minniev Loc: MIssissippi

This month we will critique one of Galen Rowell'€™s most famous images, €œSplit Rock and Cloud, Eastern Sierras, California€. Rowell was one of the modern masters of landscape photography. The long list of his awards can be found with his biography in the link to his Mountain Light gallery, below.

Galen Rowell was one of those photographers who immersed himself in the environments he photographed, whether they were near his home or in the distant places he visited to photograph. 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. 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. His untimely death in a plane crash left us to wonder what else he might have accomplished, and how he might have transitioned into the digital era.

In the foreword of his book Galen Rowell: A Retrospective, Tom Brokow wrote "€œGalen Rowell was a man who went into the mountains, into the desert, to the edge of the sea, to the last great wild places in the world to be absorbed by their grace and grandeur. That is what he did for himself. For the rest of us, he shared his vision with "€”click", €”the release of a shutter, creating photographs as timeless, as stunning, and as powerful as nature itself."

As you evaluate your response to this image consider the following:

1. What do you make of the composition? The framing? The colors? Do you like the image? Would you want it on your wall? Why or why not?
2. What do you think about the large percentage of dark-space without detail? Does it detract or enhance the impact of the image? Why or why not?
3. The composition is rather simplistic when compared to many landscape images we see today, and even compared to other of Rowell'€™s images. Does this simplicity appeal to you? Why or why not?
4. Do you see influences from this type of work in your own photography? If you'€™d like, share a landscape photo of your own that you feel was made in a similar vein.

Resources for Further Study
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galen_Rowell
http://www.mountainlight.com/news.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthpicturegalleries/7614648/The-greatest-nature-photographs-of-all-time-go-up-for-auction-in-a-bid-to-save-the-Earth.html?image=5
https://www.naturescapes.net/articles/opinions/working-with-a-legend-galen-rowell/
http://articles.latimes.com/2002/aug/15/news/lv-rowell15
https://photographyconcentrate.com/7-things-galen-rowell-can-teach-you-about-photography/
https://www.outdoorphotographer.com/on-location/featured-stories/lessons-learned-from-galen-rowell/

fair use: https://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/1000_1x_/public/import/2008/files/_images/Split-rock-and-cloud-Eastern-Sierra-California.jpg?itok=dmtPztGt

(Download)

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Some of his quotes struck a chord with me -

“Too much equipment interrupts the flow of emotional response that is the essential human element communicated in the best nature photography.” I'm never impressed when I see people boasting that they never use anything except fully manual mode (i.e. manual WB, ISO etc etc). To my mind, the less attention I have to give the camera, the better. (No, I'm not advocating handing full control over to the camera, I'm saying there are ways in which the camera's input can be genuinely helpful in allowing us to concentrate on the important stuff).

“Human art begins to fail when it pursues not {a} central emotional response, but the barren polar opposites of a pure technical exercise or a found object with minimal interpretation...... ” Being too concerned about the technical aspects of shooting can result in you missing things - either by being caught out by the time factor or by failing to notice possibilities because you allowed yourself to be distracted.

“The odds of winning the state lottery are better than those of randomly walking up to the optimum position for a photograph.” If you haven't had a good look around, or better still a good walk around (or in some cases a good drive around), you almost certainly won't get the optimum shot.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I was able to attend a lecture of his at The Smithsonian Institution in the late 1980's and I owned one of his books, which was very influential on me. I will be coming back to this topic later today when I can devote a lot of time. Many thanks, Minnie!

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

I really like this image. I like its simplicity. The three basic elements are very well balanced and the colours are very nice, particularly in the cloud. The cloud fits beautifully in the space allotted to it. Quite honestly, it looks a bit contrived, but I'll accept it as being real.

The silhouette of the boulder is impressive because of its split. If it were solid, it would be totally wasted space and just something to take up the bottom of the frame. But the split adds a lot of interest.

Perhaps because I'm a simple person, I do like simple shots. I find a lot of shots to be "too busy" for my taste and really like images with isolated elements. I have to admit some of my shots I term "too busy" do sell well, so I assume other people like busy shots. One of my favorite images is of a sand dune and a cloud. I had it hanging in a show and it was quite interesting to hear the viewers' comments.

MattPhox Loc: Rhode Island

I like the simplicity and I find what I would call a Star Trek spirituality to it. I'm also certain that Cecil B Demille could view this photo and then create one of his epic films.

carlysue Loc: Columbus

I have long been a fan and admirer of Galen Rowell and always looked forward to his columns he wrote for OutDoor Photography and saved several of them. My only book of his that I have is High & Wild. I admired not just his skill but his passion for what he did and was envious that he had the ability to follow and experience the world--flying, mountain climbing, discomfortures--whatever it took.

Altho this image is technically sound, balanced, intriguing, and perspectively challenging, its not a memorable image of his to me. Certainly the split is crucial and the weird cloud demands a pause or two. But I just feel that if Galen Rowell's name was not attached to it, it wouldn't be given a whole lot of accolades. I can only imagine a handful of "thumbs up" given by UHH members and doubt it would make a HM in my photo club competitions.

Unless you can put yourself in his situation of being able to climb that mountain and know the cold and wind of that altitude can you realize the difficulty involved in getting this shot and therefore its appreciation is lessened.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I don't like the posted image enough to put it on my wall, though I would definitely stop to examine it in a gallery. The heavy black shapes add to the impact IMO because they are so non-standard for a "pretty landscape." Without the cloud, you could take this to abstract very easily, and I think that's how I'd prefer that idea over this particular capture.

I do love simplicity, despite my past few years of mostly going a different way. Some of the power of minimalist photography was discussed in "Art vs. Fine Art"

The biggest influence of Galen Rowell on me (I owned his "Mountain Light" book and attended a lecture of his at the Smithsonian Institution somewhere around 1987) is the use of light. Golden hour, backlighting, silhouettes, shooting into the sun...I love it all.

I was very active in photography from 1986 - 1990, but then didn't do much for over a decade, though I had an SLR. But from my first digital SLR purchase in 2006 or 2007 and then joining UHH in 2012, I've continued to enjoy chasing the light.

For giggles I looked back to my first year on UHH and found some very modest captures that illustrate my decades-long fascination that began with Galen Rowell.

--

Galen Rowell's influence: my early years with a dslr

NJFrank Loc: New Jersey

[quote=carlysue]
Altho this image is technically sound, balanced, intriguing, and perspectively challenging, its not a memorable image of his to me. Certainly the split is crucial and the weird cloud demands a pause or two. But I just feel that if Galen Rowell's name was not attached to it, it wouldn't be given a whole lot of accolades. I can only imagine a handful of "thumbs up" given by UHH members and doubt it would make a HM in my photo club competitions.


I have to agee with your statement. I looked at the photo and maybe it is me but it didn't do anything for me. I am not fimiliar with Galen Rowell and thus his name did not cloud my opinion of this shot. However I will look into his work, and see what I will find. But he must have done many things right to influence so many photographers. Bu I will venture a guess and say this is not one of the ones to inspire so many.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

These are all powerful messages RG, thanks for pointing them out. The second really resonates for me

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

The point you make about the split in the boulder is well taken. For me, that cleft makes the image.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Love the Star Trek comparison. I think a lot of outdoor photographers have spiritual responses to the natural world. Whether we can corral that into an image is our challenge.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Thanks for an interesting perspective. Certainly understanding his lifestyle and the extremes he went to in his quest for powerful inagery is part of our appreciation of his work. I agree that this is somewhat different from many other of his familiar images.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

I agree with you about the “weight” of the silhouetted boulder and the impact it adds and also agree with your thoughts on Rowell’s use of light, which he often used as a primary feature. I am glad you shared some Rowell- inspired images. You’ve motivated me to go look up an image of my own to post!

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

[quote=NJFrank]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Once you read some of the supporting material, if you have some new thoughts, come back and share them!

NJFrank Loc: New Jersey

I took my own advice and checked him out. I am really surprised they used this image as a fundraiser. It must have come down to the fact that he hit the shutter button and so they can attach a dollar amount and use it as a fundraiser. I 'd have to say after viewing his other work I would not have said it was the same photographer. For me this photograph does not bode well for his vast body of work. My conclusion I am glad I did not judge him on this one photograph.