Sunset Salutation: Inside Will Roger’s Spiritual Photographs and Process →

If you need a calming force in your life right now, just head over to Burning Man co-founder Will Roger’s Instagram to marvel at his daily photos of the mountainous sunset near his home in Gerlach, Nevada. Roger used to be an associate professor of photography and even has a book out of aerial photos of Black Rock City called “Compass of the Ephemeral,” so he’s no shabby shooter.

It also turns out that you can’t learn more about these photos without taking a profound detour into Roger’s mindset, rituals, and philosophies. How ironic, then, that a conversation that started with a desire to talk about attractive images ended up as the spiritual and environmental pep talk we need right now.

This interview with Mia Quagliarello for Medium has been edited and condensed for clarity. > Read More

Aerial Photography of Black Rock City Documents the Historical Evolution of Burning Man

Compass of the Ephemeral includes a collection of Will Roger’s photographs chronicling the ever-changing cityscape and transformation of Black Rock City, home to Burning Man and one of the harshest climates in the continental U.S. The book traces the history and transition of Black Rock City from a few thousand people in the late 1990s to the growing metropolis required to support over 70,000 citizens today.

‘A BLANK CANVAS’

As the first director of operations of the Burning Man event, Will Roger worked alongside the other five founding board members and all others involved to ensure that Black Rock City becomes a reality each year and then vanishes without a trace.

He was instrumental in creating numerous foundations for the event; he established the Department of Public Works (DPW), a workforce of volunteers dedicated to building and deconstructing the physical infrastructure of Black Rock City. Will also actualised an FAA approved airport, and conceived traditions such as the Gold Spike Ceremony, a pre-event commemoration for the builders of Black Rock City, as the first stake is placed in the ground to survey and build the future city. > Read More @ My Green Pod

New Photobook Documents Notorious Burning Man

Roger says: “Burning Man is a blank canvas for people to come and create on. Burning Man creates a human empathy, then serendipity and creativity happens. Burning Man is the real world; everything else is the default world. People come away with changed lives and a changed culture because at Burning Man, everyone is human . . . there is no class, no color. You become family: human family, world family, global family.” > Read More @ Fine Books Magazine

Book Preview: Compass of the Ephemeral @ Nevada Museum of Art →

Join author, photographer and co-founder of Burning Man, Will Roger as he reveals his newest book which includes a substantial collection of Roger’s aerial photos chronicling the ever-changing cityscape and transformation of the temporary Black Rock City. This program will feature a panel discussion between Will Roger, Crimson Rose and William L. Fox, Director of the Center for Art + Environment at the Nevada Museum of Art, moderated by James Stanford.

Doors open at 5 pm with bar. Book signing to follow. > Register Here @ Nevada Museum of Art

Photo Exhibit at U.S. Capitol Celebrates Nevada's Public Lands →

Seventeen images of diverse, federally managed lands in Nevada are on display in the U.S. Senate’s Russell Building Rotunda. The exhibit, Home Means Nevada, organized by the non-profit group National Parks Conservation Association’s (NPCA), is intended to educate lawmakers about the unique aspects of Nevada’s public lands.

The images, including an aerial by Will Roger Peterson, will be shown from September 26-30, 2016. > Read More

Photo Exhibit Brings Splendor of Nevada to Capitol Hill →

Some of the Silver State’s most spectacular landscapes went on display Monday in Washington, D.C., as a weeklong photo exhibit called “Home Means Nevada” debuted in the rotunda of the Senate Russell Building.

The display of 17 images by 16 photographers highlights some of the unique treasures to be found on federally managed lands across the state, from bighorns to Burning Man, ancient rock art to Michael Heizer’s modern masterwork City. > Read More