We’ve been going from time to time to a nearby shopping centre.  While my wife goes shopping I usually go to the Barnes and Noble, grab something to read and then go and have a coffee.  On the last few visits I’ve been reading ‘Looking at Ansel Adams‘ by Andrea G. Stillman.

As the description on Amazon says:

LOOKING AT ANSEL ADAMS is a personal and penetrating study that explores Ansel’s life as an artist by looking closely at the stories behind 20 of his most significant images. Immediately recognizable photographs like Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, and Mount McKinley and Wonder Lake are turned on their axes and seen from a new angle, along with ancillary photographs, alternative versions, and letters and postcards that relate to these beloved icons. Less familiar but equally important photographs provide unexpected insight into Ansel’s creative and personal life.

I finished it today.  It’s a great book.  Stillman worked as Adam’s assistant for a couple of years and she presents an interesting viewpoint.  While she’s definitely an Adams fan she brings a little more objectivity than I’ve seen in some of the books he wrote himself.  She really makes him human.  I particularly liked some of the sections presenting different prints of some of Adams most famous pictures.  He was clearly willing (eager even) to manipulate the image to achieve his vision.  Well worth the read.