Monolith, the Face of Half Dome

[2][3] The image stands as a testament to the intense relationship Adams had with the landscape of Yosemite, as his career was largely marked by photographing the park.

On April 17, 1927, Ansel Adams and his four friends, Cedric Wright, Charles Michael, Arnold Williams, and his girlfriend Virginia Best, set out on a half day hike to the "Diving Board", the location from which Monolith was taken.

[5] The "Diving Board" is a large rock that jets out over the Yosemite Valley, four thousand feet below the western face, providing the perfect view of Half Dome.

[6]  Adams took multiple other images on the climb and while waiting, and was only left with two glass plates to capture the perfect photo of Half Dome.

[3] Adams was determined to conjure a photo that expressed the same overwhelming feeling that he felt standing on the “Diving Board” looking up at Half Dome that afternoon.

[3] The harsh tones and contrast between the white snow and black sky make smaller details more clear, and the eye is immediately drawn to the highlighted elements.

Monolith broke through straight photography and introduced "visualization" as a method in which a photographer knows the way they want the photo to look, and carefully controls aspects of the scene, emulsion, filter, and developmental process to create their exact "envisionment".

The "Zone System" works to carefully control exposure and development of the negative, and promotes using the dark room and framing techniques to emote a visual experience.