Nature Inspired Photographs

It is only days now until the Bowers opens the Dorothy and Donald Kennedy Wing a 30,000 square foot expansion that includes two large galleries, a 300 seat theatre and a beautiful garden. In the Anderson-Hsu-Tu Gallery Ansel Adams: Classic Images features 75 sumptuous black and white photographs by the renowned artist on loan from The Capital Group. The majority of these photographs take nature as a theme and this has inspired us to look within our own photography collection of nature based photographs. The following three photographs from the Bowers were created for different purposes: tourism/commerce, naturalistic study, and as an object of art. Photographs of Half Dome and other parts of Yosemite National Park may be Adams most well known images but, the beauty of the park has been irresistible to amateur and professional photographers alike making it one of the most highly photographed places. In this 1925 photograph two women pose on a rock at Mirror Lake, the famous Half Dome looms in the background. The portrait was taken by J.T.Boysen who had a photo studio at Yosemite. The pristine environment that drew tourists also served as a perfect setting for souvenir portraits.
Leo Tiede
Evylena Nunn Miller Library Collection;
Photograph on paper, 1925
35200.1 The 1930 photograph of tall white trunked trees comes from the collection of Santa Ana based plein air
artist Evylena Nunn Miller (1888-1966). Like many of her contemporaries, Miller painted warm Southern California landscapes often focusing on the unique character of oak, sycamore and eucalyptus trees. Her personal collection of study images contributes to the understanding of her paintings while adding to the museum's archive of photographed Orange County groves and singular standing trees. The photograph seen below was taken by Santa Ana based Leo Tiede who documented the city and surrounding Orange County in thousands of photographs. Thanks to his work it is possible to see developments in agriculture, commerce, architecture and city planning over several decades. In a rare demonstration of his artistic talent, Tiede takes nature as subject. Unlike other images in the Tiede Collection, this photographed is mounted on embossed cardboard that mimics a frame (not shown) and is clearly concerned with mood and visual effects opposed to his usual straight-forward documentary style. The focus on a low set sun blacks out most of the landscape, emphasizing only delicate silhouettes and the sun's reflected rays on the clouds and the upper atmosphere. Photograph
Leo Tiede
Evylena Nunn Miller Library Collection;
Photograph on paper c.1940 All images and text under copyright. Please contact Collection Department for permission to use. Information subject to change with further research.