Worth a Thousand Words: Ansel Adams

IMAGINE — YOU'RE TREKKING through the wilderness, munching on granola, when an awe-inspiring view stops you in your tracks. It's sunset and the sky is a deep purple, the pines reach proudly to the coming stars, and the river laps at the bottom of the swirled red facade of a cliff. Luckily, you've come equipped with a camera to capture such pristine moments as these. You position the viewfinder around the scene as best you can, careful to accent the composition and the shadows and the intense coloring. You click the shutter, and look at the screen to see how accurate your depiction is.

Unfortunately, it's one you can't even send to Mom, because your finger's blocked out half of it. Just admit it: you're no Ansel Adams. But if you want to eventually master the art of landscape photography, maybe a good place to start is by watching PBS' documentary about him. Learn about his life and work when the film is shown at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on Wednesday, then embark on your photographic future. And don't forget to take the lens cap off.

» Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and F streets, NW; Wed., Nov. 12, 5:30 p.m., free; 202-633-1000. (Gallery Place)

Written by Kelsey Parrish/Express
Photo courtesy the Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust