Ansel Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist born in 1902. He is considered the "Godfather" of landscape photography. He originally studied music but became interested in photography after visiting Yosemite National Park in 1916. Adams helped found the magazine Aperture and developed the "Zone System" technique for manipulating the tonality of images. He is renowned for his black-and-white landscape photos that captured the stark contrasts of nature through sharp depictions. Adams' photography and writing manuals influenced many modern photographers.