Environmental Concerns - We Need a...

[dave.gt]

In a follow-up to Vieri's post regarding his personal enlightenment and desire for being an environmentally-conscious landscape photographer, it occurs to me that we need a modern-day John Muir... Preferably, an excellent writer with a medium format (small, large or whatever...) landscape background.:loco:

Is there anyone currently doing anything in that capacity? Are there published books and articles available?

My heart tells me that there should be many but I am unaware of them at the moment. :facesmack:

Given the current direction of "our" environmental disdain, nationally, we need to become more aware and further our own education and commitment.

 

[Shashin]

I am not sure why this is a controversial topic. You are just asking for photographers that work in environmental issues--I think that is a great idea and would love to find more photographers in this area. Off the top of my head, these photographers are looking at the intersection of nature and humanity in interesting ways:

James Balog
Edward Burtynsky
Naoya Hatakeyama
Chris Jordan
Andreas Gursky

Those looking at the more traditional landscape as unspoiled wilderness are less compelling to me, partly because I am unsure where that is anymore. Salgado"s Genesis project was a little too romantic for me. There are the classic photographers, now all dead, Adams and Porter come to mind. But I don't know of any following in their foot steps. Perhaps Clyde Butcher?

However, few have the depth of thought as Muir.

 

[dave.gt]

I am not sure why this is a controversial topic. You are just asking for photographers that work in environmental issues--I think that is a great idea and would love to find more photographers in this area. Off the top of my head, these photographers are looking at the intersection of nature and humanity in interesting ways:

James Balog
Edward Burtynsky
Naoya Hatakeyama
Chris Jordan
Andreas Gursky

Those looking at the more traditional landscape as unspoiled wilderness are less compelling to me, partly because I am unsure where that is anymore. Salgado"s Genesis project was a little too romantic for me. There are the classic photographers, now all dead, Adams and Porter come to mind. But I don't know of any following in their foot steps. Perhaps Clyde Butcher?

However, few have the depth of thought as Muir.

I suppose it is the depth of thought and experience of being "IN" the environment rather than visiting it and being able to write as well as he does. It is one thing to make beautiful images and entirely something else to have the literary skills to impact a whole nation, I don't know of anyone yet that is doing that ... hence my posting a thread. Thanks for the list of names. I will research each one.

Reading his quotes has inspired me to pick up some books by John Muir. I shall look for a good one to take with us to the Great Smoky Mountains NP.:thumbs:

 

[dave.gt]

Press on....

Environmental concerns should not be simply climate change, or air quality, or even limited to landscape photography. National Parks, of which John Muir was a powerful advocate, serve a purpose for humans as well. It is as essential to life as, well, eating. I am researching a lot of things lately and I am always drawn back to the work of Larry Towell, with Magnum Photos, simply because he has a story to tell about human life all around the world.

This video struck me years ago as to the relevance of beautiful places like Yosemite in the lives of people who live near a National Park, not just tourists, naturists, or even photographers. I never considered the connection, or lack thereof, between national parks visited by millions of tourists every year and those people who live adjacent to them. Perhaps instead of simply planting a tree we could all do that and something more.... in this regard.

"Hungry in America" ("Hard Choices")
Larry's General Store

Sadly, I have never met a single person who has ever seen this video. Perhaps it was not marketed in a way to reach many people. Perhaps many people do not care. I have no idea but I think about this a lot.

As stated in the OP above, what we really need, IMO, is someone like a modern day John Muir who can take national environmental awareness to the next level and include: Human Needs:thumbup:

As I travel through Appalachia here on the East Coast, I have not been able to look at the surrounding countryside in the same way as before I found Larry Towell's video, "Hard
Choices".

Edit: The Hard Choices video is eight years old now, but I am sure the impressions one receives from this work are just as relevant today. So, as I make my way north like the headlight on a northbound train, I hope to see the light shine on people in need along the way and people who are getting better than the last time I visited the area.