Mirror Lake, Morning, Yosemite National Park 1928

Ansel Adams made this photograph of Mirror Lake in Yosemite, using a camera and film, of course, and all the darkroom alchemy that makes a black and white print sing. I imagine Adams, the artist, setting up his equipment in the early morning light. He's got to be patient, waiting for the perfect moment when the light is just right, the reflections are clear, and the air is still. The tones range from the deepest black of the trees to the delicate grays of the mountains in the distance. I wonder if he thought about abstraction? The way the reflections in the water create a whole other world, an upside-down version of reality? He frames nature, sure, but he also rearranges it, making us look at it in a new way. Like a Rothko, the image invites contemplation, not of color, but of light and shadow, and the way they shape our perception of space. Photography and painting have a lot in common, really.