How to Recognize Art by Galen Rowell

Galen Rowell (1940-2002) was a wildlife photographer and naturalist whose work was often compared with Ansel Adams, with the notable exception that it was in color instead of black-and-white. Rowell, who began his photography career with "National Geographic," offered a visually dynamic style of photography that not only relied upon natural lighting to provide dramatic effects, but unusual perspectives that could only be captured through patience and the attraction to adventure. Rowell, in other words, considered himself to be a participant in his compositions, as opposed to just being an observer.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Recognize the unique perspectives of the art of Galen Rowell, which could only be achieved through expert hiking and mountaineering, his other passions. Rowell felt that an integral part of enjoying his photography was appreciating the skill it took to achieve his specific point of view, which separated his images from looking like something "that was taken from the side of the road."
2. Study Galen Rowell's artistic style by viewing many of his most well-known photographs such as "Wild Horses Below Fitz Roy, Patagonia," "Split Rock and Cloud" and "Clearing Storm over El Capitan, Yosemite." These images are marked not only by vivid colors and dynamic contrast, but by the unique and fleeting natural conditions that are captured on film.
3. Note many of the exotic locations featured in many of Galen Rowell's photographs. Rowell strove to capture uncommon images, which he called "dynamic landscapes," that had never been seen by human eyes before, much less been photographed. Dynamic landscapes were fleeting and instantaneous by definition, which made them all the more important.
4. Read Galen Rowell's 1986 book, "Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape," which is one of the best-selling how-to manuals for photography ever written. It contains some of Rowell's most distinctive images, coupled with tips on how to recognize unique conditions and achieve similar results.
5. Check out Galen Rowell's many other books, which cover such subjects as environmentalism, mountaineering techniques and visual cognition in humans. This may give you a more well-rounded perspective into what Rowell was trying to create with his art.

Tips & Warnings

• Galen Rowell, along with his wife Barbara, created a website dedicated to his vision of conservationism called Mountain Light, where you can buy books, prints and posters (see Resources below).

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