When the world stood still in 2020, Andy Katz kept moving with his camera in hand. For more than five decades, Katz has traveled to over a hundred countries, capturing images that celebrate both the grandeur of landscapes and the intimacy of human connection. Yet, during the pandemic, his gaze turned inward. Grounded from international travel, Katz saw a rare opportunity: to embark on a photographic pilgrimage through his own country, visiting the national parks that together tell the story of America’s wild, unspoiled beauty.
That sense of refuge permeates the book. From a sunrise spilling over Yosemite Valley to the haunting stillness of the Everglades, the photographs seem to whisper that beauty, even in turbulent times, remains constant.
Throughout A Walk in the Park, light plays as much a role as the landscapes themselves. For Katz, light has always been the truest subject of his work. In Yellowstone, early morning mist becomes an ethereal veil. In Arches, the last rays of daylight ignite sandstone into a glowing monument.
“Light is nature’s paintbrush,” Katz reflects. “The parks gave me an endless palette. Every moment was fleeting, and that’s what made it extraordinary.”
This devotion to capturing the perfect balance of light and shadow recalls Ansel Adams, yet Katz’s work feels more intimate, more personal—less about monumentality and more about connection.
Beyond its visual power, A Walk in the Park carries a mission. A percentage of book sales benefits America’s National Parks, directly supporting preservation efforts. Katz sees this not as charity, but as reciprocity.
“These landscapes have given me so much,” he says. “It’s only right that the work gives back.”
In this way, the book serves as both inspiration and call to action. It reminds readers that the parks are not static museums but living ecosystems—fragile, threatened, and worth protecting.
The result is A Walk in the Park, a new book that is both a stunning visual chronicle and a profoundly personal narrative. Featuring images from 65 national parks, the collection is more than a coffee-table book: it is a testament to resilience, wonder, and the healing power of nature. This book feels less like an assignment and more like a calling. “I wanted to create something that wasn’t a guidebook, but a love letter,” Katz explains. “A reminder of what we have—and what we need to protect.”
The project took Katz from Acadia’s granite cliffs to the volcanic wilderness of Hawai‘i Volcanoes, from the crimson canyons of Zion to the glacial majesty of Denali. Each image is composed with Katz’s signature mastery of light, a luminous quality that transforms a familiar landscape into something timeless and transcendent.
As Will Shafroth, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation, writes in the book’s foreword:
“Andy Katz’s photography captures the light and beauty of America’s national parks, inspiring wonder through images that are singularly powerful and personal, yet always within reach of our understanding, always inspiring us to connect and to search. Begin your national park exploration here.”
The timing of the project gave it a weight beyond aesthetics. In 2020, the pandemic forced many of us to reconsider our relationship with the natural world. For Katz, the national parks became both sanctuary and stage. “They reminded me of what’s essential,” he says. “In a time of fear and uncertainty, the parks offered peace, perspective, and resilience. I wanted to translate that into images that others could hold onto.”
What sets A Walk in the Park apart is its intimacy. Rather than presenting the parks as distant marvels, Katz invites viewers to walk alongside him. His photographs feel accessible, moments anyone might stumble upon, if only they had Katz’s eye for light and patience for timing.
There are no people in the frames, yet the images are profoundly human. They reflect solitude, reverence, and awe—emotions that readers inevitably carry back into their own lives.
In an age of rapid consumption and fleeting digital imagery, A Walk in the Park asks us to slow down. To linger on a page. To notice the way a shadow bends across a canyon wall or the way sunlight pools on a forest floor.
The book reminds us that photography, at its best, is not about freezing time but about deepening it. Each image is an invitation to pause, breathe, and reconnect with a world larger than ourselves.
For Katz, this project also feels like a culmination. After decades of assignments around the world, he has distilled his artistry into something deeply personal. “These parks belong to all of us,” he says. “But they also became a part of me. This book is my way of giving that back.”
In many ways, A Walk in the Park is not just about America’s landscapes—it is about the American spirit itself. It celebrates resilience, unity, and beauty that transcends division. It is a reminder that while our lives may feel fragile, nature endures, and in its endurance, we find our own strength.
Ultimately, A Walk in the Park is more than a collection of photographs. It is a journey through wonder, a meditation on beauty, and a plea for preservation. It is art that asks us not only to look, but to see. As readers turn its pages, they are not simply observers of landscapes; they become participants in a shared inheritance. And in a time when so much feels uncertain, Andy Katz’s images offer something rare and enduring: hope, illuminated by light.
ABOUT ANDY KATZ
Andy Katz is an internationally recognized photographer based in the United States. With a career spanning four decades and travels to over 90 countries, Katz’s signature style is rich in texture, contrast, and composition, earning him a devoted following and a place among the elite Sony Artisans of Imagery. One of the world’s most collected photographers, with 14 books published, his work featured in museums and galleries around the world. Katz’s portfolio spans landscapes and cultures, and his deep connection to nature continue to push the boundaries of his photographic storytelling. For additional details and to view his photography and explore exhibitions, please visit www.andykatzphotography.com.
A Walk in the Park retails for $65 and is available to purchase at andykatzphotography.com.
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