THE MOUNTAINS I CALL HOME
Photographs of the Southland Mountains with the writings of John Muir
In a sense the inspiration for this project came from my father reading to me a quote of John Muir at the Tuolumne meadows in Yosemite national park. It was our second family trip to the United States and the first time for me to encounter the name of this great naturalist. Growing up in Taiwan our family would often go hiking in local mountains on weekends and travel to scenic places during vacations. Even though we had always lived in the cities, the activities we had in the mountains have always been an important part of my memory.
Moving to southern California started my own excursions into the mountains and only then did Muir’s words began to make sense and truly resonate with me. The San Gabriel, San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains, or simply the Southland Mountains, where all the images in this book were captured, is the backbone of the southern California landscape. Albeit smaller and much lesser known compared to their northern neighbor, the Sierra Nevada Mountains that Muir was most inspired by, they are invaluable to southern California residents like myself, as they offer for the millions of city dwellers immediate ways to re-connect with Nature. Just as Muir did, I found myself seeking the essence of wildness in these mountains. They endlessly fascinate me with the lushness of lives, changing expression of weather and seasons and the mystery of creation. I want to convey such experiences with my photographs and Muir’s writings are most fitting to what I want to capture. His quote “going to the mountains is going home” became the spirit of this body of work.
Moving to southern California started my own excursions into the mountains and only then did Muir’s words began to make sense and truly resonate with me. The San Gabriel, San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains, or simply the Southland Mountains, where all the images in this book were captured, is the backbone of the southern California landscape. Albeit smaller and much lesser known compared to their northern neighbor, the Sierra Nevada Mountains that Muir was most inspired by, they are invaluable to southern California residents like myself, as they offer for the millions of city dwellers immediate ways to re-connect with Nature. Just as Muir did, I found myself seeking the essence of wildness in these mountains. They endlessly fascinate me with the lushness of lives, changing expression of weather and seasons and the mystery of creation. I want to convey such experiences with my photographs and Muir’s writings are most fitting to what I want to capture. His quote “going to the mountains is going home” became the spirit of this body of work.
Digital preview shown. Printed book available in 8.5"x11" hardcover layflat format with dust jacket. Printed by A&I Books.
