Meet Your Artist: Todd Winslow Pierce
Get to know your Vail Valley artists
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 first buildings with Fitzhugh Scott. After a decade of traveling back and forth between Milwaukee and Vail, they decided to open a permanent architecture firm in Vail in 1972, which is when my family moved here. I was just 1 year old.
Where did your passion for art come from?
My father is really an artist at heart and my late aunt and uncle were professional commercial artists and painters as well, so it runs in the family. I enjoyed drawing when I was a kid, but when I got my first good camera in my early 20s, I was hooked by a new way of capturing things I saw, as well as by the combination of art and technology it offered.
Describe your style of art.
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I think my more artistic landscape work embodies certain characteristics of dramatic light, bold elements and mood that reveal compelling aspects of the natural world, whereas my conservation work tends to take a little more of a storytelling approach. In all cases, I pursue and use light to my advantage in order to capture the best possible images in-camera, which leads to minimal post-processing and never any digital enhancements that transcend the reality I witnessed with my own eyes.
Who are your favorite artists?
Generally speaking, my favorite artists are those who are able to make us forget we are looking at a photo, painting or sculpture, because our emotional response or sense of awe transports us intellectually and emotionally. By provoking thought and emotion through artistic expression, artists make a significant impact in the world.
Tell us about one of your favorite pieces that you’ve 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 when imagination became reality. After a lot of advance planning with topographic maps, compass, astronomical charts, some high-school trigonometry and location scouting (before there was an app for planning these things), not to mention some luck with the weather, everything came together perfectly in a single frame.
Who has helped you along the way? Who/what inspires you?
I was fortunate to have a few key mentors when I was getting started, including Galen Rowell and Art Wolfe. John Shaw was also a big influence both visually and business-wise. I continue to be inspired by photographers who make a tangible difference in the world through their visual storytelling, such as 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 with another type of artistic craftwork or perhaps industrial design. I’m always thinking about ways of modifying and designing 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 really 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 for the natural world in a way that evokes admiration, affection and a subsequent urge to protect it. Photography is an incredibly powerful tool to affect change, so to be part of that movement in a meaningful way is very rewarding.
Where is your work shown or how/where can people view it?
The best place to view my work is online at ToddWinslowPierce.com and my conservation photo nonprofit organization, EagleValleyWild.org.
Anything else we should have asked, anything else you’d like to share?
The prevalence of heavily manipulated imagery, especially those created by AI, is a major threat to the integrity of photography as a profession and trustworthy record of our world. Akin to fake news, it’s really harmful when people create fanciful images and then pass them off as real just to get more attention or likes. Technology and legislation that protects the value of genuine imagery must be supported. And, for anyone wanting to get into photography as a career, treat it like a business first and foremost, learn about licensing, copyright, proper fee structures and cost of doing business, regardless of your age or experience level. Failure to properly value your work undermines established pro photographers and devalues the very business you’re wanting to make a living at.