Satchel McLaughlin, 2022

Ansel Adams’ photograph Moon and Half Dome sharply depicts the moon above Half Dome, an impressive geographical structure in Yosemite National Park.  This is a black and white photograph with high contrast. The dark shadows in the foreground frame the rock faces illuminated by the light. The shadowed rock face on the left of the image is where the darkest point of the image meets the lightest point of the image.  The shadow extends to the right side of image, connecting the foreground to the cliffs in the background. The juxtaposition of angular rock faces with the soft-edged, round moon creates an interesting composition that asserts the sublime power of nature. The lack of color and high contrast dramatizes the power of the awe-inspiring landscape.  These massive, natural structures lit up in the moonlight overwhelm and dwarf the viewer. The viewer can project themselves into the scene and know they would be a tiny speck in the natural world.

The medium also contributes to the power of this image. Photography is a scientific method that uses light to capture a scene. Thus, photography as a medium has a truth-telling quality.  The viewer is convinced by this image that this is what Half Dome in Yosemite looks like. Yet, this image represents what it looks like in black and white, at one moment, at one angle. Adams made conscious choices when deciding how to make this image. Each detail is intentional: the framing, the lighting, the angle, and the moon and contribute to the overall purpose of the image.