History of Scenic Photography

Would you be surprised to learn the first cameras were in use in the fourth and fifth centuries B.C.? Very crude but a camera no less. Can you imagine some of the first scenic photos were taken back then? Although there are none of those pictures around today there were cameras available to take them and the first patented camera design was from the 1600s.

There are many photographers today that have been those who takes scenic shots for the railroad when they were surveying for the routes to the West. Alfred Hart photographed through the Sierras from 1866-1869 helping to find the best route for the railroad. William Henry Jackson lived from 1843-1942 and photographed hundreds of scenes in the National Parks of the USA and Canada, the Bahamas, Mexico, Cuba and NYC among others. There were other great photographers to photograph the scenes of the West when the railroads were being built.

Ansel Adams is one of the most famous of the scenic photographers with much of his works still displayed around the country. Adams is most famous for his work in the Tetons and Yosemite National Park but his most famous photo was "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico." This was Taken November 1, 1941 shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Some of the most interesting scenic photograph come from areal photos taken from hot air balloons or using kites to haul cameras into the sky. Such photos taken by such means is one of San Fransisco after the big quake and one of Boston.