ANSEL ADAMS (1902–1984)

'I made this photograph on a crisp autumn day in the mountains north of Santa Fe...near the crest of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, we came across a stand of young aspen trees in mellow gold. I immediately knew there were wonderful images to be made in the area. We were in the shadow of the mountains, the light was cool and quiet and no wind was stirring. The aspen trunks were slightly greenish and the leaves were a vibrant yellow. The forest floor was covered with a tangle of russet shrubs. It was very quiet and visually soft. The photograph is exceedingly popular at all levels of appreciation. I do not consider it a 'pretty' scene; for me it is cool and aloof and rather stately' (Ansel Adams, Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs, Little, Brown and Co., New York, 1989, p. 61).