Half Dome, Blowing Snow, Yosemite

More About the Image:

This image, made at the end of the day following a classic Sierra storm, was included in Ansel Adams’ Portfolio 7 in 1976.  The position of his camera gives the famous Half Dome a mighty character worthy of its reputation.  There is a humbling effect for the viewer seeing the mountain from this perspective, before glancing down at the towering pines rendered relatively diminutive at its base.  The immensity of the cliff is palpable.  Taken together with the plumes of snow clouds and caked ice, these qualities highlight what John Szarkowski has referenced by describing Ansel’s imagery as creating a synesthetic response in his audience - this Ansel Adams photograph can make you sense the wind, feel chill in the air and appreciate the enormity of it all.