#colorado #breckenridge #realestate
To become the most well-known nature photographer in Colorado, John Fielder had to visit locations that are anything but well known.
Fielder built his reputation by photographing the state’s hard-to-reach places, the nooks and crannies that are, quite literally, off the beaten path. And those trips, in addition to photos, also produced many memorable stories.
As noted by Fielder’s biographer, Steve Walsh, in his 2019 book “John Fielder in Focus,” Fielder would have never felt comfortable taking pictures in everyday locations, with other photographers nearby.
In creating this extensive collection, all those incursions into the unknown — the off-trail wanderings, the detours down drainages, the amount of bushwhacking and scrambling that had to occur — resulted in a lot of close calls, near misses and life-threatening situations for Fielder.
I had the pleasure of discussing this topic with him a couple of times in the years before his passing. He managed to survive all of his adventures without any injuries by always maintaining safety as paramount, and he told me sharing that side of his craft is why he was so pleased with Walsh’s book and its easy reading style, which is good for kids who are starting to explore nature.
He sent me a copy of the book and wrote in the inscription that he thought I would enjoy his story of the flying llama, which Walsh included.
