Some photographers have an eye for ideas, others a way of finessing the medium’s tricky technical aspects. When a photographer who champions a vital cause is also a consummate image-maker, the result is a tour de force — as Carlton Ward Jr.’s work in conservation photography reminds us. Documenting the state’s dwindling population of cattle ranchers and their role as good stewards of undeveloped land, Ward shines light on a little-known aspect of Florida’s heritage vitally relevant to the current state of the environment. When he’s not snapping breathtaking photos of cowboys in the mist, Ward — a Bay area native whose great-grandfather, Doyle Carlton, served as governor during the Depression — runs a nonprofit called LINC, promoting awareness of land conservation efforts.
carltonward.com; linc.us.
