Yosemite national park was founded in California in 1890. The opening of Yosemite National Park marks a significant milestone in the conservation and appreciation of natural beauty in the United States. Yosemite became the third national park in the country. It showcased the beautiful landscapes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. The park inspired generations of nature enthusiasts, artists, and conservationists. Yosemite's founding marked the beginning of a cultural and artistic movement. The park's wide variety of scenery captured the imagination of painters, photographers, writers, and adventurers. Many artists flocked there for inspiration for their work. Artists like Ansel Adams captured Yosemite's landscapes through photography and writers like John Muir advocated for its protection. Judy Dater took a collection of photos at Yosemite to show off her work. She had an artistic journey at Yosemite National Park, representing a unique mix of photography, feminism, and the natural world. Dater's presence at Yosemite helped pave the way for greater recognition of women in the male-dominated field of photography. She helped women challenge the old ways and create new voices for themselves. Yosemite was crucial for Judy Dater to show her creativity and voice. She proved herself to be a great photographer with the pictures she took at Yosemite national park.

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by Josselyn Nau

1. Choice  Group f/64 was an iconic San Francisco Bay Area photography movement that heavily influenced Judy Dater and many other artists. The group members included Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange, Willard Van Dyke and Imogen Cunningham. The group promoted a new style of photography that Dater ended up using during her career. They introduced a different approach to black and white photos that emphasized careful framing and sharp focus. They wanted to present the camera’s vision as clearly as possible. This is called straight photography. The purpose of straight photography is to make the photos look less like paintings and more like photos using sharp contrast. With this, people learned how to capture the reality of the world without having to manipulate the photo after it has already been produced. Group f/64 was so iconic because it was one of the first modern art movements equally defined by women. It promoted the photographic careers of all of the members while moving away from pictorialism. Dater used this way of new photography to capture “pure” imagery like her many images taken at Yosemite national park and at other outdoor landscapes. Many people still use straight photography to this day and influences of it.

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by Josselyn Nau

The feminist artist movement from 1960 through the 70s was the second wave of feminism that focused on equality and discrimination. Feminist artists used many ways of art like paintings, photographs, crafts, and performance art to show womens work. They used these in hopes to end sexism and oppression. Many organizations and efforts were created to help the movement. For example, some include Washington Women's Arts Center, Los Angeles Council of Women Artists, and the Women's Artist in Revolution (WAR). These were founded/protested to help the representation of women artists around the world. They quickly spread through museum protests and the early network, West-East bag. Later, in a nationally circulated newsletter and conference, more first generation women artists started to become more recognized. Some of these women include Judy Chicago, Miriam Schapiro and Suzanne Lacy. Because of this movement women started catching up to men in the established art world and started gaining equal rights. They were still far from equality but they were making big steps to get closer. Because of this movement, Judy Dater had the way paved for her to become the successful artist she is now. Her photographs also capture a lot of feminist work and ideas.

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by Josselyn Nau