DENVER — Considering the fact that 1973, John Fielder has labored to come to be a premier landscape photographer, snapping more than 200,000 photos of Colorado’s varied ecosystems and terrains. And now, he has donated his life’s get the job done to Colorado.
Heritage Colorado is accountable for the collection, which features far more than 5,000 of Fielder’s images from each and every county in the point out. More than the subsequent couple months — thanks to a grant from the Telluray Basis — History Colorado employees will do the job to digitize each individual picture so the public can locate them on the web, wherever they can provide as inspiration for future exhibitions and research pertaining to local climate modify.
John Fielder
Given that Fielder began his pictures vocation 50 decades in the past, he has discovered a specialized niche in landscape photography, successfully checking out all of Colorado’s 104,984 sq. miles, according to Background Colorado.
And he is thrived in that house, earning features in guides and a assortment of awards, which include:
- Daniel L. Ritchie Award for Moral Behavior and Social Duty (University of Denver, 1992)
- Colorado Conservation Award (Colorado Chapter of the Character Conservancy, 1992)
- Rocky Mountain Nationwide Park Stewardship Award (Rocky Mountain Nationwide Park, 1995)
- Cranmer Award (Colorado Open up Lands, 1997)
- Humanitarian Award (Nationwide Recreation and Parks Affiliation, 1998)
- Distinguished Provider Award (University of Colorado, 2000)
- Rebel with a Trigger (Colorado Environmental Coalition, 2007)
- Life span Accomplishment Award (Colorado Film Commission, 2007)
- President’s Award (Colorado Alliance for Environmental Training, 2018)
But his perform has also aided impact the passing of laws that shield community lands in Colorado — this sort of as Congress’ Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 and the Great Outdoors Colorado Believe in Fund — and past, Historical past Colorado added.
John Fielder
“My target was normally to expose and protect the essence of the area that I feel is the most wonderful on Earth: Colorado,” Fielder explained. “I am humbled that these shots have encouraged many others and spurred the passage of many environmental defense initiatives and laws across this attractive state that I adore and cherish.”
One series that will be shared is termed “Colorado 1870-2000,” and pairs photos taken by William Henry Jackson about 100 a long time ago with types Fielder took from a identical spot in current many years, in accordance to History Colorado. This examine-and-contrast structure prompts the problem, “Do we like the alterations we see?”
John Fielder
“I have equally a simple and an emotional link with Background Colorado,” Fielder mentioned. “I have often been a historical past buff and ever curious about what life in Colorado was like prior to I arrived. Observing the exact same landscapes that I have explored as they appeared decades ago — and as a result of the eyes and lenses of people today who shared my passion for Earth — inside Heritage Colorado’s collection has constantly fascinated me. Due to the fact Heritage Colorado is a major establishment for historic preservation it felt like the purely natural caretaker for my function.”
Dawn DiPrince, Historical past Colorado’s executive director and point out historic preservation officer, stated Fielder’s donation is as “breathtaking” as the images.
“This human body of do the job signifies the culmination of a life time dedicated to documenting and preserving the vistas that determine our beloved point out so that long run generations might be equally motivated in their stewardship and informed of how humanity has impacted these lands we contact residence,” DiPrince stated.
John Fielder
In the late summertime of 2023, Heritage Colorado will open an exhibition at the History Colorado Center, positioned at 1200 N. Broadway, focused to Fielder’s photos. A rotating gallery will open to the community starting up in January 2024.
Fielder mentioned he hopes his assortment will foster environmental stewardship amid Coloradans.
“I have appear to know that pictures can influence human motion,” Fielder reported. “Though I want people to be equipped to appreciate and savor the very simple and manifest beauty inherent in my visuals, I also want the shots to affect how they act in their lives. I hope people who see them will understand the inextricable connectivity amongst all residing points on the total earth Earth, as effectively as the sensitive connectivity amongst the environments, or ecosystems, in which existence exists.”
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