Although a lot of people don't know Ansel Adams by

Although a lot of people don't know Ansel Adams by name, most of them are familiar with his works. Who hasn't seen an Ansel Adams black and white poster, perhaps depicting a magnificent mountain towering above the surrounding plains? From college dorm rooms to the walls of the cultured and sophisticated, Ansel Adams posters are, and always will be, a hit. Although he was simply a nature photographer, Ansel Adams has managed to gain cult status. There is something about the look of an Ansel Adams poster that goes beyond the usual standards of nature photography. Everything looks so big and so wild, so crisp and so clear, that you would swear that it was a photograph of a continent which had never been civilized. That is the brilliance of Ansel Adams photography.

I actually had my first Ansel Adams poster on my wall when I was a kid. I don't remember when my dad put it up. He probably got it when I was very young, because I never remember my room being without it. I liked to redecorate frequently, but I never took that Ansel Adams poster down until I graduated high school. I can't remember what mountain it was, but I remember that the right-hand side of it rose almost completely vertically, while on the left there was a long treacherous grade punctuated by little streams and rivers flowing down the side of the mountain.

For some reason, I never bothered to check out the artist until a friend of mine took me to an Ansel Adams poster exhibit. It was at the local museum, and they were hosting a number of original prints. It really was nice to see all of those Ansel Adams photos in one place at one time. I actually got to see the original of which my Ansel Adams poster must have been a reproduction. I had never realized how many of the nature photographs that I had always loved and cherished came from the same man. It blew me away to think that one person could take so many gorgeous photographs.

Nowadays, I have a kid of my own on the way. We have been planning out every detail of the nursery for months, and we have done everything but the decor. However it ends up, I know that Ansel Adams posters will play a part. I will put one on each wall.