In Natural Visions, Finis Dunaway tells the story of how visual imagery--such as wilderness photographs, New Deal documentary films, and Sierra Club coffee-table books--shaped modern perceptions of the natural world and led to the development of the contemporary conservation movement. By examining the relationship between the camera and environmental politics through detailed studies of key artists and activists, Dunaway captures the emotional and spiritual meaning that became associated with the American landscape. Throughout the book, he reveals how photographers and filmmakers adapted longstanding traditions in American culture--the Puritan jeremiad, the romantic sublime, and the frontier myth--to literally picture nature as…