Photographer Information
1. Name of Artist: Galen Rowell
Dates of Artist’s Life: August 3rd, 1940 - August 11th, 2002
2. Personal Background: (5 sentences. Culture, nationality, schooling, important life events, etc.)
Galen Rowell was born in Oakland, California and raised in Berkeley, California. His parents were a college professor and a professional cellist so Galen grew up around art. One of the most important things within his life was the wilderness and exploration. He was first introduced to wilderness exploration before he could walk and over the next several decades he. helped in the creation of hundreds of new climbing routes in Yosemite and all over California. He began to combine his love for wilderness exploration and photography full time in 1972 when he sold his small car business. He quickly found success and in under a year shot the cover of National Geographic.
3. Style: (5 sentences. What visual characteristics does this artist’s work possess? If you can compare it to a painting or art history style please do.)
When observing the photography of Galen Rowell the most obvious thing that comes to mind is the fact that his body of work consists almost entirely of landscape photography. This genre of art in any form has been popular for all of human history; especially in paintings. Landscapes rarely change so they are able to be painted over long periods of time. Rowell's photos are reminiscent of the realism landscape painting of the 1800s. As Rowell's photos are very raw depictions of the natural beauty of the earth, it would make sense that they conjure up ideas of the period in which painted art aimed for reality. I think that possibly the most important element of Rowell's photos are the skies. They are not usually the focal point of the image but they hold so much color and beauty and contrast the often simple landscape with great complexity and detail.
4. Philosophy: (5 sentences. What were the major ideas behind this artist’s work? Where they personal, political, social, etc. What were they trying to “say” with their photographs?)
Rowell's photography has been referred to as "participatory photography" which I believe is an excellent way to put it into words. Rowell didn't settle for what was right there before his eyes. Instead he used his athleticism and adventurous spirit to capture images that couldn't otherwise be had. In his earlier photography he focused mostly on simply capturing landscapes during his rock climbing adventures, as he progressed in his career his images helped to show the wildlife and nature that needs to be protected by the human race. His photography is a combination of his love of adventure, his deep caring for the environment, and his natural talent and appreciation for the power of photography.
5. Influences: (5 sentences. How has the photographer influenced you in your work?)
Up until this point I had not known about Galen Rowell and his excellent photography. Because of this he has not yet influenced. my own personal photography in any way, however, there are several ways in which he will be influencing it in the future. My favorite thing about Rowell's photography is the philosophy of "participatory photography". I've always liked to think of myself as. an adventurer and lover of the outdoors so his idea of using athletic ability to find new ways to capture photographs especially spoke to that part of me. Another thing that I'll be paying much more attention to in the future of my photography is the sky. Whether the sky is perfectly blank or incredibly full of detail and color it helps to send the message of the photo and up until this point I certainly haven't paid enough attention to it. It is much more than a backdrop.
6. Sources: Cannot be Wikipedia. You need to include where you found the information about your artist, provide a link and/or article title.
1. https://www.mountainlight.com/rowellg.html
2.https://www.rwongphoto.com/gallery/galen-rowell-photography/#:~:text=Coining%20the%20term%2C%20%22participatory%20photography,photo%20that%20utilized%20this%20style.
3.https://www.outdoorphotographer.com/on-location/featured-stories/lessons-learned-from-galen-rowell/
Dates of Artist’s Life: August 3rd, 1940 - August 11th, 2002
2. Personal Background: (5 sentences. Culture, nationality, schooling, important life events, etc.)
Galen Rowell was born in Oakland, California and raised in Berkeley, California. His parents were a college professor and a professional cellist so Galen grew up around art. One of the most important things within his life was the wilderness and exploration. He was first introduced to wilderness exploration before he could walk and over the next several decades he. helped in the creation of hundreds of new climbing routes in Yosemite and all over California. He began to combine his love for wilderness exploration and photography full time in 1972 when he sold his small car business. He quickly found success and in under a year shot the cover of National Geographic.
3. Style: (5 sentences. What visual characteristics does this artist’s work possess? If you can compare it to a painting or art history style please do.)
When observing the photography of Galen Rowell the most obvious thing that comes to mind is the fact that his body of work consists almost entirely of landscape photography. This genre of art in any form has been popular for all of human history; especially in paintings. Landscapes rarely change so they are able to be painted over long periods of time. Rowell's photos are reminiscent of the realism landscape painting of the 1800s. As Rowell's photos are very raw depictions of the natural beauty of the earth, it would make sense that they conjure up ideas of the period in which painted art aimed for reality. I think that possibly the most important element of Rowell's photos are the skies. They are not usually the focal point of the image but they hold so much color and beauty and contrast the often simple landscape with great complexity and detail.
4. Philosophy: (5 sentences. What were the major ideas behind this artist’s work? Where they personal, political, social, etc. What were they trying to “say” with their photographs?)
Rowell's photography has been referred to as "participatory photography" which I believe is an excellent way to put it into words. Rowell didn't settle for what was right there before his eyes. Instead he used his athleticism and adventurous spirit to capture images that couldn't otherwise be had. In his earlier photography he focused mostly on simply capturing landscapes during his rock climbing adventures, as he progressed in his career his images helped to show the wildlife and nature that needs to be protected by the human race. His photography is a combination of his love of adventure, his deep caring for the environment, and his natural talent and appreciation for the power of photography.
5. Influences: (5 sentences. How has the photographer influenced you in your work?)
Up until this point I had not known about Galen Rowell and his excellent photography. Because of this he has not yet influenced. my own personal photography in any way, however, there are several ways in which he will be influencing it in the future. My favorite thing about Rowell's photography is the philosophy of "participatory photography". I've always liked to think of myself as. an adventurer and lover of the outdoors so his idea of using athletic ability to find new ways to capture photographs especially spoke to that part of me. Another thing that I'll be paying much more attention to in the future of my photography is the sky. Whether the sky is perfectly blank or incredibly full of detail and color it helps to send the message of the photo and up until this point I certainly haven't paid enough attention to it. It is much more than a backdrop.
6. Sources: Cannot be Wikipedia. You need to include where you found the information about your artist, provide a link and/or article title.
1. https://www.mountainlight.com/rowellg.html
2.https://www.rwongphoto.com/gallery/galen-rowell-photography/#:~:text=Coining%20the%20term%2C%20%22participatory%20photography,photo%20that%20utilized%20this%20style.
3.https://www.outdoorphotographer.com/on-location/featured-stories/lessons-learned-from-galen-rowell/
Recreations
From the "Mountain Light" Gallery - found hereI thought that this was one of Rowell's coolest pictures that truly shows off the adventurous spirit that he aims to capture. I obviously couldn't climb a mountain for my recreation so I chose a rock and put it up close. This causes the blur effect on the bottom of my mountain. It was also hard to find an area around me with no trees, but overall I think it was a successful recreation and captures the essence of Rowell's picture.
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From the "Mountain Light" Gallery - found hereBy far the hardest thing bout recreating this Galen Rowell image was getting the rocks to balance. I love how solitary this photo is and I think I was able to recreate that fairly successfully. I messed around with colors to try and find the right balance, and I think I got close, but my rocks aren't the same color. I also didn't have any clouds, but I do think that I did pretty well under my circumstances.
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From the "Mountain Light" Gallery - found hereFor all three of my recreated images I experimented with rocks. They feel like the most essential and iconic piece of Rowell's photography and while his are bigger, I think that I did well in recreating this image with just a small rock. This is a very simple image so it was easy to find the correct shape and take the picture. The challenge was in adjusting the colors. I think I did so relatives well. It wasn't night when I took this photo so there is no moon but besides that I find it very successful.
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Personal Artist Statement
While I always had a strong interest in photography, it always felt like a very calm activity to me. When I thought of photography I thought of a tranquil and relaxing activity. My main takeaway from this assignment is that this does not have to be the case. Rowell was an adventurer who happened to have a love for photography and it shows through his work. This is an idea that I'll keep with me forever. Another thing that I will unintentionally take away from this assignment comes from recreating the photos. Since I didn't have access to Yosemite National Park or Monument Valley I had to create my images using small rocks and the area around my house. Beautiful landscape photography can be done in your back yard. That is an idea that I have never even considered to be true. This assignment has drastically increased my understanding of what photography can be, and in that it has greatly increased my appreciation and likeliness of continuing it in the future.