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Summary: Practical and inspirational: an unsurpassed primer.
Review: Like Galen Rowell, I am a professional photographer specialising in landscape and mountain subjects. Also like him, I am what is sometimes called 'self-taught'- which, of course, means we never took college courses in photography, but have learned from many people, both in person and from books. (Has there been a genuinely self-taught photographer since Fox Talbot?) In my case, one of the most- perhaps the most- significant books has been 'Mountain Light'. There are other photographers who are as good as Galen Rowell, but very few who can write so clearly and illuminatingly about the creative and technical processes involved. Ansel Adams, of course, is the towering exception, but he was principally concerned with black and white large format photography. Galen Rowell speaks directly to those who work in colour and with smaller cameras. Adams is essential reading, but so is Galen Rowell.
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Summary: Modern Photography Classic
Review: Rowell's most popular work, this beautiful volume is a modern photography classic. Through Galen's eyes, the reader visits exotic locations and discovers his approach to extraordinary photographic situations. Rowell teaches how to tell the difference between what the mind sees and what is recorded on film. Along the way, he also explains the origin of and tells how to photograph atmospheric phenomena such as rainbows, "sun dogs", etc. A must have for any photography library!
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Summary: beautiful book, I liked the text
Review: The most negative review here is by someone who liked the pictures but hated what the reviewer saw as a demonstration of Rowell's ego in the text. I liked the text and enjoyed the detailed stories that went along with each picture. The text does involve Rowell talking about what he thought at the time he took the pictures, but I didn't view it as an unwarranted ego trip, the pictures are beautiful and Rowell need not be apologetic about having taken them.Having said that, the book will do next to nothing for most amateur photographers as far as teaching them skills, a lot of the photographs in circumstances unlikely to be encountered by the weekend photographer. I guess the major take away is: find a good composition and wait for dusk, or dawn.
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Summary: This book was a huge disappointment.
Review: This beautifully illustrated book is an ode to Rowell's favorite subject, himself. Rowell does not miss an opportunity to remind us of his talent and cleverness, rather than allowing the photographs to speak for themselves. Secondary to this self-indulgence are Rowell's superb pictures (only the few photos showing none other than Rowell himself in the ubiquitous "conqueror" pose miss the mark). Unfortunately, the ego-building text detracts from the photographs' beauty, and the book as a whole. Get this book only if you like looking at pretty pictures.
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Summary: Inspiring Photography and Insightful Guidance
Review: This book is a masterpiece. Galen Rowell adores the natural world and it shows. The collection of images is the most inspiring I have ever seen. It could only have been made by someone who spends a lot of time in the wild and loves that world. The narratives explain the thinking behind each image, from the artistic, geographic and technical perspectives that went into making it. For anyone interested in photograghing nature, this book is a must!
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Summary: Inspiring Photography and Insightful Guidance
Review: This book is a masterpiece. Galen Rowell adores the natural world and it shows. The collection of images is the most inspiring I have ever seen. It could only have been made by someone who spends a lot of time in the wild and loves that world. The narratives explain the thinking behind each image, from the artistic, geographic and technical perspectives that went into making it. For anyone interested in photograghing nature, this book is a must!
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Summary: Inspiration for photographers and mountain lovers alike
Review: This is a book of landscape photography which works both as a coffee table presentation of some of renowned photographer Galen Rowell's most famous images, and as an informal teach-by-example guide to photography. The images range from familiar scenes of Yosemite and the Rockies, through to shots of the mountains of Pakistan and elsewhere taken during the author's career as a climber. Each is accompanied by text describing the story of how the image came to be taken, and what the photographer was thinking at the time (in some cases, apparently, "this one will sell well"!). My sole gripe is that although the reproductions of the images are excellent, the rest of the layout is only so-so. But this is a minor complaint about a truly inspiring book. Together with John Shaw's more conventional "how-to" books, this would make an ideal gift for the aspiring landscape photographer.
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