My favorite is Claude Fidler - not because he's artistically significant - in fact, he's largely
given up photography - but because he's the only fellow to seriously explore Great Basin
backcountry with a 4x5. Some of those spots are pretty tricky to get into, and it took
a higly conditioned climber like him to do it. I've even been to incredible places in Death Valley which exactly zero name-brand photographers have ever seen. Long time ago, when I was personally well heat conditioned. Just approaching some of those canyons
with an 8X10 a few years ago made me quite aware of the distinction of living on the foggy
coast for decades versus hot low desert, even in February! But when the inland folks visit
here in the summer, they're wearing coats while I'm running around in a T-shirt. So it's all
relative.