John Fielder

He died last Friday. From cancer. He will be missed by many people. He will be missed by me.

John Fielder was a, if not the, premier Colorado landscape photographer. His work is everywhere in Colorado, from books to private homes to businesses to airports and more. He always tried to capture nature as it was, which meant not boosting colors or making modifications to his photography. He felt Mother Nature couldn’t be improved upon. Here is a link to his website where you can find out more about him and his work.

What I want to talk about is the one day photography class I attended back in the summer of 2008 that John taught. I was able to get to know him a little in that class. I was able to learn about how to take better photographs but more importantly I was able to learn how to see better.

Photography is all about seeing and we all saw John that day. We saw his love for the art, his love for the process but most of all we saw his love of nature and the beauty that exists right in front of our eyes.

We learned that he wanted to protect the wilderness. He also reaffirmed what we all knew, that it can disappear in a second. He fought for Mother Nature, the wilderness, with his photography, his books and his activism.

Mostly though, I got to know a little of the man. I found he liked to laugh, he loved his family, he was a bit of a perfectionist and he was driven. In a good way. He also moved fast but still managed to stop and just observe and let nature flow around him. I’m glad I was able to know him, if only for a few hours.

What follows are some of the photos I took from that day including several of John. All the photos were taken in or around Breckenridge, Colorado. The final photo is the one I cherish the most. John framed that photo in my camera and then insisted I click the shutter. It is my own, private, John Fielder photo.

Rest in peace my friend.