Photographer Spotlight: John Fielder

Art District Santa Fe. Denver, Colorado, 2013

If you have browsed any park visitor center shop or museum store in Colorado you have likely seen his photographic prints and his books. He has been active as a photographer in Colorado for over 40 years and if any landscape photographer could be called “Mr. Colorado” it would likely be John Fielder. To see what he does, you’ll need to spend some time perusing his website here or, better yet, stop by his gallery in the Sante Fe Avenue Art District of south Denver on a “First Friday” of the month and check out his big, gorgeous prints (and those of his associate photogs as well!).

We were very fortunate to have had him as a guest presenter last week at the Colorado Nature Camera Club (CNCC) and it was most interesting and enlightening.

Here was my big take away…I often get very caught up in developing my photography purely as an art form. I sometimes forget that photography can play an extremely important role not only in art, but also in the political process. In John Fielder’s case, as a landscape photographer, that would be the oft difficult political process of preserving the remaining open spaces and wild lands of Colorado for future generations, much like Ansel Adams did for the wild areas of the California Sierras. John’s presentation last Thursday night at our CNCC meeting covered the many, many acres of land, large and small, that have been preserved by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) thanks to monies earned from the Colorado State Lottery (Go buy a ticket–I want more Open Space!).

Interestingly, John takes things a step farther and insists that monies from the Colorado Lottery (and any other available sources) should go to save the open spaces even before health care and education as others might be wont to do. His reasoning is twofold. First, and on a very basic level, humans owe their continued existence to a healthy ecosystem and rich biodiversity. We don’t survive without the bugs, grasses, clean air and big predators and they need room to roam. Second, the preserved wild lands, open spaces, parks, and green belts serve to attract to the State of Colorado the highly educated, the professionals, the entrepreneurs and, most especially, the outdoor adventure tourists thus building the strong tax base required to fund the health care, infrastructure, and educational needs of the population that are also so critically important. This last is the first time I had heard that line of reasoning and he has a point.

So, returning to this idea of photography as a tool to influence the political process, it might do well for each of us to meditate on what types of projects we personally might pursue in that vein. It doesn’t have to be landscape photography and wilderness preservation. It could be whatever kind of imagery that would serve to highlight any issue that you are passionate about–from urban poverty, to abandoned animals, to local effects of global warming, to after-school activities for kids. In all of these examples there are ways photography could be used to influence public policy in a positive way.

Where might I insert my shutter finger for the sake of the public good? I’m not sure yet, but I do feel some potential projects brewing inside me. Definitely food for thought. Thanks for coming, John!