Documenting the Disappearing West: Tad Anderson's Wyoming Photography

Feb 23

Tad Anderson - Wyoming - black and white photography - cloudy sky

Photographer Spotlight: Tad Anderson

I am a 47 year old person from Wyoming. I am a fifth generation 'native' of the state. I was raised to really believe in how special the land is; and that having public land is a good and unique part of life in the West.

I am just old enough to have been alive and paying attention when the weather was a whole different story. 6-8 weeks with a high temperature of zero, a wind actually from the arctic, snow snow snow. I also was raised skiing and hiking, and have spent my grown years climbing every day I could.

I have watched the climate change. And I have watched the world shapers (and life destroyers) work on non-ending plans to take the public lands; to turn them into real-estate, suburbs, ranchettes and mega-millionaire ranches. It hurts my heart to watch.

landscape artwork_Tad Anderson-pastel blue and teal

I make some of my living as a landscape artist, mainly pastel landscape drawings. But, I have been drawn to black and white photography over the last five-ish years.

Tad Anderson - black and white photo- Wyoming

I hadn't done anything with my photos and videos. When I saw the map for the land change that was proposed, and saw that it was the land we play on week after week, and the land I hope my kids will continue to play on, I decided I would post pictures that would show how beautiful the places are that are potentially to be lost. I also hoped, through the tags I used, to encourage people to 'vote' with their money.

Tad Anderson - Wyoming - black and white photography - screaming child

My time lapse is about the different ways that time moves, that we humans move, and the earth and sky. I have been playing around with these for a few years. These are also turning into a documentation of the ecology changing.

The photograph below is one of my older black and white photos. It is about eight years old and shows a summer storm moving through the Snowy Range. This was one of the last summers that we had slow moving, multi-day storms; which were once a common part of summer in the Rockies. Those lakes are also nearly gone, and the snowfields never last into August, when this photo was captured. It is called Summer weather/Snowy range/Medicine Bow peak/National Forest.

Tad Anderson-photo-Summer weather/Snowy range/Medicine Bow peak/National Forest

The image below is shot from a ridge line on Wyoming's highest mountain - Gannett peak. It is a view, looking South, of some 13,000 foot peaks along the Continental divide; and the upper part of Dinwoody glacier. This glacier is one of the last of the bigger ones. It is on the East side of the divide; and feeds the Wind River -- sort of -- the water for this glacier mainly grows hay for horses and cows, grain for Coors beer, and Beets for Sugar! The picture is called Top of Dinwoody glacier/Wind River range/National Forest Wilderness Area.