Perhaps you’ve heard about the upcoming Ken Burns documentary series on our country’s National Parks? On a related note, the lobby of the Balboa Theater is currently featuring the photos of Quang-Tuan Luong, specifically his series of National Park pictures.
My Balboa Theater newsletter came this week and it was packed with great information about this local photographer. Born to Vietnamese parents in Paris, France, Luong was trained as a scientist but spent his free time as a mountain climber and wilderness guide.
Later he came to Berkeley for his work and after spending time in Yosemite, he fell in love with the National Parks and decided to photograph all of them with a 5×7 large format camera, a single-handed, self-financed, monumental project that had not been completed by anyone before.
To anchor his project, he settled in the San Francisco Bay Area and started criss-crossing this country to capture its diverse beauty. Luong’s in-depth coverage of the Parks often dictated long hikes into the backcountry, with a 75 lb backpack, and only his passion and dedication to keep him company.
By 2002, Luong had visited each of the 58 National Parks. He subsequently left his distinguished career as a scientist to work as a full-time photographer. Since then, his photographs have been published in many books, and have appeared in several publications around the world. His website, terragalleria.com, is one of the top photographer sites in the world.
Luong’s work plays a vital role in Ken Burns’ new documentary “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”. In the course of researching locations for the documentary, Ken Burns saw the images on Luong’s website, and used them to help plan his production.
Impressed by the wealth and quality of the photos, Burns used some of Luong’s images to fill missing sequences in their cinematography. Intrigued by the story of Luong’s life and project, they featured him as one of the few living characters in the film.
To see Luong’s work up close, stop by the Balboa Theater lobby, or visit his website. The “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” series will air on PBS from Sunday, September 27 through Friday, October 2, 2009 in six parts. View the TV schedule.
Sarah B.
I went to the Balboa to see the photographs… superb. Wish there had been more.