada: the John Muir Trail , Yosemite and the Range of Light , (out of print), Yosemite and the High Sierra , Yosemite , and "Classic Images," the book based on the Museum Set, a retrospective portfolio of what Adams considered his strongest work.

Moon and Half Dome

Ansel Adams made this image at 4:14 the afternoon of December 28, 1960 with a Hasselblad camera and 250mm Zeiss Sonnar lens, releasing the mirror before operating the shutter to minimize vibration. It was one of his last well known photographs. Arguably, this is the definitive photograph of Half Dome and among the most famous images of Yosemite National Park . Belying its later worldwide acclaim, "Moon and Half Dome" debuted for a very personal audience: the first publication of this masterpiece was as the wedding announcement for Adams ' son, Michael, and his daughter-in-law, Jeanne in 1962. In "Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs," Adams recalls making "Moon and Half Dome:" "As soon as I saw the moon coming up by Half Dome I had visualized the image. …I have photographed Half Dome innumerable times, but it is never the same Half Dome, never the same light or the same mood. …Half Dome is a great mountain with endless variations of lighting and sky situations and seasonal characteristics; the many images I have made reflect my varied creative responses to this remarkable granite monolith." "Moon and Half Dome" appears on the cover of "Classic Images," the book based on the Museum Set Collection, a retrospective portfolio of what Adams considered his strongest work. It also appears in "Yosemite”,"Yosemite and the Range of Light (out of print), " Yosemite and the High Sierra," "Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs," "and "Our National Parks."

Dogwood Blossoms

Ansel Adams made this image with a 5" x 7" view camera in 1938, the year he trekked through the high sierra with Edward Weston. Depending upon the year, dogwoods typically peak during April or May in Yosemite , evoking bursts of starlight against the bare forest backdrop. This dramatic contrast prompted Adams to compose one of his only still-life images. To capture the 12 blossoms in this spectacular spray of dogwoods, he placed them atop a nearby rock covered with pine needles and lichen. The Sierra Club published "Dogwood Blossoms" in 1960 after Ansel Adams selected it, along with 15 other images, for inclusion in "Portfolio III, Yosemite Valley ." Later, Adams selected it for his Museum Set Collection, a retrospective portfolio of what he considered his strongest work. The image has been published in Classic Images , the book based on the Museum Set, Yosemite and the Range of Light (out of print) , Yosemite, The Portfolios of Ansel Adams, Yosemite and the High Sierra, and Ansel Adams Monograph (out of print)

Framing Details

Yosemite Special Edition Photograph Framing Details

Frame your Special Edition Photograph and receive it ready to hang and designed to stand the test of time. Our Gallery makes framing easy, offering competitive prices, speed and convenience. Every frame is professionally built by our team of expert craftspeople using the highest-quality materials (wood or metal moulding, acid-free mats and foam core, and optional acrylic with 99% UV protection). Our turnaround time is fast—usually 2-3 business days to create your piece— and then we ship your finished work of art to your door.

Standard vs Museum Acrylic
Premium Gray Welded Frame
Wood Frame
Metal Frames

Standard vs Museum Acrylic

We use Tru-Vue Picture Framing Acrylic (plexiglass) on all of our prints. Acrylic is strong, shatter-resistant and abrasion-resistant. When shipping your artwork, acrylic vastly safer than glass.

Our Standard Acrylic is Tru-Vue Premium Clear Acrylic. This is high-quality framing-grade clear acrylic that provides safety and security from injury and breakage. This acrylic blocks 66% of UV rays.

Our Museum Acrylic is Tru-Vue Optium Museum Acrylic®. This is virtually invisible, yet provides the ultimate protection for your artwork. It is the highest-quality acrylic available and is used by the world’s most renowned museums. This acrylic provides 99% UV protection. Is anti-reflective, abrasion and shatter-resistant.

Premium Gray Welded Frame (formerly known as “Custom Gray Frame”)

Made exclusively for our gallery. This closed-corner welded aluminum frame is custom-made for The Ansel Adams Gallery in Ansel’s Zone VII gray. This is our preferred frame for Yosemite Special Edition Photographs. This frame features a ⅜” face and is painted to be a flat gray zone VII finish.

Frame Dimensions

Wood Frames

Our wood frames are premium quality solid wood, contemporary style frames with a flat face. Offered in White and Black Colors

Frame Dimensions
For Yosemite Special Edition Photographs is  ⅞” face moulding

Standard Metal Frames

Our metal frames are Nielsen with a ⅜” face . Sleek, clean, contemporary frames available in German Silver and Matte Black colors.

Frame Dimensions