Ansel Adams has mastered the form of photography, which is illustrated in his landscape photographs. His black and white photographs capture different shades and contrasts that wouldn’t be evident in color. Therefore, “a black and white photo, framed and carefully shot by a master photographer, does not capture what is really in nature”, is false since the lack of color captures what humans would otherwise overlook. Adams' original negative of the Merced River Cliff, for example, paints a lonely picture because of the stillness and lifelessness that is conveyed through the colorless trees, river, and boulder.   

The emphasis in the photograph is placed on the contrast between light and dark amidst the trees and the leaves, which reveals a sense of loneliness. The darkest area in the picture is the tall, dark, thick-branched tree on the right which seems to be the focal point.  Its unique shape lies in contrast with the lighter, sparser leaves that are branched off of the tall tree to the right. The trees on the left side of the photograph shift from a darker to lighter contrast as they approach the boulder. A tiny tree lies amongst these larger trees; it depicts a sense of loneliness because its lighter hues are easily visible next to its darker surroundings. Next to this lonely tree is a light, treeless patch of grass that also shows the loneliness of the area because of its lack of vegetation. If this photograph were in color, perhaps these different hues and sensations would be overlooked by the human eye.

Another aspect demonstrated through the trees in the photograph that depicts loneliness is the changing of the seasons.With the different hue of the leaves, one can infer that the picture was taken in autumn since the trees are not completely bare and autumn tends to bring leaves of different colors. This shows that autumn may be coming to an end and winter is approaching.  The time of year that Ansel Adams took this photograph was probably not a coincidence. As opposed to the spring which is full of growth and rebirth, winter brings death and loneliness because it is associated with stillness and the hibernation of animals. Furhermore, the trees that surround the river on the right side give off a sense of lifelessness since they are wilted over and lacking leaves. If one could see the color of the leaves, they might see a sense of life as opposed to the black and white photograph which seems to be dead.

The river that is in the middle of the picture is still, and there seems to be no life. It seems untouched and isolated from the rest of the world. The photograph was taken to make the river look endless since the river seems wide in the foreground, yet it gets progressively narrower and starts to bend. The river has a very dark contrast compared to the boulder and the trees, which are very light. The reflection of the trees can be seen which also show that the river is still and dead. This gives an eerie feeling to the picture since you would expect there to be a form of life in the valley. However, it is possible that Adams is trying to show the beauty of the untouched, as if to say that nobody had ever been there.    

The boulder, which is in the background looms over the area giving off the sense of loneliness. Because of the boulders size, the area seems small and dead. Due to the depth of feel you are able to see the detail of the boulder and notice how it is also aging. The shadow of the boulder can be seen on both sides in the top corners. It is interesting how Adams did not cut these dark areas out. The dark shadows are also eerie and it feels as if they are going to take over the picture.    

Ansel Adams would not be as famous as he is without his black and white photographs. His photographs capture an unseen beauty of nature that a color photograph can simply not do. The different contrasts show what the human eye may not see in a color photograph. Adams is able to grasp these different contrasts with his work and paint a picture for the viewer.

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