Welcome to this edition of [book spotlight]. Today, we uncover the layers of 'Visions of Paradise American Wilderness,' by Jon Ortner (published by The Images Publishing Group). We'd love to read your comments below about these insights and ideas behind the artist's work.

The wilderness only reveals its beauty to those who earn it.

For Jon Ortner, earning it meant years of hiking through rugged landscapes, braving extreme weather, and navigating some of the most remote corners of America. Each photograph in Visions of Paradise is the result of physical endurance, careful planning, and a deep connection to the land.

Ortner’s journey was about understanding the soul of these wild places. From towering redwoods in California to the remote canyons of Utah, his work shows us not just what these places look like, but what they feel like to those who dare to go. His use of black-and-white photography adds another layer, stripping away distractions and focusing on the raw forms and textures of nature.

But why does this matter? Because these are the places that remind us what it means to be human—connected to something bigger, more enduring than ourselves. Capturing these sacred lands wasn’t easy, and neither is preserving them. (You can buy it here - The Images Publishing Group, Amazon)

The most stunning landscapes demand the toughest journeys.

Visions of Paradise: American Wildernes

Visions of Paradise: American Wilderness is a breathtaking celebration of America’s most sacred and untamed landscapes, captured by one of the world’s leading nature photographers, Jon Ortner. Spanning over two decades of exploration, Ortner’s black-and-white images showcase the raw beauty, sublime forms, and enduring spirit of the wilderness, from the vast deserts of the Southwest to the ancient redwood forests of California.

With over 200 meticulously crafted photographs, this large-format book brings to life the power of America’s untouched lands. Each image reflects Ortner’s dedication to earning these moments—trekking through challenging terrains, enduring harsh weather, and uncovering places rarely seen by others. His use of large-format cameras and black-and-white film unveils nature’s essence through light, shadow, and texture, creating timeless portraits of these wild spaces.

Visions of Paradise is a passionate call to protect these sacred lands. Through stunning imagery and thoughtful essays, Ortner highlights the fragility of these landscapes and their significance to our shared cultural and spiritual heritage.

Overview of the project: What inspired you to create Visions of Paradise, and how does the book reflect your personal and artistic relationship with America’s wilderness?

I have always considered myself an artist, scholar, and adventurer and my photography has been a reflection of my commitment to passionately exploring the wonders and treasures of the natural word. When I first travelled to the Himalaya, right out of High School, I was inspired not only by the scenery, but by the way the land was worshipped in both Hindu and Buddhist culture. I concentrated my photography in Nepal, India, Ladakh, Tibet, and Bhutan. The more I knew about the culture the more I understood the meaning of the sacred mountains and rivers that inspired the evolution of the great meditative philosophies of Buddhism and Hinduism. I continued my photography in Southeast Asia, photographing book projects in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Java, and Bali. 

Later in my career I started exploring the canyons and deserts of the American West, and fell in love with the geological wonders of the Colorado Plateau. I was especially inspired and amazed by places such as the vast Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, and the Native American Tribal Lands. It was a 5-year odyssey that resulted in my book Canyon Wilderness of the Southwest. After that, I continued to photograph the beauty of the American wilderness, with extensive explorations of the wet coastal Redwood Forests of California, Yosemite, Death Valley, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. I did multiple journeys to lesser-known and more remote locations such as the Bristlecone Pine forests in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. I sought out places where I could create images that celebrated the extraordinary majesty and the rich legacy of America’s wilderness. I tried to convey the visual power and spiritual essence of these places through the transcendent medium of black-and-white film. Ultimately, Vision of Paradise encompasses more than 20 years of explorations, adventures, and discoveries throughout the wild and scenic lands of America. 

Artistic vision and approach: Your use of black-and-white film and large-format cameras in Visions of Paradise is striking. How does this choice enhance the viewer’s experience of these iconic landscapes?

My use of black-and-white film, and large-format cameras for Visions of Paradise unveils the true essence of the natural world. By peeling away color, I try to immerse the viewer more deeply and to see anew America’s breathtaking sites through the purified language of light and shadow, form and texture, shape and pattern.

Nature can displays its majesty, and poetic beauty by way of contrast, shape and form. I have always loved beauty. Even if I am photographing a cremation, on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi, India, I want to make images that are powerful, poetic, and visually beautiful. When it comes to landscapes, then the work of the great black and white masters, such as Ansel Adams, and Clyde Butcher come to mind, and set the bar very high indeed. Like them, I am seeking out the special places that reveal the inner workings of the natural world.

Storytelling in photography: The book features both breathtaking images and evocative essays. How do you balance the visual and written elements to convey the depth of America’s natural heritage?

My first job was as a Page in the Library of my hometown. I fell in love with books, and became an avid collector of rare books, especially these on exploration, and the love of nature. So for much of my life, I have revered authors who have explained the scientific significance, and irreplaceable value of nature. From Edwin Way Teal, to Edward Abbey and Terry Tempest Williams, and from Gretel Ehrlich to Edward Ruess, I have read, and been inspired by the writings that describe and explain the love of wilderness that I have felt my entire life. Often, the places that I have photographed have great geological, and scientific wonders, in addition to rare and unique ecosystems. So, for me, the place has to be telling an amazing scientific story, as well as its visual story. I am especially interested in extremes. What are the deepest gorges, the oldest trees, the tallest waterfalls, and how did these stunningly beautiful landscapes evolve, over millions of years.

Timing is one of the most important aspects of creating great imaging. To get the kind of images of waterfalls that you see throughout the book, late winter snowmelt and early spring rains create falls with their peak flows. Some of the tallest waterfalls in America, only peak flow for a few weeks. Many locations in the book are the result of multiple visits, and days or weeks of hiking and photography. Many of my favorite places to shoot, such as the upper Cathedral Valley in Capitol Reef, still see very few people throughout the year. Other places like The Wave or White Pocket in Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, are notorious for super soft sand, no cell service, and are quite dangerous for the unprepared. 

Challenges and perseverance: Documenting remote wilderness areas often comes with logistical and physical challenges. What were the most demanding aspects of creating this body of work, and how did you overcome them?

Because I started my career the Himalayas, of India, Nepal, and Bhutan, I was particularly inspired by going to the highest Mountain in the world, such as Everest, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, and the deepest gorges in the world, such as the Kali Gandaki, and the Marsyandi In Central Nepal. Both of these canyons are more than three times the depth of the Grand Canyon. Some of the treks Martha and I have gone on required that we lived in a tent for 55 days or more, and we walked more than 500 miles, through some of the roughest terrain on earth. We also have hiked widely in Hawaii, including the NaPali Coast, and the lava fields of Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and Haleakala Volcanos. Mt. Waialeale, and the Alakai Swamp, wettest place on earth, are particularly challenging, and somewhat dangerous places to photograph. For Canyon Wilderness, we hiked extensively in the narrow and winding slot canyons of the Grand Staircase, including the Paria, longest slot in the world. The massive dunes of Death Valley also create difficult and dangerous conditions, especially for inexperienced hikers. The Sierra Nevada Mountains of Yosemite, Inyo, and the Redwood Forest of the California Coast are also quite challenging, depending on weather conditions. My decades of hiking, climbing and wilderness exploration, all while carrying heavy packs with multiple camera systems, has been a way of life, and has trained me in map reading, route finding, and wilderness navigation.

Role of the photographer: You describe wilderness as a place of solitude and adventure. How do you see your role as a modern-day ambassador for these sacred lands through your photography?

As Edward Abbey wrote “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.”

Visions of Paradise, is my passionate tribute to the American wilderness that also serves as an urgent call to its continued protection and stewardship. In page after page and gatefold after gatefold in this collection of over 200 black-and-white images, I have strived to rediscover and reinterpret the compelling beauty of many of my most cherished wilderness locations with portrayals of their sublime, dramatic, tranquil, and transcendent aspects. I have tried to 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.

Connection with the audience: Visions of Paradise pays homage to America’s untouched landscapes. What do you hope readers will take away about the importance of preserving these natural treasures?

My hope is to amaze and inspire a wide 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 these sacred lands. For, throughout its pages, I hope to be a modern-day ambassador of the American wilderness, showing in imagery that wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit. Ultimately, I have tried to create images that are as monumental as the landscapes I have photographed.

Technical and creative tips: Capturing dramatic and serene landscapes in black-and-white requires a deep understanding of light and form. What advice would you give to photographers interested in exploring this medium?

All of the images in Visions of Paradise were created with the Fuji GX 617, 6x17 cm Panoramic View Cameras, with three lenses. And the Pentax 67II 6x7 cm Medium Format camera with an assortment of 12 Pentax Lenses, All images were shot using Kodak T-Max 100, 120mm Black and White Film. Because of the weight and bulk of this equipment, great care must be taken with route finding, especially when traversing remote and rugged trails in the fading light of twilight. Packs were often 45 pounds, or more, containing water, food, maps, fist aid kits, and heavy tripods. Wilderness trails were often rocky, and muddy. Many treks were as long as 12 – 15 miles long, which required leaving in the pre-dawn darkness, and retuning to the truck at the end of the day, also in the dark.

Photography as a historical and cultural reflection: The book draws inspiration from historic photographers such as Ansel Adams and John Hillers. How does your work continue this tradition while bringing a contemporary perspective?

I have tried to exhibit 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. I hope that the spirit of these early ambassadors is imbued in every photograph appearing in Visions of Paradise, each one a testament to my unwavering 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 accomplished by other photographers.

Advice for emerging photographers: For those aspiring to document and celebrate nature through photography, what lessons from your experiences with Visions of Paradise would you share to inspire their journeys?

Firstly, photograph what you love. Some of the most interesting locations in America, such as Yellowstone and Yosemite, are often so crowded for much of the year that it is almost impossible to photograph. I have always gone at the cusp of the seasons, and have had Yellowstone almost completely to myself in April. Bruce Canyon, Zion and Capitol Reef were also practically empty in the very early spring. The most spectacular patterns in the sand dunes of Death Valley and Monument Valley, are found only late Winter/ early Spring when the winds are just right. To get great landscape images you must take the time and effort to get to the remote locations at the exact right season, and time of day. 

To discover more about this intriguing body of work and how you can acquire your own copy, you can find and purchase the book here - The Images Publishing Group, Amazon.

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