Ansel Adams, The Tetons and the Snake River, 1942. From the Wikimediacommons and in the public domain because it was taken by an employee of the National Pak Service, US National Archives Identifier 519904.

There are several Ansell Adams photographs that are my favorites.  And I think that I should be allowed at least one in this year’s “Favorite and Noteworthy Photographs 2014.” The Tetons and the Snake River, 1942” is one of them.  The drama of the sky, the mountains, and the river are simply exquisite. The glow of the snow, of the sun in the clouds, and of its reflection is the river are truly wonderful.  In the depth of the dynamic range, the dark forest, the shaded mountains, the snow, and again the sky are magnificent and show Adams at the height of his craft and the zone system at its best.  The winding river carries the eye in a sort of dance as it divides the image into the requisite thirds in a most curious manner. And speaking of the eye, the great thing about Adams’ work is an almost contradictory dichotomy.  Every time that you see one of his great images, you see an old friend.  You remember seeing it for the first time, but it is always as if you are discovering it anew.

Ansel Adams, The Tetons and the Snake River, 1942. From the Wikimediacommons and in the public domain because it was taken by an employee of the National Pak Service, US National Archives Identifier 519904.