Matt Inden on a shoot with his large format, 8×10, camera.

AS A PHOTOGRAPHER OF NATURE, I like to judge a work by determining whether it is worthy of being placed on a wall. Does the piece inspire the viewer with the feelings of being transported through space and time, into the scene in front of him or her? Can he or she reach out and touch the sloping mounds of sand or the crisp, newly fallen snow? Those are the images for which I search and ask, ‘Will this make it to someone’s wall?’ Of course, ultimately, it is up to you, the people that share my passion for the outdoors, that are the final decision-makers—the outdoor lovers that stop at places of beauty and take a moment to ponder. It is amazing what powerful ideas and emotions nature can invoke.  There are those magical places that always seem to hold you in your tracks a little longer than usual—be it your first time there or your twentieth. To me, these are the places that inspire and that I feel must be preserved.