Waiting for the Light: Early Mountain Photography in British Columbia and Alberta, 1865-1939

Michael Payne is head of the research and publications program, Historic
Sites and

Archives Service, Alberta Community Development, and co-author of A
Narrative History of Fort Dunvegan.

The title of this book comes from a comment by the noted photographer
Byron Harmon, who described his technique for capturing the elusive
beauty and the grandeur of mountain scenes as a process of “waiting
for the light.” Few photographers, amateur or professional, manage to
combine the patience and eye for composition that good mountain
photography requires. But as Brock Silversides reveals with this
magnificent collection of images, there are no better photographs when
they are done well.

The archival photographs highlight the book. Each photograph is clearly
identified, and the photographer (when known), along with the archives
or collection from which the image was selected, is listed. The
photographs are also grouped by theme and subject, but for the most part
they are allowed to stand on their own. Silversides has provided a brief
history of the early development of mountain photography, and discusses
the careers of the most important professional photographers whose works
are featured in the collection; for the most part he does not attempt to
overexplain the meaning or significance of the photographs.

The range and variety of photographs is surprising and reflects the
wealth of photographic material found in the Glenbow and Whyte Museum
and the Provincial Archives of Alberta and British Columbia. This is not
simply a collection of artistic shots of great scenery, but a social
history of railway and industrial development in the mountains; of
tourism and associated activities like hiking, skiing, and
mountaineering; and of mountain communities like Banff, Jasper, Field,
Blairmore, Coleman, and Vernon. This is a book to be sampled and enjoyed
over time.