Carleton Watkins

Watkins made this first trip into Yosemite in 1861, focusing on mountains and falls like Weed did. 

Carleton Watkins was Weed's rival, with both photographers assumed to have been competing in the 1860s. Watkins is the one whose name is more remembered though, with his photography strongly associated with Yosemite despite Weed's work making history (Kurutz). 

Watkins was born on November 11, 1829 in Oneonta, New York, and actually came to California in 1849 during the Gold Rush. It only took him three years to switch to photogaphy after the Sacramento City fire. He learned it very much by accident as he stood in for an absent photographer at the studio he worked at, and decided to make his first trek into Yosemite in 1861. 

The picture here is from his first trip into Yosemite, showing more mountains and forest than Weed initially did. 

This unique view was a part of Watkins' second trip to Yosemite, representing a different photographic view. 

Watkin's also photographed the well-known Cathedral Rock, with new equipment to get him a better view. 

Watkins earned himself national acclaim very quickly as his prints from 1861 were put in in the prestigious Goupil's Art Gallery in New York in 1863. Watkins competed with Weed during this time, returning to Yosemite in 1865 to take more photographs like the two shown. He appeared to focus on different types of areas, although did photograph popular areas like Cathedral Rock. 

During subsequent trips to Yosemite, Watkin's took images such as this with new equipment. He was able to focus on larger images. 

The falls were always a popular subject to photograph, with Watkins continuing the tradition into the 1870s. 

Watkins' displayed incredible skill with his new types of cameras. He was able to obtain many high up photos like this image. 

Watkins returned to Yosemite multiple times throughout his life, establishing himself as the preeminent landscape photographer of the West. The images pictured are all from the 1870s, although Watkins himself created the Yo-semite Art Gallery in 1867. This was when he started copyrighting his own work to prevent confusion with Weed (Grenbeaux). 

Watkins hit misfortunes then, and in 1876, had all his negatives taken by IW Taber due to debt. With a high amount of Yosemite photographers and a public who couldn't discern good from bad, Watkins was unable to regain his previous success. By the mid 1890s, he could no longer work due to deteriorating eyesight and ended his life living in poverty. He lost all his photos in the 1906 San Francisco fire, and was committed to Napa State Hospital for the insane from 1910-1916.

His life, like Weed's, ended quite poorly, although he did have a huge impact on the influx of people to Yosemite and California in general (National Gallery of Art). Watkins' photography is in fact largely credited with helping the Yosemite Bill of 1864 pass in order to protect Yosemite from development.