"The photo images reminded me of the great impressionists"

When you open up National Geographic's coffee table photo album entitled LAST STAND: AMERICA'S VIRGIN ISLANDS you immediately are aware of very unusual photographic techniques. A fast glance to the back of the book succinctly explains:

"The photographs appearing in this book represent two types of work. Roughly half were shot on color transparency film. The rest were shot on black-and-white infrared negative film and the prints then hand-colored by photographer Annie Griffiths Belt. The borders were specially created by designer Jen Christiansen. Captions for photographs were deliberately kept vague as to location to discourage visitation to these fragile natural sights."

With this above information firmly implanted in my brain I slowly re-inspected the brilliant photo images and concurred with the creators of this book that it is best not to advertise the locations of these intensely poetic photographic masterpieces.

You may ask why? The reply is simply that many of these photo images tell a story of America's Virgin Lands, their wildlife and habitats which at all costs need to be preserved. It is in fact the "Last Stand" and the photos serve as a strong invitation to contemplate the earth, trees, seasons and oceans and what it would mean if we continue to destroy these marvels of nature.

The book is a compilation of highly sensitive images illustrating the infinite mysterious faces of nature. Moreover, we are exposed to the fine sense of observation and perfect technical skills of Annie Griffiths Belt's photography.

Flipping through the pages of this photo album we invariably can't help but admire the richness of the foliage of the live oaks of South Carolina, the haunting Georgia Barrier Island, the whisper of the winds in the trees of Northern Florida, and the mystique of the North Cascades Forest of Northern Washington. These and many more infinite faces of nature are displayed within the five sections of the book that are divided as follows: wetlands, woodlands, coasts, grasslands and dry lands. Each section reaffirms the delicate power of Belt's photography and inspires us to share her emotions.

After savouring the photos illustrated in this book, I would have to concede that I felt there was a kind of impressionistic quality attached to these images that reminded me of the masterpieces of such great artists such as Degas, Monet, and Pissaro.

Reviewed by Norman Goldman
Posted November 12, 2002

Summary

Last Stand takes readers from the tallgrass prairies of Kansas to the Arctic tundra of Alaska to the deserts of the Southwest and bears passionate witness to our last wildernesses, reminding us why they must be preserved.

Dedicated conservationist and acclaimed novelist Barbara Kingsolver teams with National Geographic photographer Annie Griffiths Belt to capture the essence of America's endangered virgin lands. In her moving introduction and int he essays opening each chapter, Kingsolver deftly explores the ways of the wilderness, the threats against it, and what it needs to survive. Griffiths Belt's accompanying hand-tinted infrared photographs breathtakingly evoke the spirit and beauty of these diverse bioregions.