Oak Tree, Snowstorm, Yosemite National Park, California Possibly 1948 - 1981

Ansel Adams made this photograph, "Oak Tree, Snowstorm, Yosemite National Park, California," sometime in his career. You know, what strikes me is how Ansel Adams manages to capture the weight of the snow, clinging to every branch, transforming the oak into something almost sculptural. I can imagine him out there, in the biting cold, patiently waiting for the right moment, the perfect light. It's like he's not just documenting a scene, but really trying to feel what it's like to be in the presence of that tree, in that storm. It’s as if he's drawing with light, making marks to find the essence of the scene, a conversation between the eye, the camera, and the raw, majestic landscape. Painters and photographers are all trying to capture something elusive and communicate it. I feel the conversation he has with the great landscape painters of the 19th century, even though his medium is photography. This image invites a dialogue about the power of nature and our place within it.