William Henry Jackson is the grandfather of conservation photography. The man was certainly committed to his photography– during his surveying journeys of the American West, he needed a horse and pack mule to carry his 8×10-inch field camera, large glass photographic plates and a canvas-tent darkroom– well over 100 pounds of equipment.
Jackson is known for taking some of the 
first photographs of the Yellowstone region, while accompanying Ferdinand V. Hayden’s geological surveys to the area between 1871 and 1872. His photographs helped convince Congress to preserve the area in some way and led to the designation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, which laid the groundwork for protected areas around the world. In 1873, Jackson’s photos were also compiled into a portfolio by the Department of the Interior and presented to Congress to gain funds for future expeditions to the western United States.
Photojournalism for Change 