Visions of Paradise

Jon Ortner Captures the American Wilderness

By Mary Kalamaris | Photography by Jon Ortner

The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only paradise we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need, if only we had the eyes to see. —Edward Abbey

Visions of Paradise: American Wilderness is a singular, timeless publication—a photographic masterpiece celebrating the extraordinary majesty and rich legacy of America’s wild places, as seen through the eyes of one of the country’s foremost wilderness photographers, Jon Ortner, and conveyed through the transcendent medium of black-and-white film.

When contemplating our attraction to nature’s sacred places, writer and conservationist Terry Tempest Williams may have put it best when she stated, “Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.”Perhaps this connection may be why over three hundred million people visit state and national parks every year and why hundreds of millions more explore other wilderness areas, national forests, and nature preserves. We seek refuge in these captivating places, including during times of upheaval and uncertainty, because our yearning to commune with the elements of land, sky, and water is primordial and powerful—a yearning faithfully fulfilled by nature’s ability to excite, thrill, and nurture us.

We need only show up to be awed by imposing mountain ranges, stimulated by the raw power of gushing waterfalls and geysers, calmed and soothed by serene lakes and playful rivers, or inspired by stark, mysterious deserts. We bring cameras along to make timeless the profundity of our experiences and to remind ourselves after we have reentered everyday life that, for a time, we were “home.”

Following his celebrated and widely published book Canyon Wilderness of the Southwest—praised by National Geographic as “exquisite,” “a visual feast,” and “a layered work of complexity”—Jon Ortner takes us home once again with his latest work, Visions of Paradise, a passionate tribute to the American wilderness that also serves as an urgent call to its continued protection and stewardship. On page after page and gatefold after gatefold of this sensational collection of two hundred black-and-white images, Ortner has rediscovered and reinterpreted the compelling beauty of many of his most cherished wilderness locations with remarkable portrayals of their sublime, dramatic, tranquil, and transcendent aspects. He celebrates America’s most humbling natural scenes—from the deserts and canyons of the Southwest to the botanical paradise of the vast deciduous forests of New England, and to the towering, ancient groves of California’s giant redwoods—by unfolding in soul-stirring images and words a spare and elegant story of a shared yet vulnerable national heritage.

In Visions of Paradise, Ortner exhibits the same intrepidness that propelled the photographers and painters of the latter 19th century to trek their way deep into nature’s most pristine and remote areas to capture scenes that would fascinate a country searching for its cultural identity, and eventually catalyze the creation of the National Parks System. The spirit of these early ambassadors is imbued in every photograph appearing in Visions of Paradise, each a testament to Ortner’s unmatched commitment to photographic excellence. Made possible only through meticulous scholarly research and planning and months-long explorations of single locations, unyielding patience and persistence, and the tenacity and determination to access difficult-to-reach places rarely if ever displayed by other wilderness photographers.

Ortner’s use of black-and-white film and large-format cameras for Visions of Paradiseunveils the true essence of the natural world. By peeling away color, he forces us to immerse ourselves more deeply and see anew America’s breathtaking sites through the purified language of light and shadow, form and texture, shape and pattern. These rare, distinctive photographs are further enhanced with informative essays that provide a window onto the scene and its artist-observer. Also featured are quotations by those who have so passionately conveyed the splendor, drama, and fragility of the American wilderness—Ansel Adams, John Muir, Terry Tempest Williams, Chief Seattle, and Edward Abbey among many others—to uplift us and help us regain a vital sense of belonging to something grander than ourselves.

Visions of Paradise presents a unique opportunity to join with an acclaimed photographer on his achievement of an artistic milestone. It is sure to amaze and inspire a broad and varied audience, from lovers of nature to collectors of fine-art photography, and to anyone seeking to connect meaningfully with a treasured legacy of sacred lands. Throughout its pages, Ortner, a modern-day ambassador of the American wilderness, brilliantly shows us in imagery what Edward Abbey once put so eloquently into words—that “wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.”

Ortner shows us this with images as monumental as the landscape he photographs.

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One of the world’s leading nature and scenic photographers, Jon Ortner is the acclaimed author of eight internationally published fine-art books on topics as wide-ranging as the icons and architecture of Manhattan, the beauty of the human form, the sacred places and people of Southeast Asia, and the landscapes and geological wonders of the American Southwest.

Ortner’s achievements as an artist, scholar, and adventurer are especially reflective of a life committed to passionately exploring the wonders and treasures of the natural world. His intrepid youth, largely spent fascinated by the study of diverse flora and fauna, forged him into an avid, erudite naturalist and wilderness hiker. Following academic pursuits in ecology and Eastern philosophy, he established a highly successful commercial photography studio in New York City with his wife and business partner, Martha McGuire. Based in the Berkshire Mountains on the border of New York and Massachusetts, Jon and Martha currently divide their time between their worldwide journeys of discovery and commercial photography assignments.

Visit ImagesPublishing.com and OrtnerPhoto.com to learn more or purchase a copy of Visions of Paradise: American Wilderness.