Photographer John Fielder to work with Longmont's Flagstaff Academy students Tuesday

Renowned nature photographer and environmentalist John Fielder will be at Flagstaff Academy in Longmont on Tuesday to coach students one-on-one and present to the public in the evening.

Fielder has traveled Colorado for the last 40 years, documenting the state's natural beauty. He has authored or photographed for numerous coffee table and guide books about the outdoors and is a vocal advocate for responsible environmental stewardship.

Flagstaff Academy communications coordinator Lisa Trank-Greene said that Fielder's visit to the school happened by chance when a parent ran into him at Barnes & Noble at the school's annual event.

Fielder will start his visit to Flagstaff by critiquing photos taken by 15 middle schoolers in the advanced photography class. He then will hold two assemblies for students, where he will show a slideshow of photos and talk to them about his unique career that mixes art and science.

At 6 p.m., Fielder will be signing and selling books and calendars at Flagstaff Academy, 2040 Miller Drive, and will start his talk, which is open to the public, at 6:30 p.m. Trank-Greene said that 30 percent of the book sales on Tuesday will go toward the Flagstaff Academy photography program.

Fielder said he hopes to impart both his passion for nature and the idea of turning a hobby into a career to the students during his time at the school.

I hope they get "an appreciation for nature and biodiversity, No. 1. And secondly, a great appreciation for the creative arts and, in my case, photography," he said in a phone interview. "That's the thing I enjoy talking to kids about — my life path, which began with an influential middle school science teacher in Charlotte, N.C., where I grew up. And I trace the path from those influences on me to ultimately coming to Colorado when I was a teenager to combining my love for the outdoors with creative arts."

Fielder added that he hopes his talk inspires the students to appreciate nature and encourage the adults at the evening talk to become involved in protecting the environment.

"With the adults, I want to talk not only entertainment, but I want to talk environmental politics, for sure. (I want to) give people a way in which they can work as advocates to protect the very things that we all love in Colorado," he said. "That's kind of the 50-50 with me. I love the outdoors and I love sharing my photos, but I'm an issues person too and I want people to now address issues, whether it's global warming or water issues that we clearly have here in Colorado."

His photographs of the beauty of Colorado are only a gateway to the entire experience, Fielder added.

"It's one thing to look at the pictures or look at my books or my slideshow, but it's entirely another to see it and smell it and taste it and touch it and hear it and only then is there an opportunity for those people to become advocates for preserving those values," he said.

Karen Antonacci: 303-684-5226, antonaccik@times-call.com or twitter.com/ktonacci