Nature's Lens: Exploring the National Parks Through Environmental Photography

My name is Peter Murray, a graduating senior at Hawken School. For my capstone project, I combined historical research and photography to explore four national parks across Appalachia: Shenandoah, New River Gorge, Great Smoky Mountains, and Mammoth Cave. After studying the history of each park, I spent eight days traveling through them, documenting their landscapes, wildlife, historic sites, and geological features through photography. This website presents both the stories behind these parks and my visual interpretations of them, demonstrating how natural and human history can often be deeply intertwined.