“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.”
~ John Muir
(1838 - 1914)
The first real draw to climb a mountain often begins with an image. The sight of an untouched summit holds a powerful allure—an invitation many climbers feel compelled to answer. Bradford Washburn was not only one of the most influential mountain photographers of his time but also among the finest climbers in Alaskan mountaineering history. His photographs capture far more than just the form of a peak; they embody stories of exploration, hardship, and discovery.
Using large-format aerial cameras, Washburn documented some of the most formidable mountains on Earth with extraordinary precision. His work is as significant to the history of photography as it is to the evolution of mountaineering and cartography. After the Storm exemplifies this mastery, revealing the immense scale of alpine terrain by depicting the shadows of six climbers traversing the Doldenhorn ridge in Switzerland. A quiet and humbling image that makes you pause and wonder how these peaks endure today—a reminder that such photographs may one day help us trace the passage of time and offer insight into Earth’s precious fragility.