Deep Canyon

A Desert Wilderness for Science

: Ansel Adams, 1965

Let There Be Light

The Photos

In 1965, renowned photographer Ansel Adams visited the deserts of Southern California and the Philip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center on a commission for the University of California as part of the “Fiat Lux” (“Let There Be Light”) collection. Through dozens of highly detailed landscape photographs, Adams documented not only the beauty of the desert, but preserved for future generations a window into the past. We see in these photographs a snapshot of the original landscape, before 50 years of urban development, changing climate, and environmental upheaval.

The Book

In 1976, 22 of Adams’ photographs were published in Deep Canyon, a Desert Wilderness for Science. At 177 pages, the book also includes many other photos, illustrations, and text capturing Deep Canyon, the surrounding Santa Rosa Mountains, and the Colorado Desert.

Own a copy

Used copies of Deep Canyon can be found for purchase online, but a limited number were kept in storage and have never been opened. These “like new” books are available now to supporters of the Philip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center. Complete the donation form above to receive your copy.

: Ansel Adams, 1965

Increase your donation, and be a part of a new project to reexamine Deep Canyon:

Fiat Redux

Revisiting Ansel Adams' Desert Wilderness

: Ansel Adams, 1965

Even this protected landscape, as Ansel Adams saw it, has not escaped change. The ongoing effects of the global climate crisis have come for the desert. And, at the same time our “traditional” conception of wilderness is growing to recognize traditional Native American land management practices, and to be more inclusive of communities long excluded from outdoor recreation and scientific research. Fiat Redux will revisit Adams’ desert wilderness and reexamine the landscape in a new light. How has the environment changed since his visit? How is the community around Deep Canyon adapting to a changing world? And how can we reach a collective understanding of our environment and work together for a more resilient future?

To answer these questions, this project will bring together an interdisciplinary team of project managers, expert advisors, and partner staff, drawing on expertise in the relationships between people, plants, animals, climate, traditional ecological knowledge, science, and the arts to hold a public conversation about the challenges faced and opportunities raised by our changing environment.