Photography book part of bigger outreach effort

Flathead Valley photographer Steven Gnam has been romping around the Northern Rockies since childhood.

“My early years were full of huckleberry-stained hands, clothes sooty from picking morel mushrooms in forest fire burns, and the lingering smell of trout that clung to me after family fishing trips,” Gnam writes in the introduction to his debut photo book, “Crown of the Continent — The Wildest Rockies.”

“In middle school, I rode my bike beyond the edge of town to explore the woods and creeks flowing out of the Whitefish Range. My awareness of humanity’s connection to the land grew in those creek bottoms and deep forests.”

As an adult, Gnam spent years pushing his physical limits frolicking across the mountain ranges and valleys that make up the Crown of the Continent, with pounds of camera gear in tow.

Gnam’s passion for photography and mountain pursuits is vibrantly exhibited in his large-format photo book. The images are as varied as the landscapes he explores — dynamic wildlife shots and portraits, sweeping mountain views and detailed textures.

The Crown stretches from Waterton Lakes and Glacier National Park south through the Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Rocky Mountain Front to the Blackfoot Valley.

“Nowhere else on this continent, and very few places in the world, is such wildness intact alongside modern society,” Gnam says.

The book is intended to be more than a collection of pretty photos. The book is the centerpiece of a larger outreach campaign that aims to inspire others through art and education.

“This project was born so that we could share the treasure of the Crown and invite others to join us in this work,” Gnam said.

As part of the project, Gnam will deliver multimedia lectures throughout the West, while the project’s Web site — www.wildestrockies.org — provides a platform for the public to become engaged.

Gnam collaborated with nonprofit publisher Braided River to produce the book. Braided River is using crowdfunding to help support its outreach efforts. Their goal is to raise $5,000.

“Book sales alone don’t begin to cover our production costs, let alone any additional outreach,” publisher Helen Cherullo said. “And with a project like the Crown, the outreach tour is absolutely critical. On a tour, we can bring these unique images and stories to an even wider audience.”

A launch party for Gnam’s book will take place at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish on Friday, May 9, at 6 p.m.