Galen A. Rowell

Eighty color photographs arranged to reflect the infinitely varying qualities of light in mountain landscapes are accompanied by an informative text describing Rowell's philosophy of photography, the development of his personal style, and the methods guiding his work

The grand master of adventure photography reveals the art, craft, and philosophy behind his images. In sixty-six essays based on his popular column in Outdoor Photographer , and in more than one hundred and sixty color photographs, Galen Rowell shows how he transforms what he sees into vivid, memorable works of art. He clearly explains why "pre-visualizing" a photograph before exposing any film is one key to making an arresting image rather than a mere replica of what we see through the viewfinder. Along the way he also offers advice on practical and technical matters such as how to pack camera gear; what to leave behind when you've got to travel light; pushing film to extremes; and when and how to use fill flash, smart flash, and remote smart flash.This is a how-to book by an artist who has made adventure and photography a way of life. It is both an inspired manual to taking better photographs and an inspiring journey of discovery into the creative process. 160 color photographs

Galen Rowell was the archetypal adventure photographer, his iconic images published in leading magazines and scores of books, exhibited in major galleries, and cherished by fans ranging from the Dalai Lama to news anchor Tom Brokaw. When he and his wife and business partner, Barbara Cushman Rowell, perished in a small-plane crash in 2002, he had just completed a landmark assignment for National Geographic and had begun making stunning new images of his favorite old haunts in the Sierra Nevada.Fortunately for us, his productivity was immense and his photographs eticulously archived, making possible this first and only comprehensive retrospective of his work. It includes more than 175 images representing all phases and dimensions of Rowell’s singular career, chosen by the editors with whom he worked most closely, overseen by his family and studio colleagues, and reproduced to the highest standards of lithography from digital masters of his 35mm frames. Complementing and illuminating the pictures are essays and commentaries by Rowell’s friends and associates from the worlds of mountaineering, conservation, photography, and publishing, along with an in-depth biographical introduction by Robert Roper and an appreciation of his work by photography critic Andy Grundberg.

A member of an American mountaineering team that set off in 1975 to climb the world's second highest peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range tells of the successes and failures that have marked various expeditions

In sixty practical yet inspirational essays drawn from his Outdoor Photographer column, and in 145 stunning color photographs, world-renowned photographer Galen Rowell explains and demonstrates the techniques he uses to transform light and color into vivid, uniquely expressive art.The illuminating essays in Galen Rowell's Vision are grouped into four chapters covering the fundamental aspects of the art of adventure photography as practiced by one of its "Goals," transforming dreams into realities through personal vision; "Preparations," pushing the limits of equipment, film, and technique; "Journeys," merging visions with realities; and "Realizations," communicating one's worldview through photography. Throughout, Rowell includes examples of some of his most memorable images and relates fascinating anecdotes from his extraordinary photographic career.

ÒÉGalen Rowell has visited some of the most beautiful and least trampled parts of Alaska, made some breathtaking new ascents, including a reckless speed climb of Mount McKinley . . . High & Wild is a book to be read again and again and to feast on in times of despair.Ó Charles S. Houston, M.D., Leader 1938, 1953 American K2 Expeditions ÒGalen Rowell is the best among those who now chronicle mountaineering expeditions. By perceptively viewing the mountains not only in the historical context of those who sought them, but also in their ecological setting, the landscapes, peoples, wild animals, he imbues the remote summits with lasting life.Ó George Schaller author of The Stones of Silence Ò. . . Hetch Hetchy . . . Half Dome . . . Alaska . . .The Cirque of the Unclimbables . . . in all these places he took stunning pictures, pictures of the inaccessible and the fabulously picturesque. Accompanying these gorgeous shots, composed with a heroic eye on precipices and polar air, are his compelling narratives of the climbs that made them possible.Ó New York Times ÒHe is a superb photographer . . . [High and Wild] admits us to an extraordinary world of great expanse and significance as few books do.Ó San Francisco Chronicle ÒThe impeccable photojournalism of Galen Rowell makes wilderness exploration seem even more majestic.Ó PublisherÕs Weekly ÒFew photographers capture the spirit and substance of high and wild places the way Galen Rowell does. He earned fame first as a climber, and now . . . heÕs possibly the worldÕs best-known photojournalist.Ó Outside Magazine

Gather photographs of mountains, rivers, canyons, forests, plains, and native peoples around the world

This is photojournalist Galen Rowell's acclaimed portrait of the mountain lands of China and Tibet -- a realm the Chinese call the "middle kingdom" between earth and sky, higher and more remote than anywhere else on earth. Rowell's text sets his own adventures in this exotic region against a rich historical and cultural background, recreating the exploits of and describing the dramatic changes that recent years have wrought on Chinese life and society. From the palaces of Lhasa to the pristine strongholds of the snow leopard, the 85 splendid color photographs and compelling narrative map a geography that stretches the bounds of imagination.

As America stands to the rest of the world, so stands California to America - a bright shining promise of endless possibility. This exquisite celebration of "California The Beautiful" is both a portrait of the diverse natural beauty of the Golden State and through the incredible voices of its writers, a testament to the ever-renewing spirit that it has come to embody. Aldous Huxley, British author turned Hollywood resident, described the California dream as "This great crystal of light, whose base is as large as Europe and whose height for all practical purposes, is infinite." Among the other authors offering praise are Maya Angelou, Mary Austin, Ray Bradbury, Joan Didion, Gretel Ehrlich, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, M.F.K. Fisher, Robertson Jeffers, Jack Kerouac, Clarence King, Jack London, Henry Miller, John Muir, William Saroyan, April Smith, John Steinbeck, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mark Twain, Nathanael West, and Walt Whitman. Land of innovation and opportunity, California is both dream and reality. California The Beautiful is a gift for all who have felt the lure of this dual promise and who have marveled at the unrivaled beauty of this quintessentially American land.

The harsh beauty of the polar regions has long fascinated explorers and armchair adventurers alike. The forbidding terrain and exotic life-forms appeal to our sense of wonder, and while we may think of them as similar, the Arctic and Antarctic are as unlike as Kansas and Kenya. In Poles Apart , Galen Rowell takes us on an exhilarating visual journey to the top and the bottom of the world, using his camera to reveal the fascinating differences in these polar opposites.In Part I, Rowell's side-by-side photographs highlight the contrasts between North and South. The photo essays of Part II continue the comparisons, developing such themes as Arctic and Antarctic science, polar bears and penguins, and visits to the North and South Poles. Part III provides detailed information on the story behind each photograph as well as technical data of interest to photographers.Galen Rowell is known for choosing subjects that, while beautiful, are unfamiliar to much of his audience. Yet his books enjoy wide appeal because he accurately focuses—in images and words—on the essential spirit that sets his subjects apart from the rest of the world. So it is with the distant lands and seas of the polar regions, which hold valuable lessons for all of us concerning evolution, geology, history, human endeavor, and the impact of human greed. No other vast areas of the earth remain as pristine, and for Rowell, the Arctic and Antarctic have become metaphors for those intangible elements that define the earth's wild places. In a world fast becoming a theme park of artificial experience, his book is an invitation to understand and appreciate what is real.

The twentieth century’s most celebrated adventure photographer, Galen Rowell, spent much of his life roaming the world with his camera, chronicling exotic locales on all seven continents. Yet he always returned to the land where he started out, both as an adventurer and a photographer: California’s Sierra Nevada. Indeed, in the two years before his death in a 2002 plane crash, Rowell became increasingly focused on photographing the “Range of Light,” producing some of the strongest images of his career.Now the best of his lifetime’s work in his “favorite place on earth” is gathered in this magnificent book, reproduced to the highest standards from digital masters of his 35mm frames. From the lofty cliffs and lush alpine meadows of Yosemite to the stark high desert of the Owens Valley, from the jagged High Sierra crest to the soft contours of the Eastside’s Buttermilk Hills, Rowell captured the Sierra Nevada in his signature “dynamic landscapes,” which combined an artist’s vision, an adventurer’s total access, and a peerless knowledge of optical phenomena in high and wild places. An introduction by Robert Roper traces Rowell's deep roots in the Sierra—a mountain realm he saw in ways no one else has, before or since.

An award-winning nature photographer takes readers on an unforgettable photographic tour of North America, from California to Florida, the Yukon Territory, Mexican Mainland, Greenland, Hawaii, and the Caribbean Islands, to provide a fascinating insight into the landscapes that are unique to North America.

Galen Rowell's large and dedicated following will welcome this last work. Rowell has been called the heir to Ansel Adams as the signature photographer of the "American West, and "Yosemite and the Wild Sierra shows why. As a climber and naturalist himself, Rowell was able to get the kinds of shots available to few others in the field. In 80 color photos, he captures the unexpected convergence of light and form. These timeless images of Yosemite and the surrounding Sierra Nevada are complemented by quotations from those who have trekked, observed, and studied these majestic mountains, along with comments on nature from John Muir, Thoreau, Twain, and others.

Through words and photographs, Galen Rowell explores the effects of modern life and tourism on the world's highest the mountains of Nepal, India, and Pakistan. In a single year, Lowell led a group of 'mail-order mountaineers' up the highest American guided climb in history; he ascended the virgin Great Trango Gower; and he circled fabled Annapurna by a 250-mile route that took him to 21,000 feet. These unique adventures become the threads of a broader and more significant tale.

A Sierra Club Portfolio of postcards from the ends of the Earth.

A member of an American mountaineering team that set off in 1975 to climb the world's second highest peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range tells of the successes and failures that have marked various expeditions.

In 22 stunning images, celebrated wilderness photographer Galen Rowell reveals the unique beauty of the Arctic and Antarctic regions in this new addition to the Sierra Club Postcard Collection Series. Rowell's polar expeditions are adventures of the spirit, opening unreachable worlds to us and imbuing familiar ones with new significance.

Deserts of the Southwest 2007 Calendar

The Sierra Club Yosemite Postcard Collection, a companion to Galen Rowell's spectacular photographic interpretation of John Muir's The Yosemite, presents a stunning portfolio celebrating the centennial of one of America's most beautiful and majestic national parks. Here, in the Sierra Club tradition of excellence in nature photography, are 22 striking full-color images that can be used as ready-to-mail postcards.

"These stunning images from photographer Galen Rowell capture the beauty of rock climbing. Amidst rocky outcroppings and jagged peaks, determined climbers scale dangerous and challenging heights to reach their place in the sun.

All around the planet are signs of the environmental destruction wrought by man. Galen Rowell photographs beautiful places threatened by human intervention, and writes accounts of the story behind the pictures, explaining why we should care about what is happening.Issues represented by photos and text include infringement on animal habitats, destruction of coral reefs, impact of tourism on historic sites, preservation of old growth forests, effect of synthetic chemicals on wildlife, and damming of wild rivers. Your purchase of this calendar helps to support the international conservation efforts of the World Wildlife Fund.