The Great Outdoors

Landscape as a living archive

A photographic project paying homage to the great American outdoors through the eyes of a selected community of photographers. From national parks to mountain roads, forests and rivers, small towns and landscapes shaped by the changing seasons, the project explores the emotional and cultural dimension of the American landscape, together with the often imperceptible traces of human presence.

Each photographer brings a distinctive visual language and a personal relationship with the outdoors, contributing to an ever-evolving archive shaped by seasons, atmospheres and regional identities. Some focus on silence and vastness, others on texture, distance, light or movement through space.

Together, these perspectives create a layered portrait of the places that continue to shape Woolrich’s identity and origins.

MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Clayton Cotterell is a photographer and director born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, he discovered photography as a teenager and later went on to study the medium in Seattle and New York City. His work spans genres including portraiture, still life, landscape, and lifestyle while his inspiration comes from the authentic and subtle obscurities that exist within the real world.

Palouse River, Washington State, United State


Is there a place you always find yourself returning to?

"I’m always drawn to the mountains, the scale and sense of awe I feel when I see them never gets old."


What camera do you usually shoot with?

"I primarily shoot with the Sony Alpha cameras."


What does The Great Outdoors mean to you?

"To me, the great outdoors mean both peace and adventure. There’s a lot of beauty in that. It can be absolutely quiet or deafeningly loud. It’s the extremes of nature and the outdoors that make me feel I am part of the world, a very small part."