When photography was in its infancy, the American West was still a frontier; and, for a period of about fifty years, the two interacted in a complex and fascinating way. Dramatic subject matter in the West became accessible to photographers just when the newly-discovered wet-plate process enabled them to work outdoors. Thereafter, Western explorers consistently used photography to record their discoveries. It was primarily through the resulting photographs that the frontier became known. Ironically, these early images hastened the demise of the frontier they so beautifully documented. LIGHT IN THE WES rediscovers this empire through the eyes (and camera lenses) of the extraordinary people who were the first photographers to venture west. At a time when making photographs was as difficult as traveling in uncharted wilderness, these men truly were pioneers.