Meet Your Artist: Todd Winslow Pierce

How long have you lived in the Valley and what brought you here?

My father, Gordon Pierce, came to Vail in 1962 as a young architect to work on the design of the village and early buildings with Fitzhugh Scott. After a decade of traveling between Milwaukee and Vail, they decided to open a permanent architectural practice in Vail in 1972, at which time my family moved here. I was just 1 year old.

Where does your passion for art come from?

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My father is truly an artist at heart and my late aunt and uncle were also commercial artists and professional painters, so it’s a family affair. I loved drawing as a child, but when I bought my first good camera in my early twenties, I was attracted by a new way of capturing the things I saw, as well as the combination of art and technology it offered.

Describe your artistic style.

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I think my more artistic landscape work embodies certain characteristics of dramatic light, bold elements and mood that reveal fascinating aspects of the natural world, whereas my conservation work tends to take a bit more of a narrative approach. In all cases, I seek out and use light to my advantage in order to capture the best possible images in-camera, leading to minimal post-processing and never digital enhancements that transcend the reality I have witnessed it with my own eyes.

Who are your favorite artists?

Generally speaking, my favorite artists are those who are able to make us forget that we are looking at a photo, a painting or a sculpture, because our emotional reaction or our feeling of respect transports us intellectually and emotionally. By provoking thought and emotion through artistic expression, artists have a significant impact on the world.

Tell us about one of your favorite pieces that you worked on.

Along with my wildlife work using remote technology (called camera traps), one of my favorite images is the lunar eclipse over Castle Peak on December 10, 2011. It was one of those unforgettable experiences where imagination becomes reality. After a lot of pre-planning with topo maps, a compass, astronomical maps, a bit of trigonometry and high school scouting (before there was an app to plan these things), not to mention a bit of luck with the weather, everything went perfectly in a unique setting.

Who has helped you along your journey? Who/what inspires you?

I was fortunate to have a few key mentors in my early days, including Galen Rowell and Art Wolfe. John Shaw was also a big influence, both visually and commercially. I continue to be inspired by photographers who are making a tangible difference in the world through their visual storytelling, like James Balog, Michael Nichols, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier.

If you weren’t an artist, what would you be doing?

I probably would have found a lot of fulfillment in another type of artistic craft or perhaps industrial design. I’m always thinking about ways to change and design things to make them better. I also like the idea of ​​journalism to witness, record and share things about our world. However, if I could do something truly extraordinary, I think being an astronaut would be incredibly fascinating and meaningful.

What do you hope people take away from your work?

My goal is to foster a higher level of awareness and appreciation of the natural world in a way that sparks admiration, affection, and a subsequent need to protect it. Photography is an incredibly powerful tool for affecting change. So being a part of this movement in a meaningful way is very rewarding.

Where is your work shown or how/where can people see it?

The best place to see my work is online at ToddWinslowPierce.com and my photo conservation nonprofit, EagleValleyWild.org.

Is there anything else we should have asked, anything else you would like to share?

The prevalence of heavily manipulated images, especially those created by AI, poses a major threat to the integrity of photography as a profession and a reliable record of our world. Similar to fake news, it is very dangerous for people to create fantasy images and then pass them off as real just to get more attention or likes. Technology and legislation that protect the value of authentic images must be supported. And, for anyone interested in getting into photography as a career, treat it as a business first and foremost, educate yourself about licensing, copyright, appropriate pricing structures and the cost of doing business, what regardless of your age or experience level. Not properly valuing your work undermines established professional photographers and devalues ​​the very business in which you wish to make a living.