Utah: Then & Now [Hardcover]

Ted Wilson (Author), Tom Till (Photographer)

Book Description

Series: Then & Now (Westcliffe) | Publication Date: September 2000

When paired with the historic images of 19th- and 20th-century photographers, the modern-day images of Utah photographer Tom Till reveal the changes that have shaped Utah's landscape during the past 100-plus years. To illustrate these sometimes drastic, sometimes subtle differences, Tom searched the state to locate the exact same spots from which to rephotograph the scenes captured by his predecessors. The results of this project evoke both hope and despair, enlightenment and discouragement. We see parts of Utah that have persevered97the red rock canyons of Arches National Park and the towering spires of Canyonlands National Park97alongside images of sprawl and development. Utah: Then & Now not only illuminates Utah's past but also provides food for thought about its direction in the future.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tom Till's photography is accompanied by the thoughtful and endearing text of Ted Wilson, former mayor of Salt Lake City. Ted provides the reader with historical background to better understand the changes portrayed in the photographs, as well as personal anecdotes and the perspectives of fellow Utahns who have also watched the state change so dramatically throughout their lives.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Westcliffe Publishers; First edition. edition (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156579379X
• ISBN-13: 978-1565793798
• Product Dimensions: 14.3 x 10.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,539,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tom Till is one of America's most published photographers. Over 150,000 of his images have appeared in print since 1977. In 1998, Till opened the Tom Till Gallery in Moab, Utah. Till's images depict landscape, nature, history, and travel subjects worldwide, including all fifty states and nearly sixty countries overseas.
Till's stock photography images have been featured by National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times, Outside Magazine, Canon Copiers, Delta Airlines, The New Yorker Magazine, Life Magazine, Browntrout Calendars, Eastman Kodak, Reader's Digest, Rand McNally, MGM, Arizona Highways, Lonely Planet, and thousands of others.
An exhibit of his images of UNESCO World Heritage Sites has been traveling the world for almost three years, with stops in Paris, Brussels, Copenhagen, Geneva and Oslo, among others. 
Though Till has been know as a master of the large format (4x5) camera and film for over 30 years, he has  switched to 35mm digital Canon equipment.  Recent trips have taken him to  South Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Viet Nam, Denmark, Sweden, and Slovenia,  and numerous sites in the United States.  A 35-year resident of Moab, Utah, Till has one of the largest photo libraries in existence of the Four Corners region.
Profiles about Till have appeared in Backpacker Magazine, Outdoor Photographer Magazine, Camera & Darkroom Magazine, and many other publications. Also numerous conservation and environmental groups have used Till's photos to galvanize support and illustrate their publications. Till was awarded Arizona Highways Photographer of the Year in 1996, the NANPA/Guilfoyle award for landscape photography in 1994, and was named one of the ten best landscape photographers by Nature's Best Magazine. Till received a special award from The Nature Conservancy in 1998. In 2006, Till was awarded the prestigious NANPA Fellow Award for 20 years of excellence in nature photography. Till is one of only a few landscape photographers to receive the honor, and the only Utahan. Till was also featured the book "World's Best Photographers: Landscape." Also in 2006, Till was inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Featured in the book World's Best Landscape Photographers: Landscape, Till is also the sole photographer for over 30 books.
Mikenna Clokey, Tom's daughter, is a journalist and professional river guide in the Grand Canyon and on other rivers. Tom's son Bryce is a junior at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, and a member of the Westminster golf team.
Till's other interests are movies, baseball, the Beach Boys, cosmology, rock and roll, and the television series Lost.
"I have a great job, and I feel very lucky and blessed to spend my life in the world's most beautiful places. The first, and biggest thrill, is being in the field all the time. Although I get a great deal of personal satisfaction and fun from my work, photography is really about sharing what you are experiencing with others not lucky or patient enough to be there themselves. It's also about noticing things everyone else passes by. The other great moments are the 25 or so "Christmases" I have yearly when my film comes back from the lab, and the thrill I still get from seeing my work in print," says Till.


BOOKS BY TOM TILL    (text author in parentheses)

1987     Colorado: Images from Above
1988     Outcroppings   (John McPhee)
1989     Utah: Compass Guide  (Tom Wharton)
1990     Utah Magnificent Wilderness   (Wallace  Stegner)
1991     New Jersey (Bill Bradley)
1992     American Southwest
1993     Visions of the Colorado Plateau
1995     Visions of the North
1996     The Woven Spirit of the Southwest
Sacred Images
Utah Slickrock Country
Utah Wildflowers
Utah Reflections
1997     Utah: A Centennial Celebration  (Brooke Williams)
1999    The Colorado Plateau: The Land and the Indians
Along New Mexico's Continental Divide Trail
New Mexico's Continental Divide Trail
New Mexico Wilderness
Always in Season
2000    Utah: Then and Now  (Ted Wilson)
Seasons in the Rockies
2001    Great Ghost Towns of the West  (Teresa Jordan)
In the Land of Moab
2004    Plateau Province
2005    Fodor's Utah Guide
2007    Utah: The Light Fantastic (Mikenna Clokey)
2008    Zion National Park Impressions
Success with Landscape Photography
2009    Canyonlands National Park
New Jersey Impressions
2010 Canyons of Utah  (Mikenna Clokey)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, thought-provoking book, November 20, 2000

By 

Jo Anne Keeffer (Pleasant View, Utah USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Utah: Then & Now (Hardcover)

Utah Then and Now is a wonderful look now only at the past, but at the possibilities for Utah's future.

Tom Till's photographs are breathtaking. You can see his love of the Western landscape in the care with which he photographs it. Ted Wilson's commentary is both thoughtful and thought provoking.

This is more than just a coffee table book. By putting photographs of Utah's past next to the present, it prods the reader to envision a third picture--that of Utah's future.

In many ways, Utah is at a crossroads. The state can choose to continue on the traditional road of developing every square inch of ground as if open space were a limitless resource. On the other hand, Utahns can recognize that the natural beauties of this state are at risk and can take responsibility for preserving the land. No matter which way Utahans ultimately choose to go, this book will help people appreciate the necessity for making a responsible decision.