Conservation | Russ Bishop Photography

April 22, 2024April 22, 2024

Earth Day and National Park Week

Celebrating Earth Day and National Park Week!

Fifty years ago the green movement was conceived and since then it has become a driving force in today’s world economy and social consciousness. We’ve come a long way since the early days of tie-dye and the novel concept of recycling. Fast forward to 2024 and LED light bulbs are the norm, electric cars are everywhere, and small countries like Iceland are run almost entirely on clean energy.

One of the driving forces in my photography is to show the natural world at its best and to remind us all why it’s important to preserve it. I also support organizations like The Nature Conservancy and The Wilderness Society, which do an excellent job of preserving natural spaces, working with landowners, and educating the public about the connection between health and conservation throughout the year.

This year National Park Week is April 20th-28th and Earth Day is Monday, April 22nd. Once again the National Park Service is partnering with the National Park Foundation and all entrance fees are waived on Saturday, April 20th. But even if you can’t travel It’s still a great time to enjoy America’s Best Idea at home with the kids or celebrate Earth Day in your backyard or at a natural space or preserve close to home.

Whether you connect with nature in your own town, explore and plan a visit to favorite park or simply change out those old light bulbs, take time to marvel at all the natural wonders of our tiny blue planet and make a commitment to help preserve it.

March 22, 2024March 25, 2024

World Water Day

March 22nd is World Water Day – a time to celebrate the spring season and our most precious natural resource. It’s easy to take for granted when we’ve had a wet winter and a bottle or tap is always within arms reach, but we share the planet with nearly 1 billion people who don’t have access to safe clean drinking water or sanitation. That’s a hard fact to swallow when you consider that most of the earth’s surface is water.

The United Nations first began the celebration back in 1993 and it’s grown significantly over the years as a platform for education and public support. Each year, one of the many UN agencies involved in water issues spearheads a campaign to promote and coordinate international activities. The theme of World Water Day 2024 is ‘Water for Peace’, and focuses on fostering harmony, generating prosperity and building resilience to shared challenges.

On the world front, there are many ways to help those less fortunate than ourselves, and at home simple conservation can have a profound effect. I’m proud to be involved with Photographers for Good and the Plus One Collection, which has use its resources to support The Samburu Project building wells in Kenya. I can think of no greater reward than inspiring others to enjoy the beauty of nature, while helping to provide life’s most basic necessity to those in need.

Here in the west this years winter storms have helped to offset years of drought, but whatever the conditions at home we should always remember that water is a precious commodity essential for life. So enjoy that drink and spread the word throughout the year (and don’t forget to turn off the tap).

February 15, 2024February 15, 2024

Happy Birthday Ansel Adams

Happy birthday Ansel Adams! The master of landscape photography, who was born February 20, 1902, had a profound affect on my creative direction and continues to be an inspiration to generations of outdoor photographers.

Adams pioneered the idea of previsualization, the concept of seeing the final image in the mind’s eye before the photo is created. He also co-founded Group f/64 with other photographic masters Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham, and he developed the Zone System, a technique for translating perceived light into specific densities to allow better control over finished photographs. Though he lived well before the time of megapixels and monitors I think he would have embraced the creative possibilities of the digital age.

As a strong advocate for the environment, his iconic black and white images of the American West influenced powerful decision makers in Washington and helped preserve places like Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Parks and California’s iconic Big Sur coast. Ansel was also largely responsible for photography being accepted into the world of fine art, culminating in major exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 1980. And shortly after his death in 1984, the Minarets Wilderness in his beloved Sierra Nevada Mountains was re-named the Ansel Adams Wilderness in his honor.

Thank you Ansel – your legacy lives on!

“Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art.” ~ Ansel Adams