Ansel Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist who is widely recognized for his black-and-white landscape photographs of the American West. He was born in 1902 and died in 1984. His work helped to establish photography as a fine art form, and he was an advocate for conservation of wilderness areas. He is best known for his iconic images of Yosemite National Park, which he photographed extensively throughout his life. Adams also wrote numerous books on photography and served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of the Interior on national parks and wilderness areas.