“In her brilliant book, Dr. Rebecca Senf allows us to go beyond the pure beauty of Adams’s images. We are brought into a much-needed passion and complexity of his practice.”

“This is an important work that augments existing literature in both content and methodology. It will be a standard reference for anyone interested in Ansel Adams.”

“Rebecca Senf brilliantly demonstrates how the first two decades of Ansel Adams’s long career—years that are often dismissed as ‘formative’ or ‘immature’—in fact, sow the seeds of the astonishing work that we now identify as ‘classic’ Adams.”

“In this great, approachable read, Senf helps us appreciate the skills and genius of Adams, who inspired millions of Americans to visit, and to ultimately love and support, their National Parks.”

“Lavishly illustrated and painstakingly researched, Senf’s book reveals how a 14-year-old visitor to Yosemite became America’s most famous photographer and a passionate advocate for the National Parks.”

“This book tells the story of how Ansel Adams began as a photographer, balancing commercial assignments to pay the bills while developing a deeply personal creative vision. Senf provides a fresh and valuable perspective on the maturation of a great artist.”

“Rebecca Senf reveals how Ansel Adams’s early-career relationships and experiences in nature informed his work and instigated his career. By mining Adams’s biography, Senf provides a key contribution to our understanding of how Adams’s explorations of the places he photographed informed his pictures.”

“[A] beautifully illustrated volume . . . A deep and nuanced understanding of the artist’s work.”