America's Best Idea

Outdoor Photographer sits down with Ken Burns to discuss our national parks and the role photographers played in establishing these treasures of the landscape. The legacy of the parks is inexorably tied to the legacy of nature photography in America.

By Mark Edward Harris

Labels: Locations

This Article Features Photo Zoom

The soothing baritone of actor George Takei quotes the contemplations of landscape painter Chiura Obata on the High Sierra: “In the evening, it gets very cold; the coyotes howl in the distance; in the midsky, the moon is arching; all the trees are standing here and there; and it is very quiet. You can learn from the teachings within this quietness.”

It’s a great lesson for painters and photographers alike, and one of many that can be gleaned from the remarkable program, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, the six-episode series directed by Ken Burns. The documentarian takes us on a journey not only through America’s most magnificent landscapes, but also back in time to visit the forward-looking people—many of them wielding heavy cameras and tripods—who helped preserve these great bastions of nature for posterity.

The development of photography and the national park movement grew and matured together in the 19th century. Soon after the ability to fix a shadow came into being, photography became an important weapon in the arsenal of conservationists in their battles with developers. Outdoor Photographer recently had the opportunity to sit down with Burns.

Soon after the ability to fix a shadow came into being, photography became an important weapon in the arsenal of conservationists in their battles with developers.

OP: In your program on the national parks, you’ve once again made great use of the still image. Let’s talk about the first two major locations you focus on, Yosemite and Yellowstone.

Ken Burns: The photographs that began to come back of the falls at Yosemite and the bare, polished granite peaks of El Capitan, the cathedral spires and Half Dome, along with the paintings of Albert Bierstadt, really galvanized interest in this area in the mid-19th century. It was possible to go back and make political inroads and convince people that this land should be preserved. Yosemite is the first time in human history where great sections of natural land were set aside by the federal government. It was given to the state of California, so it doesn’t qualify as the world’s first national park. It was the first federal reserve. The only reason that eight years later, in 1872, the same didn’t happen to Yellowstone is that it was in a territory. There was no state entity to give it to. So it became the world’s first national park.

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4 Comments

David Leland Hyde makes this comment

Wednesday, 17 March 2010

Many thanks to Ken Burns. I hear it is a beautiful work of art. The American people owe gratitude to Ansel Adams and others before but the media tend to focus on the biggest superstars and the most obscure people, but often skip those who do the majority of the work like my father, landscape photographer Philip Hyde. Ansel Adams himself said, "Philip Hyde worked like a dog" to protect American wilderness. I realize not all aspects of a vast subject can be covered. However, to set the record straight, more of Philip Hyde's photographs fought for more national parks than any other photographer. His work helped create North Cascades N. P., Redwood N. P., Point Reyes, protected Dinosaur N. M. and Grand Canyon N. P., helped expand Canyonlands, Arches, King's Canyon, Sequoia, Denali, re-designation of Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Capitol Reef, and several others and wilderness areas within the Navajo Reservation, Wyoming, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Utah and Arizona.
Jim lawrence makes this comment

Friday, 19 March 2010

Many thanks for this article and interview. I watched the program on my local PBS station in Colorado Springs and really enjoyed it. I have been an outdoor enthusiast and landscape photographer for many years (semi-pro level) and, living in Colorado, have visited and photographed in many if not almost all of the national parks, monuments, preserves and forests in this state and every time I go, I am filled with wonder at the beauty of nature. This past summer myself and my wife traveled to Utah and Arizona to visit the canyon country in those states,. It was a wonderful experience. Also Thanks to the Navajo Nation for preserving the Monument Valley Tribal Park for our enjoyment. Let's not forget that the Native American people are the ones that can teach us how to appreciate nature and preserve it as it should be appreciated We owe a dept of gratitude to people like John Muir, Ansel Adams and, yes, Ken Burns and all those before them who had the foresight to start the National Park movement.
Ed Hardy makes this comment

Thursday, 13 May 2010

In America many people have a romantic idea of life in the countryside.
Ed Hardy makes this comment

Thursday, 13 May 2010

In America many people have a romantic idea of life in the countryside.

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Locations

America's Best Idea

Outdoor Photographer sits down with Ken Burns to discuss our national parks and the role photographers played in establishing these treasures of the landscape. The legacy of the parks is inexorably tied to the legacy of nature photography in America.

4 Comments

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Locations

America's Best Idea

Outdoor Photographer sits down with Ken Burns to discuss our national parks and the role photographers played in establishing these treasures of the landscape. The legacy of the parks is inexorably tied to the legacy of nature photography in America.

4 Comments

Add Comment

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