Kent Mason is a landscape and nature photographer and conservationist who is currently creating a photographic environmental study of extraordinary wild places in the highlands of West Virginia. This is a collaborative effort with The Nature Conservancy which will result in a book titled the West Virginia Wilderness: A Photographic Study and Conservation View. Kent has been involved in photography for over 25 years and has been teaching visual design classes for the past ten years. He sells fine art landscape photography, has displayed his work in such places as the National Wildlife Federation headquarters, and has had images published in calendars and Nature’s Best magazine. He also leads photo tours in the West Virginia highlands where he lives six months of the year.

My Beliefs on our Natural World, Mankind, and Photography

1. All plant and wildlife species have the right to live and survive. For thousands of species the preservation of their habitat, wild places, is essential for their survival.
    
2. For mankind the value of wilderness preservation is extensive. To name just a few: cleaner air and water, opportunities to hike, camp, fish, hunt, kayak, bird watch, or to enjoy the flora, the woods, the quiet open spaces to connect with the natural world. It is our natural heritage.
    
3. The spectacular beauty of our natural world inspires people into action to preserve and conserve wilderness for future generations. Great photography is a powerful, compelling preservation and conservation tool.
    
4. For me, exploring and photographing our natural world is an inspirational journey of renewal where I create compelling images from the heart that can connect with the emotions of others and hopefully engages them in the preservation/conservation movement.
    
5. In short, my goal is to use photography to promote and preserve wilderness.

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