A quest to document the endangered and disappearing scenic skylines of historic, rural Utah.
My name is Robert Stevens. I am an award-winning journalist and photographer living and working in Utah. I am also an FAA-licensed unmanned aircraft pilot.
My goal with this crowdfunding campaign is to facilitate the use of my experience as a drone pilot, photographer and journalist to document aerial-perspective photographs of historic, rural Utah for posterity.
As managing editor of award-winning Utah weekly newspaper, The Sanpete Messenger, I became aware of how rapidly Utah is developing—with factories and big housing developments popping up all over the state. Even Silicone Valley is now facing competition from the progress of Utah's "Silicone Slopes."
Right here in the very rural Sanpete County, with its farms and tiny little towns and cities, the impact of development on the landscape when viewed from above is evident.
Drones provided me access to an elevated perspective most people don’t have. It became obvious to me that the beautiful and historic landscapes in rural Utah will become spotted, then dense with development in just a few short years.
I have made it my goal as a professional in the fields of journalism, photography, and unmanned aircraft to capture the essence of rural Utah from a soaring, elevated perspective in sharp, vibrant photographs before it’s too late.
The reason I am turning to crowdfunding for help with this project is simple—I want to do it right!
I need to rent the best aerial optics and equipment I can obtain, take the time to capture, develop and curate the collection of images to be the best they can be, and then print them to be appreciated when the beautiful patches of earth they depict have long since been developed.
I need to do it justice.
If Utah continues to prosper and grow—like I know it will—someday these beautiful landscapes will vanish forever, so please help me accomplish my goal of preserving them through a combination of time-honored methods and cutting-edge aerial photographic technology.
The project will focus on the epic scenery that is still abundant in the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area. This stretch of land along the U.S. 89 corridor remains one of the most beautiful and historic places in the state. Historic monuments like the Manti Temple dot the landscape. Equally beautiful and endangered subjects like small town culture, agriculture and heritage livestock culture also make the area a hotbed of beauty...For now.
To get together a collection worthy of its purpose, I estimate my costs will be around $3,000, so I have set my goal to that amount. If I raise more than $3,000, it will mean I can document more beauty, and in higher quality.
If you contribute $20 or more to the campaign, you will be listed as a contributor in the free-for-all online gallery that I will make the collection available through. If you contribute $50 or more, you will get a hi-res digital image of your choice from the collection. If you contribute $100 or more, you will get a signed and numbered 11"x14" print of your choice from a curated list of collection highlights.
Besides the free online gallery, it is my hope that the collection can be made into a hardbound book. All contributors towards the campaign will receive a 10% discount off the final sale price of the book.
There will be challenges (inclement weather, potential equipment malfunctions, etc.), but if you help make this project happen, I give you my word that I will use every ounce of my skills and all my training and practice as a professional photojournalist and commercial unmanned aircraft pilot, along with the most professional equipment possible, to make this a beautiful aerial photojournalism collection worthy of appreciating for generations to come.
