You’ve seen those incredible, iconic posters of our national parks. The ones with the cool retro lettering and pastel colors. But did you know there were actually only 14 of these posters created for our national parks?
Well, I started National Park Posters to change all that. My mission is to continue the legacy of documenting our beautiful national parks with the same motif started by artists working for the Works Progress Administration back in the 1930s and 40s.
First some background on the original, classic posters. As you may remember from your history classes, the WPA was created during the Great Depression when millions of people were out of work.
Then President Franklin D. Roosevelt knew he had to do something to jump start the economy but more importantly to put food in the mouths of families. There were reportedly 20 million people on relief of some sort. He also knew there were plenty of Americans out there willing to work, if they had the opportunity.
So with the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935, the WPA was formed. The result? As many as 3.3 million people were given a job and put back to work. With picks, axes and muscle power they built an astonishing number of roads, bridges, airports and parks all over America.
Just about every town and region in America benefited from this program.
But another interesting aspect of the WPA program is that they also employed artists, writers, actors and musicians (hey those people need to work too). These artisans created works of art for the government and also taught their craft to local school children.
If you are a park enthusiast, you can appreciate the stunning posters created by these artists honoring the incredible beauty of our parks. To this day, the posters have a unique style with block lettering and brilliant colors.
But, only 14 national park posters were actually made. It’s not like they missed a bunch of parks. Back then, there were actually only 26 national parks...so there's a gap to be filled.
As a Parks Lover and Photographer, I picked Up a New Palette
I have been photographing the national parks for the past 35 years. But when I was 19 years old, I had the rare and amazing opportunity to study under one of the greatest photographers and park supports of all time – Ansel Adams. I learned all the intricacies of Ansel’s famous black and white zone system while photographing Yosemite National Park. Now that was inspiring!
Artists back in the 1930s would often create posters from black and white photos -- the only kind available at that time. They used their imagination to fill in the colors. To recreate that appearance, I developed a unique process that starts with High Dynamic Range Photography and then transforms them into graphic art, reminiscent of the WPA-style.
I print the posters on "Conservation" a 100% recycled, domestically-produced paper stock and uses bio-based inks which are approved by the Forest Stewardship Council and Rainforest Alliance.
One of the challenges (and perks) of this project is that I have to visit the parks to get the shots I need. While I have photographed many of the parks over the years, I have had to revisit some of these locations to keep the consistency with my latest camera techniques.
I plan to create posters for all major 59 national parks, I admit that’s quite a lofty goal.
The National Park Poster Project also provides a way for me to give back, and I donate a percentage of online sales to organizations, associations and conservancies that help protect and preserve these national parks.
As we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service, The National Park Poster Project is a great way to honor our fantastic parks and carry on a tradition created by struggling artists nearly 100 years ago. It ties in perfectly with the whole spirit of America, from our vast rugged wilderness to our resourceful citizens.
For more information, click here to go to www.national-park-posters.com