Madison River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Most nature photographers go out of their way to avoid human elements in their landscapes but in my opinion, the true challenge in landscape photography is how do you incorporate us into the landscape? Are we not also part of the planet?

When I was first introduced to Galen Rowell’s body of work, what immediately caught my eye was not the sunrises nor the Himalayan peaks but how he incorporated human figures into his scenes. It was a really unique style that opened my eyes to new possibilities. When done right, these types of photos generally can tell a story unlike that of your standard landscape devoid of human connection.

See more of my Yellowstone National Park pictures.

Jimmy Chin’s lecture was really entertaining because he had a great sense of humor without taking himself too seriously. He told some crazy stories such as skiing from the summit of Mount Everest and talked about how he waited in the lobby of Mountain Light Gallery for five consecutive days early in his career just so he could get some time to speak with Galen Rowell to pick his brain about traveling to Pakistan. Chin’s photography was amazing as well.

My favorite part was when he talked about disappointing his traditional Chinese parents early on by moving into his car to become a rock climber and ski bum in Yosemite for a year after graduating from college. His one year break turned into seven in the car! Later on he told this funny story about one of his climbing expeditions in the Himalayan war zone between India and Pakistan. In order to get there I think they had to get special permission from the Pakistani president. The expedition was to be one of the first to be streamed live via the internet. At one point, he said he had cut his face open but didn’t think it was too big of a deal until his friends wanted to post a close up of his face on the broadcast. He was worried about what his mom might think. Sure enough, several days later the military showed up at the base of the peak to scream at them via megaphone to ask if they were okay because his mother had apparently gotten through to the Pakistani president and made him send people out to go check to see if her son was okay! Once he attained success in his profession though it seemed like he finally got his mom’s approval.

Here is the Jimmy Chin Photography website.

Michael, you missed out dude!

Philip Hyde Retrospective: 58 Years In The Wilderness

1. Ansel Adams – The grandfather of landscape photography. He is the one nature photographer that transcends the genre and even photography for that matter. His images are so well-known that photographers and tourists-alike are still trying to fill his tripod holes 60 – 70 years after his most famous images were made. Perhaps his greatest legacy were his environmental conservation efforts with the Sierra Club that led to creation of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks among other areas, and also the art education institutions that he helped to create.

2. Galen Rowell - A well-rounded photojournalist with a special ability to connect with a vast audience through his writings, Rowell influenced countless photographers in multiple genres beginning with rock climbing, wilderness adventure and then eventually landscape photography in the 2nd half of his career. The list of current working photographers that have followed in his footsteps reads like a who’s who in outdoor adventure and landscape photography and number too many to list. He was one of the first to utilize 35mm cameras exclusively in outdoor photography and popularized the use of graduated neutral-density filters.

3. William Henry Jackson – One of the early pioneers of landscape photography, Jackson’s photos were instrumental in the creation of the National Parks system beginning with Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Not to go unmentioned should be the fact that this was essentially the first of a long-tradition of using nature photography as a catalyst for environmental conservation efforts.

4. Eliot Porter – In contrast with Ansel Adams’ big landscape style, Porter’s photos were more “quiet” and focused on the intimate landscape scenes that are easily overlooked. It is easy to overlook his body of work in favor of postcard views but one needs to only look at the photographers that he influenced to see that his work has left a lasting impact. Photographers including William Neill and Charlie Cramer have styles that bear a strong resemblance to Porter’s vision. His most famous body of work is arguably the book, In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World.

5. David Muench – Like Ansel Adams did with black and white landscape photography a generation prior, Muench is synonymous with color landscape photography. The now-cliche’d use of prominent foreground elements leading the eye through the frame to the background in the distance was a style that Muench became known for back in the 50’s and 60’s. You would walk into any library or bookstore in America in the past 40 years and be hard-pressed to not see his books or calendars even if you don’t know his name.

6. Carleton Watkins – Created some of the earliest known images of Yosemite National Park which helped to spark interest in the western landscape.

7. Philip Hyde – A top Sierra Club photographer in the 50 – 70’s, Hyde’s photography was instrumental in campaigns to save southwestern landscapes from flooding due to dams including the Grand Canyon and Dinosaur National Monument which led to the birth of the modern environmental movement. A number of leading nature photographers cite him as an inspiration for their life’s work.

8. Robert Glenn Ketchum – He is arguably the most prominent conservation photographer working today. His photography is actively used to further environmental causes in the American political system. His aerial photography of Alaskan landscapes are especially stunning.

9. John Shaw – The author of several best-selling nature photography how-to books he is often credited with helping beginning photographers to improve their photography and is still a leading figure in the workshop market today.

10. Arthur Morris – A sign of an influential photographer is one that is often imitated, and one would be hard-pressed to see any bird photography that doesn’t bear Morris’ influence. He is arguably the most prolific bird photographer of all-time and runs a successful birding workshop business.

Honorable Mentions: Art Wolfe, David Doubilet, Subhankar Banerjee

I tried my best to remove my bias from creating this list by judging solely on resume and lasting impact on future generations of photographers. It is no secret that Galen Rowell was my biggest influence in photography but even if he weren’t, I would probably still rank him in a similar fashion. I’m also a fan of many more contemporary photographers so perhaps in ten years there might be some new names on this list that reflect the digital era. On the flip side, just because they are on this list doesn’t necessarily mean that I am a fan of their photography either but their accomplishments deserve to be recognized. With that said, I believe that valid arguments could be made for the ordering of any of the top four photographers on this list.

I’m interested in hearing what others think and if you think anyone has been left out. So if you would like to participate, then feel free to leave your list within the comments or create a blog post on your blog with your own list of most influential nature photographers and include the relevant link in the comment section.

From there there was another small corridor of prints by more photographers. At the end of that corridor there was a side lecture room with a large screen playing Lauren Greenfield’s documentary on thinness and various other photo projects of hers. Speaking of which, she will be giving a free lecture there on May 21 so I’m planning on reserving a spot. Her work is awesome.

Just outside of the lecture room was a larger exhibit space that was dimly lit with some photos spread further apart than in the first area. I’m not quite sure what that space will be used for but there was also a large projection screen in there as well. In the last section of the gallery there were some graphic Iraq War images from the LA Times.

Overall what interested me the most were the photos by Lauren Greenfield and Los Angeles Times photographers, Carolyn Cole and Genaro Molina. I also really liked the unique modern look of the gallery. The photographer lectures seem like they are going to be the best part of the exhibit so I’d recommend signing up too if you are in the L.A. area.

I met up with Alaskan photographer Ron Niebrugge at Dana Point Harbor last month. Ron and his wife Janine spend half the year traveling in the lower 48 in their RV so he always has some interesting things to write about on his blog.

Right after I took this image, Ron hopped the fence onto this narrow ledge high above the harbor to get a closer view of the aloe vera flowers. I think I was probably more nervous for him than he was!

Travel Photographer Ron Niebrugge Taking Pictures of Flowers on Hillside, Dana Point Harbor, California

See more of my Orange County pictures.

If photographing the Middle Fork of Bishop Creek was peaceful, North Lake was an entirely different experience. At North Lake you could hear a pin drop from across the lake but that was the problem here. It is too popular for it’s own good. You can hear fishermen from across the lake, figures that are just little dots in the viewfinder, and worse, the shoreline attracts some obnoxious photographers apparently.

I had my gear balanced on top of this rock for about 15 minutes or so shooting photos when another photographer (retired hobbyist) who kept trying to chat with me and this other photographer, asked me if I had gotten my shot yet. To paraphrase, I was like I’m not here for just one shot. So he has the nerve to ask if I could move out of his way so he could use his “ultra wide angle” lens. And this guy was standing on the rock about five feet to my right! His view was basically the same as mine. Though I was a bit ticked off at his request, I decided to be nice and moved. Well the other guy (F/T pro) claimed that I was in his way now never mind the fact that he was standing about ten feet BEHIND us. No kidding dude, I was already “in his way” before that probably. Who knows, maybe he was trying to photograph my butt, you never know. So I moved again.

In hindsight, I should have responded to the hobbyist that he should use a different lens then if it is too wide to use effectively. I tried to be accomodating to them and yet I got no respect in return. The pro ended up taking my original spot once the other guy got his shot and never left that spot until after dark. From that point on, I didn’t really say anything to either one besides a few short responses to their questions. From what little info I knew of the pro, (a bit of an arrogant one at that) I looked up on the internet and found out who he is. He teaches workshops so I was a bit surprised that he was such a jerk. I guess if you aren’t a paying customer then he reserves the right to disrespect you.

All the other photographers I have shot with in the past have been respectful of each other’s personal space but these two certainly didn’t have that. If someone is in the spot that I want, I would never ask them to move, I’d find a different spot or come back at a different time. All I know is that if I encounter the same situation again, I won’t be as nice the 2nd time around.

See more of my Eastern Sierra photos.

Natural Design: Image Design for Nature Photographers

Here is the link: “How The Rights to Your Photos are Being Hijacked Through Photo Contests and Social Media”

Picture of California Wine Country Grapes and Fall Foliage

I met inga and her husband / photography model, Patrick, in the backroads of the Antelope Valley one morning several years ago while looking for wildflowers. There was no one else out there at this beautiful patch of flowers when I got there except for them. We talked for a while inbetween wind gusts and have kept in touch since, usually with inga sending a bunch of emails with digital questions and some incredible images to go along with them. inga no longer has a website (too time consuming to maintain) so that is why I am showcasing images on my blog on her behalf.

For business-related inquiries, email me for inga’s contact info if you would like to hire her for assignments or license her images: Richard (@) rwongphoto.com. Another alternative is to search through a selection of her images via the link below.

Search for stock photos by inga spence.

Photo of California Strawberry in Bowl of Cereal

These are a few of the images that inga has sent me in the past few months:

Picture of Old Homestead near the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Photo of Baled Grass Hay in Agricultural Field, Nevada

Image of California Green Bell Peppers

Picture of Windmill in Fallow Field, Oregon

Photo copyrights owned by inga spence.

I think issue #2 will take more time and more photo ops and more perusing these forums and thinking about what I find ‘gets it’ and trying to do the same. To me it’s like porn- I can;t define it, but I know it when I see it.

I need help with Issue 1- technical image quality. I am not sure that a workshop setting will be conducive to intense 1-on-1 image-by-image analysis, so either a day in the field 1 on 1 workshop, with 1/2 the time spent ‘debugging’ raw images.

What have you all done when you are in a TECHNICAL rut? Artistic ruts, well, rut means one thing to me, another thing to an elk. How have you debugged your failures?…

thanks for reading, and I am very interested in how other people have kept themselves advancing.”

Picture: Dove Carcass, The Prey of a Red-Tailed Hawk, Rockaway Beach, Pacifica, California (Compelling enough?)

This is a question that I saw this morning on a nature photography forum. I would have invited the photographer to read my blog but I didn’t want to come across like I was promoting myself so I’ll just write about it here. 

The problem I see is that the photographer has somehow mistaken un-compelling imagery for a lack of technique. What is all that talk about head turning and catchlight? That is nonsense. If he is talking in those terms, clearly he has a solid grasp on technique. I haven’t a clue myself how to do that. What that is, is basic bird guidebook 101 stock photography. The photos look pretty and give good ID details about the bird. That’s perfectly fine. But when the photographer starts to blame boring photos on a lack of technique that couldn’t be further from the truth. It is a lack of artistic vision. I’m not talking about being an artist, what I’m saying is that he doesn’t have an idea for what he wants out of his imagery. I’ll be blunt and just say it straight out. Most non-birders find the majority of “bird-on-a-stick” photos to be technically fine, but boring. No head turn or catchlight is going to change that. I believe that good bird-on-a-stick photography or whatever type of bird photography is dependent on whether or not you show the personality of your subject, show some environmental context and maybe a behavior or two if you are fortunate enough. Picture-perfect technique should be the last thing on your mind because elusive behaviors often come and go within a blink of an eye. I’d rather have an image that is rough around the edges but says something about the subject rather than worry about how saleable or postcard-worthy it will be. Once you define yourself as a photographer, the money and accolades will come. If you aspire to shoot run-of-the-mill type of photos then you might or might not make money (people do win lotteries occasionally) but one thing for sure, you’ll probably get to the point where you get discouraged with your photography and no one else would get excited about your work either.

Photo: Royal Tern Flying Out of Water Resembling a Rising Phoenix, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, California

That might actually be a good thing. From there a photographer could go either of several directions. Go through the motions forever, take a step back and figure out why the pictures are boring then try something different, or you can hang up the camera in the closet to collect dust. I’ve always tried for the 2nd option. When I look back at my older work, I get angry with myself because I see wasted opportunities. That motivates me to attack that location or subject with a renewed vigor the next time around. Then I’ll be excited with the images for a few months until I’ve progressed then I’ll feel dejected about the previous batch of images. Then the same process repeats itself. Hopefully the cycle never stops.

See more of my bird pictures.

Most pictures that I take fall into the latter category, and I suspect that is the case for most other photographers as well. However, it is that small percentage of “Yes” photos that defines a photographer’s vision. A “successful” photographer typically has a very low percentage of successful shots because they are constantly taking chances in the quest of getting that great picture. What I mean by great picture isn’t necessarily a textbook perfect photo. Photography how-to books are great when you want to take learn the basics of photography. To get to the next level though you can’t fall into a trap by thinking of formulaic rules while shooting. Photography is an art. Not a science.

That brought me to my next argument: “There could be 10 technical things wrong with the shot, but if it captures the spirit of the moment then it is a successful image. On the flip side, a technical masterpiece can still be worthless if it doesn’t have that one thing, “It” factor, that unexplained thing it is that gives it charm.”

Keep in mind that evaluating photography is purely subjective. The images that I think have “It” factor might not mean anything to you and vice versa. But some great examples in my mind are:

Ansel Adams’ “Clearing Winter Storm” – Yosemite Valley’s Tunnel View might be the most iconic scenic landscape on the planet and the most photographed. It has been photographed well by millions of photographers. Yet Adams’ black and white classic from the 1940’s still stands out in my mind as being THE image of Yosemite and perhaps the greatest scenic landscape photo ever. I don’t feel this way because of the technique, burning / dodging, composition, photographer’s reputation, etc… many have done a great job at the same things as well since. Why I feel this has the “It” factor is because when I think of Yosemite or when I go to Yosemite, this photo is what I see in my mind. I feel it. To me, Clearing Winter Storm is synonymous with Yosemite. I can’t avoid thinking of it nor do I want to avoid it.

William Albert Allard’s “Portraits of America” book – Bill Allard is a long-time National Geographic photographer who is best known for his revealing photos of American culture. His photos and stories of the Amish, Hutterites and Cowboys played a major role into shaping the Geographic’s legendary reputation. Allard’s photos have IT Factor not because of technical excellence (his photos would probably be picked apart in a “fine art” critique) but because they capture the soul of his subjects.

I can’t think of two any different examples than the two photographers I mentioned above. That brings me back to my point that technique doesn’t make or break an image. It’s the content of the image that matters. All great photos have substance. They connect with someone. The photo might connect with a million people or just one person. In either case, that is a successful photo. I think we can all learn a lot from seeing other people’s pictures as well as our own, and evaluating photos on a deeper level than merely judging a photo’s merits on aesthetics.

Picture Caption: Rodeo at Cowtown Coliseum, Fort Worth Stockyards, Texas

The photographer who posted the question responded that he felt that my rodeo picture posted here connected with him. I was flattered and was glad that someone could relate to what I felt while shooting this. My thoughts while shooting this was, “This is crazy. I could potentially be capturing a frame of someone’s death!” My heart was beating like mad and I tried to incorporate those feelings into photo. From a technical standpoint this photo isn’t very good but I don’t think I could have captured this moment any better than this. So I asked myself, “Does this feel like the story I want to tell?” Yes.

If you read my blog in December, you probably know that I lost half of my Las Vegas trip photos due to a portable Image Tank flash drive failure. So last week I decided to power up the hard drive again. Same result. But I did notice that I had 3 gigabytes worth of photos on there so I thought maybe that if I stuck a 4 gigabyte compact flash card into the drive that maybe I could upload the files onto the card since my computers won’t recognize the hard drive as a drive anymore. So I went to Fry’s Electronics and got the cheapest 4gb card there to try it out. It took most of the day to upload the files onto the card because the card was very slow but it worked! The files aren’t corrupted either. I was beyond excited.

Hopefully I’ll have another opportunity to photograph Las Vegas this year. I was mostly limited to indoor pictures due to the overcast, cold rainy weather during our December trip.

I recently added a new gallery of Las Vegas photos on my website.

Taken Sunday at Joshua Tree National Park. It was about 35 degrees and windy. I kept forgetting to put on my fleece sweater from the car so I was feeling a bit stiff while trying to shoot.

There were no clouds in the sky and the light didn’t look particularly interesting around sunset so I wanted to use the shadowed trees to my advantage. I saw this huge Joshua Tree make for a great opportunity to frame the sunlit boulders. I would have liked to have included the entire tree (actually a yucca plant) but by moving back other Joshua Trees started creeping into my composition from the left and the right. I think enough of the tree is shown though so people get the idea. The great thing about photography and the human mind is that we can fill in the missing information when we know what is there.

The enlightened one himself, Gary Crabbe was over to my left somewhere shooting climbers with his telephoto, of which you can’t see in this small file at the base of the big rock but they are there in the full resolution file. I’m sure Gary got some shots like this too as well since it was his idea to shoot this location.

I hadn’t been to Joshua Tree National Park in three years so it has been on my to-go list for a while though I think I will shoot the park in spring next time since it can be quite cold during the winter in the high altitude Mojave Desert. I’ve always wanted to get photos of the park in snow though…

See more of my Joshua Tree National Park pictures.

Now, four years after his tragic death in a plane crash, Sierra Club Books has released a biographical narrative / tribute in honor of Rowell with contributions from important figures in his life ranging from family, colleagues and celebrities. The images presented in this book are by far the finest reproductions that I’ve seen of his work. They did a great job at presenting his photographs along with well-written, insightful text on his life and achievements.

I would recommend Galen Rowell: A Retrospective to anyone with an interest in art, photography and the outdoors. Reading this coffee-table sized book gives great insight into how a man turned a passion for rock climbing into something much more meaningful over the course of a lifetime. One can see the evolution in Rowell’s photography and priorities throughout the course of the book. Galen Rowell eventually came to be a very influential photographer and dedicated environmental crusader. If you haven’t discovered Mr. Rowell’s work yet, be forewarned, you might be tempted to quit your day job after reading this book.

For more information on the book and Galen Rowell, click this link

So now that they’re issuing $100 fines to photographers without a permit, I urge you all the exercise your 1st amendment rights by respectfully shooting away at Corona Del Mar beach. If you get fined or better yet, arrested, let them and let the absurdity of the story take care of the rest. Corona del Mar Beach IS a PUBLIC beach, and even if it wasn’t, the coastline should be public anyway. Gandhi stood for peaceful, non-violent protest and photographers should take advantage of those rights to do so. If the authorities think otherwise, then the Supreme Court will eventually have the last word.

P.S., the photo was taken before the fine took into place. I wouldn’t want to harm anyone with the my pixels afterall.

See more of my Corona Del Mar pictures.

1. The Photography Essay – William Albert Allard
2. Backroads of the California Wine Country – Gary Crabbe and Karen Misuraca
3. The Big Open – Rick Ridgeway and Galen Rowell
4. Smithsonian Guides to Natural America (Central Appalachia Region)
5. A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson
6. I’m a Stranger Here Myself – Bill Bryson
7. Lewis & Clark Voyage of Discovery – Stephen Ambrose and Sam Abell
8. Seeing Gardens – Sam Abell

So far I’ve read A Walk in the Woods, The Photographic Essay and The Big Open. All three are worthwhile reads. A Walk in the Woods and the Photographic Essay are must reads in my opinion depending on your interests.

A Walk in the Woods is about Bryson’s experience hiking the Appalachian Trail with his friend Stephen Katz. The book is hilarious at times and generally witty throughout. I was hooked from cover to cover. I’ve read very few books cover to cover as my attention span typically isn’t very long.

The Photographic Essay covers Bill Allard’s 40+ year career mainly with National Geographic. This was a revealing look at his methods and the struggles in his career. The most important point I took away from the book was Allard’s unrivaled passion for his subjects. His work is truly an extension of himself.

I haven’t had a chance to read the Wine Country book yet but I’ve glanced at Gary Crabbe’s photos in the book and was blown away. The photos were some of the best I’ve ever seen from the region. He was generous enough to send me an autographed copy so I could give my Amazon purchased copy away as a gift. The book is a perfect blend of road trip travel guide and photography book with neither overshadowing each other.

I’ll try to add links for all the books in the next week or so.

Personally, I clone dust spots and the occasional sun flare from my images but rarely if ever clone things like phone poles and branches from my work. Do I care to know if other photographers clone branches or crop their images? No. If the argument is that what is taken at the time of capture should be displayed as such, where does that leave cropping? Should I have to disclose whether or not I cropped an image? What gives anyone the right to tell me how I should present my work?

What comes out of the lens isn’t an accurate depiction of reality to begin with. Most lenses have optical defects such as barrel distortion, chromatic aberration, pincushioning, light fall-off while shooting wide open, lack of sharpness in the corners, etc… If I were to correct for any of those lens defects, that alone makes my images manipulated. If I weren’t to correct for those problems then people would ask why does the horizon look curved? Why is there that purple outline around your trees? Why does it look like you have vignetting?

There’s a well-known professional stock photographer named Darwin Wiggett who does do things like double exposures for moons, or even add them into scenes in which they weren’t originally in at the time of capture. His photography is some of the most beautiful photography in the business and he doesn’t proclaim to portray every scene in it’s literal sense. So why should the integrity of work like his be called into question? He’s not a journalist, he’s an artist. Some of his images look obviously manipulated so I don’t see why someone should feel deceived. Can you feel deceived for liking an image? There’s other very famous photographers who fit into this category as well: Art Wolfe, Tim Fitzharris, and Ansel Adams among others.

My opinion is to let the viewer decide for themself whether they want to purchase the art or not and spend more energy working on your own vision rather than worry about what others do. Perhaps your photography might start growing and evolving once you start working on yourself. There’s art snobs out there who still claim that photography is a pseudo-art at best. It’s pretty hard to convince them otherwise if photographers are still arguing about “ethics”. Sounds foolish if you ask me. At the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, they’ve had exhibits that have involved the use of bodily fluids. Yet somehow cloning a piece of bird shit from an otherwise pristine scene, or adding a moon is taboo. Go figure.

Did the wedding ring really look like this in reality? No, the entire ring was sharp.

Is this image an accurate depiction of what I saw with my eyes? No. The sun had gone down 30 minutes before and it was pitch black outside except for a park spotlight being shined on the waterfall. In order to have an exposure, the camera had to absorb light that isn’t visible to the human eye. Oh nooo! I’m sooo stressed out that other photographers might think I’ve gone too far.