West Virginia's wild and rugged beauty has a way of capturing the hearts of the people who live and play there.  Kent Mason is one of them. 

The smitten photographer fell in love with the landscape decades ago, and has since spent countless hours snapping shots of its most captivating features.  His images embody the heart and soul of the land, and pay homage to its splendor.

For The Nature Conservancy, his imagery is a conservation tool that inspires appreciation and support.  We recently spoke with Kent about what motivates him as a photographer and volunteer.

nature.org: You’re from Maryland, but take most of your photographs in West Virginia.  What draws you to that state?

Kent Mason: I went to Canaan Valley for the first time back in the mid 70s and became intrigued with the area.  My wife and I later came back to the area on camping trips with our kids, staying in campgrounds in Dolly Sods and hiking near the Conservancy’s Bear Rocks Preserve. I really liked the variety of habitats there, and the ever-changing weather.  It feels like you’re in the middle of the wilderness there, because of the harshness of the landscape and weather.  


nature.org: How did you become involved in nature photography?

Kent Mason: My first interest and love was nature, then came photography.  I remember my first major purchase out of college was a 35mm Pentax automatic.  It was my hobby at first, and I wasn’t very good at it back then, but I’d always take the camera on vacation.  But when I was injured in a bad car accident and had to limit my travels, I thought, "What can I do now?"  I knew what really nice terrain was like, so started coming back to West Virginia more frequently.  Now I’m here six months out of the year.
 

nature.org: Your father, Charles Mason, Sr., served on The Nature Conservancy's Board of Directors.  How did he get involved with the organization?

Kent Mason: My father was a very avid and accomplished birder, so I think he got into conservation to save habitat for the birds he loved.  He’d go out birding with people like Roger Tory Peterson (a well-known bird illustrator) and Rachel Carson (author of Silent Spring). He also went out the Dick Pough, co-founder of The Nature Conservancy.  He became involved with the organization in the late 50s, and then heavily involved in the 60s as treasurer of the Conservancy’s national office.
 

nature.org: You’re working on a book of West Virginia's natural areas.  Why did you decide to embark on this project, and how has the Conservancy been involved?

Kent Mason: I love the outdoors and photography, and thought that I ought to have some purpose to it.  In 2002 I started working on an environmental study of the West Virginia wilderness.  The first few years I was just donating prints to the Conservancy in West Virginia, which were given to major donors.  They became really popular.  I soon asked the Conservancy if they’d like to participate in telling the story of West Virginia’s natural areas, and they agreed.  
 

nature.org: What do you hope to achieve with your photography?

Kent Mason: I really feel that photography can be a great preservation tool.  For me, going out and doing photography is an inspirational experience and, by combining the goal of producing something that has value, it gives me good reason to go out there and do it more.  I wouldn’t be going to the top of a mountain looking for salamanders unless there was a goal in doing so.  It helps the Conservancy, and helps me become more knowledgeable and produce a more encompassing book.

nature.org: What do you enjoy most about working with us?

Kent Mason: I love getting out with staff and learning more, but it’s the satisfaction that I’ve contributed to the conservation effort that’s most rewarding.
 

Interviewed by Jessica Keith, Nature Conservancy marketing specialist-writer based in Dublin, Ohio. 

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Kent Mason (Spring at Bear Rocks Preserve); Photo © Chuck Lee (Photographer Kent Mason); Photo © Kent Mason (Flower).