The Capital will be the only British venue for the Ansel Adams show, which includes some of his acclaimed shots of the American West.

More than 150 original images from New York's international photography museum will go on display at the City Art Centre, on Market Street, in the spring.

The exhibition, which has broken attendance records on tour in the US, will chart Adams' career from the 1920s to the 1960s. Adams died in 1984, but the 100th anniversary of his birth in 2002 triggered a major resurgence of interest in his work.

Included in the Capital show will be famous images such as Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941 and Mount Williamson from Manzanar, California, 1944.

Born in San Francisco in 1902, Adams achieved international fame as a photographer and conservationist. His first photograph was acknowledged in 1927, and he worked as a commercial photographer for 30 years.

His photos of Western landscapes went on to make him a legend. His work is still regularly featured in books, posters, postcards and calendars. As well as the photographer's famous landscape works, the exhibition also features a range of portraits, still-life photos and abstracts. Two of Adams' cameras will be on display, including his first camera, a Kodak Brownie.

John Stout, marketing manager for the City Art Centre, said: "Ansel Adams is among the few photographers in history whose name and work enjoy world-wide recognition, and his stunning landscapes and other images of nature continue to captivate people. Inspired by the 100th anniversary of Adams' birth, George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film revisited its collection of Adams' work, creating a new exhibition that reflects his full career.

"While many know his work through widely published books, postcards, posters and calendars, relatively few have actually seen his lushly printed original images.

"Some people will be surprised that Adams did not confine himself to landscapes, but also made portraits and other subjects into images nearly as monumental as his beloved mountain ranges.

"It's an extraordinarily powerful exhibition of a photographer's relationship with the environment. People in Edinburgh should definitely take the chance to see it before it returns to the archives."

Jeanne Verhulst, associate curator of exhibitions at George Eastman House and curator of the exhibition, added: "Adams aspired to convey the power and grandeur of nature in his black-and-white photographs. He often spent days in the darkroom perfecting his prints. This exhibition honours the man and celebrates his genius."

• Ansel Adams: Celebration of Genius, from February 9th-April 19th.