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Photographer’s book opens eyes to Adirondacks

“North County, Forever Wild: The Adirondacks” by Eliot Porter

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of publication of Eliot Porter’s book of photographs taken in the “North Country, Forever Wild: The Adirondacks.” One of the earliest published collections of color photos taken in our region, it brought the beauty of the North Country to new audiences and served as a stimulus to many for exploring inside the Blue Line.

But my reason for featuring this book is a personal one. I had only barely begun to experience the Adirondacks myself when a neighbor brought this brand new volume over to show my father. Once I got my hands on it, the desire to see all the region had to offer became close to an obsession, one that I’m still working to fulfill.

Porter (1901-1990), a Harvard-trained physician and biochemist who gave up medicine in favor of full-time photography, was an early leader in using various color processes in his work. He became most noted for his landscape projects, which included such places as Glen Canyon in Utah, and the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador in South America.

His photos for “Forever Wild” were commissioned by the Adirondack Museum. Although the majority were taken in the Keene Valley-St. Hubert’s area, or around Blue Mountain Lake and Indian Lake, many other locations are also sampled.

But Porter isn’t seeking to merely depict memorable spots. Rather he appears to be offering a sense of the region as a whole, with all its components, and in all its seasons. The selections, about 140 in all, show a mix of panoramic views and fine detail.

Certainly the viewer sees waterfalls, forest trails, fallen leaves, even a farmhouse window. What’s magical is his ability to focus on a storm rising over a mountain in one shot, and then scrutinize a lichen or a fiddlehead fern for another. One sees the fiery colors of autumn, the leafing out of spring, and the solidification of gentle falls into solid ice. He depicts the Adirondacks in their full range of awe and accessibility.

What Porter did was give me more reasons to explore and a broader context in which to experience what I saw. Whereas initially all I really cared about were panoramic mountain vistas, he taught me to appreciate smaller and more mundane details. My adolescent urge to rush up trails to mountain peaks gradually gave way to more leisurely treks. I discovered the value of stopping frequently and looking around. Remote lakes and lazy rivers became destinations as satisfying as trails to high summits.

Accompanying quotes from the writings of William Chapman White complement Porter’s pictures. White describes birch trees “standing on the distant hills like exclamation marks,” autumn colors that “shine like burnished copper,” mixes of color that make a field resemble “a giant Paisley shawl.” Or try this characterization of timelessness in the Adirondacks – “He can stand on a rock by the shore and be in a past he could not have known, in a future he will never see. He can be part of time that was and time yet to come.”

Fifty years after its publication, Porter’s photographs remain vivid, inspirational, evocative, and sometimes mysterious – just like his subject. A seasoned Adirondack veteran will still appreciate these pictures. Someone unfamiliar with the region will want to come and explore.

Unfortunately the book is no longer in print. However, copies are readily available in most of the region’s libraries. Every now and then, I find one in a second-hand bookstore, too. These make wonderful gifts. Each one I can buy allows me to share the vision of this photographer who opened my eyes to so much around me.

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