I only wish my best were as good as Ansel Adam's "average". If you read his books, the before photos, in my estimation, are truly stunning and the after is like adding frosting to the cake. The main thing for the aspiring photo buff to realize is when Mr. Adams released that shutter he already, mostly, knew the steps he would use in the darkroom and how he expected the finished product to turn out; hence the Zone system and "previsulation" as he applied it.
dennis in nca