31 Jul Images of the West: Untouched Opportunity

What does the West mean to you? Is it a place, a lifestyle, a feeling, a philosophy? In the centuries since Euro-Americans first explored the country’s interior, the West has changed beyond the imaginations of those who first mapped it. In that relatively short time, culture, industry, population, and all the forces of the modern world have been unleashed upon it, changing it forever. And yet, the unique landscapes and defining ethos of the West still thrive as they did before modern change came. While much of the West has since been tamed, its infinite spaces, cavernous gorges, raging rivers, and sky-piercing peaks offer the same inspiration they did for those from the past who dared to explore them. Centuries on, the West still offers glimpses into the unconquered ruggedness and silent grandeur of its former state, self-governed more so by nature than man.

As summer begins, the green grasses of spring meld into gold, and the bison enjoy their utopia of food in the Teton Valley.

Yosemite is coveted for its iconic, towering, peak-laden walls and the sanctuary of nature harbored within them. Along the banks of the Merced River the currents transition from free-flowing breaks to nearly stagnant pools that offer crystal-clear reflections as divine as the peaks that tower above.

As if driven by human emotions, these two horses found a comfort in each other that matched the peace and beauty of the scene unfolding behind them. For a moment it seemed that all of creation was in divine harmony.

After darkness retreats and before the azure skies of midday, sunrise is given a brief moment to paint a picture. On this day, first light revealed the fog, sun-kissed mountains, and an atmosphere of pure romance in the heart of the American West.

For the last decade, I have been privileged to develop an intimate relationship with the West. I’ve annually logged 30,000 miles on its paved, dirt, and rocky roads, documenting its idyllic persona. I’ve read and written about its history, become appreciative of its silence, and benefited from the valuable lessons offered in the good and bad chapters of its past. My ongoing photographic project, The Romance of the American West, pays homage to the land that inspired this great American mythology. It reveals the West as it was, and it reminds us that as the modern civilized world accelerates, scenes still play out that recall a time before this was all set in motion. As freedom and hope are fundamental to humanity, these images preserve the Western sense of untouched opportunity available to us all in our lifetimes, just as it was to those in centuries past.

An elk and her yearlings ford a mountain river as the morning fog burns off. The current was so placid, it neither impeded their crossing nor concealed the sloshing of their steady march to the far bank.

All of nature seemed to hold its breath when an early rut season meeting brought these two moose together in the Wyoming wilderness.

The West offers hints of its former self, its slower life, and the stories of those who lived intimately with the land.

This bull moose has made the banks of Wyoming’s Gros Ventre River home for many years. Fog and early light bled through the sheltering cottonwood trees creating a unique scene in his majestic kingdom.

Michael Paul is an internationally awarded art photographer, author, and speaker whose romantic documentary-style photography celebrates the timeless grandeur of the American West. His work has been featured in Ken Burns’ documentaries and in numerous publications and exhibitions across the United States and United Kingdom.