Introduction

Wildlife photo editing involves enhancing and refining images captured in natural settings. It’s a creative process that aims to bring out the best in wildlife photos, showcasing the beauty of the subject and the environment.

Editing allows photographers to correct imperfections, highlight details, and evoke specific moods, ensuring that the final image conveys the photographer’s vision accurately.

Basic Wildlife Photo Editing Techniques

Adjusting Exposure and Contrast

Proper exposure and contrast adjustments form the cornerstone of effective wildlife photo editing. Imagine a wildlife photo where the subject is hidden in the shadows, or the highlights are overblown, obscuring intricate details. Achieving the right balance is crucial in bringing out the best in your shots.

Adjusting exposure involves regulating the amount of light that enters the camera, ensuring that the subject is well-lit without sacrificing the nuances of the environment. This step is particularly essential in wildlife photography, where capturing the play of light on feathers, fur, or scales can enhance the overall visual impact.

Simultaneously, contrast adjustments contribute to the dynamic range of the image. Striking the right balance ensures that shadows retain depth, and highlights remain well-defined. This process allows the subject to stand out against its surroundings, creating a visually appealing and well-balanced photograph.

Enhancing Colors

Wildlife photos come alive when colors are vibrant and true-to-life. Careful color enhancement during the editing process can breathe life into your images, making them more visually engaging. Whether it’s the rich hues of a bird’s plumage or the subtle tones of a natural habitat, accurate representation is key.

Begin by identifying the dominant colors in your image and ensuring they are well-saturated without appearing artificial. Adjustments to contrast and saturation can bring out the natural vibrancy of the scene, creating a captivating visual narrative. Strive for a balance that accentuates the beauty of the wildlife without veering into overly saturated or unrealistic territory.

Experimenting with color temperature can also add depth to your images. For example, slightly warming up the tones can evoke a golden hour ambiance, enhancing the warmth and appeal of your wildlife photographs.

Sharpening Images

In the realm of wildlife photography, crisp and sharp images are non-negotiable. The intricate details of feathers, fur, or scales often make the difference between a good and an exceptional photograph. Sharpening tools in your editing arsenal become invaluable for this purpose.

However, it’s crucial to use sharpening judiciously. Over-sharpening can lead to unnatural artifacts and diminish the overall quality of the image. Adjust the sharpening parameters gradually, focusing on the areas that require emphasis. The goal is to enhance details without introducing unwanted visual noise or artifacts.

Consider employing selective sharpening techniques to emphasize specific elements within the frame, such as the eyes of an animal or the texture of its coat. This approach ensures that the sharpening process is targeted, preserving the overall natural look of the scene.

Removing Unwanted Elements

Creating a focused and impactful wildlife image often involves removing distractions from the frame. Unwanted elements, such as stray branches or other animals in the background, can divert attention from the main subject.

Utilize tools like the cloning or healing brush to seamlessly remove these distractions while maintaining the integrity of the scene. Take care not to leave noticeable artifacts, ensuring that the editing process remains imperceptible to the viewer. This technique not only enhances the visual clarity of the image but also directs the viewer’s gaze towards the primary subject, creating a more compelling and aesthetically pleasing photograph.

Specialized Editing for Wildlife Photography

Focus on Eyes and Details

In the intricate world of wildlife photography, the adage holds true: the eyes are windows to the soul. For photographers, capturing the essence and emotion in an animal’s eyes can establish a profound connection with the viewer. During the editing process, prioritize the enhancement of eyes and intricate details to bring out the soulful expression and unique characteristics of the wildlife subject.

Zoom in on the eyes, ensuring they are well-lit and sharp. Adjust the contrast and saturation to emphasize the natural colors and reflections within the eyes. This subtle yet impactful enhancement can create a powerful focal point, drawing the viewer into the soul of the animal and forging a meaningful connection.

Attend to intricate details like fur, feathers, or scales. Employ tools such as the clarity adjustment to enhance the texture without sacrificing the overall natural look. Striking the right balance in highlighting these details contributes to the authenticity and visual appeal of the wildlife photograph.

Background Blur for Subject Isolation

Subject isolation is a key aspect of wildlife photography, and achieving it through background blur can elevate your images to a professional level. Techniques like depth of field adjustments play a pivotal role in this process. By narrowing the depth of field, you can intentionally blur the background while keeping the subject in sharp focus.

Consider using a wide aperture (low f-number) to achieve a shallow depth of field. This technique directs the viewer’s attention squarely on the subject, creating a visually compelling image. Experiment with different apertures to find the right balance between subject isolation and maintaining enough context in the background to convey the natural habitat..

Adding Drama with Filters

To infuse emotion and drama into your wildlife photos, experiment with filters during the editing process. Filters can evoke specific moods, emphasize certain colors, or enhance the overall atmosphere of the image. However, it’s crucial to use filters judiciously to maintain a natural look and avoid over-stylization.

Explore filters that enhance the warmth of sunlight, intensify the colors of the surroundings, or add subtle vignettes to draw focus. Consider the emotions you want to convey through the photograph and choose filters that complement these intentions.

Remember that subtlety is key; excessive use of filters can lead to an artificial appearance, detracting from the authenticity of the wildlife scene. Strive for a balance that adds drama without compromising the inherent beauty of the subject and its environment.

Cropping for Composition

Strategic cropping is a powerful tool in wildlife photo editing, allowing you to enhance composition and draw attention to the focal point of the image. The rule of thirds is a fundamental principle in this regard.

When cropping, imagine a grid divided into nine equal parts (three columns and three rows). Position the main subject or focal point along the intersecting lines or at their intersections. This technique creates a visually balanced and aesthetically pleasing composition.

Consider the overall balance of the image, ensuring that negative space and other elements contribute to the narrative without distracting from the main subject. Cropping for composition enables you to refine the storytelling aspect of your wildlife photography, guiding the viewer’s gaze and emphasizing the inherent beauty of the captured moment.

Tools and Software for Wildlife Photo Editing

Popular Editing Software

Two standout options are Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, both renowned for their extensive toolkits tailored for advanced editing and manipulation.

Adobe Lightroom

This software is a staple for photographers, offering a comprehensive set of features specifically designed for photo editing. Lightroom allows you to make precise adjustments to exposure, contrast, color, and more. Its non-destructive editing capabilities ensure that your original files remain intact, providing flexibility in experimenting with different edits.

Adobe Photoshop

Widely regarded as the industry standard, Photoshop goes beyond basic adjustments and opens up a world of possibilities for wildlife photographers. From intricate retouching to complex compositing, Photoshop’s capabilities are virtually limitless. It’s the go-to choice for those seeking unparalleled control over every aspect of their images.

Online Editing Platforms

For quick and hassle-free edits without the need for software installations, online editing platforms come to the rescue. These platforms are particularly handy when you want to make simple adjustments or create social media-ready content. Two notable options in this category are Canva and Pixlr.

Canva

Known for its user-friendly interface and versatility, Canva is a web-based platform that simplifies the editing process. It offers a variety of templates and tools, making it easy to enhance your wildlife photos with overlays, text, and filters. Canva is not just an editing tool; it’s a creative hub where you can design eye-catching visuals effortlessly.

Pixlr

Pixlr provides a robust set of editing tools in a user-friendly online environment. It caters to both beginners and more advanced users, offering features like layers, filters, and color adjustments. Whether you need to quickly enhance colors or add creative effects, Pixlr’s accessibility makes it a valuable resource for on-the-go editing.

Mobile Apps for On-the-Go Editing

In the dynamic field of wildlife photography, being able to edit on the go is a game-changer. Mobile apps bring editing capabilities to your fingertips, allowing you to refine and share your wildlife photos instantly. Two standout mobile apps for on-the-go editing are Snapseed and VSCO.

Snapseed

Developed by Google, Snapseed is a powerful and user-friendly mobile app that covers a wide range of editing needs. With features like selective editing, brush tools, and a variety of filters, Snapseed empowers you to enhance your wildlife photos directly from your smartphone.

VSCO

Known for its emphasis on simplicity and aesthetics, VSCO offers a minimalist interface paired with powerful editing tools. It provides an array of filters inspired by classic film tones, enabling you to add a unique touch to your wildlife photos. VSCO’s intuitive design makes it a favorite among mobile photographers seeking both convenience and creative control.

Conclusion

In conclusion, mastering wildlife photo editing requires a blend of technical skills, artistic sensibility, and ethical considerations. By following these tips and staying true to the essence of the scene, you can elevate your wildlife photography to new heights. For aspiring wildlife photographers, embrace the journey of learning and experimentation. Each edit brings you closer to capturing the untamed beauty of the natural world

Afterword

We hope that you find this article helpful. Thank you for reading and you’re always free to leave a comment. If you find this article interesting, consider checking out one of our recently published posts. A few of them showcase advancements in technology such as AI Art Generators. On the other hand, if you’re looking towards Photography, we also offer great articles for your inspiration. We also have multiple articles that talk about the various printing mediums for wall art. May these articles give you inspiration for your next print!

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Introduction: The Importance of Learning from Experienced Wildlife Photographers

While learning through first hand experience is valuable, knowledge from the pros is very effective. Explore wildlife photography by first learning from experienced photographers. This includes attending workshops, classes, and photo tours. This provides you a clean overview as well as valuable insights and hands-on experience regarding wildlife photography.

Be sure that you make the most out of each event. Use this opportunity to learn from the pros, ask questions, and gain access to exclusive locations. Additionally, use this time to network with professional photographers and industry professionals. Who knows, a new gig and business opportunity might be just around the corner?

Understanding the Basics of Wildlife Photography: Composition, Lighting, and Exposure

First and foremost, it’s important to have a solid foundation with photography. This translates well to any photography style you choose. Understand and explore the basics of photography from composition, lighting, to exposure.

I. Composition Techniques for Wildlife Photography

Composition deals with the arrangement of elements in a photograph. This is the element that empowers you to lead your audience’s view to a subject. Your composition takes control of what the viewer sees. At the same time you also are capable of directing their view point to go towards a section of the photo.

First, the rule of thirds is a basic and widely used composition technique. It involves placing your subject within the intersection of a horizontal and vertical grid line. The rule of thirds is extremely helpful to direct the eye of the audience to gaze upon the scene then draw towards the main subject. It keeps all details of a scenery intact while providing a story accompanying the subject.

Second are leading lines. This composition technique utilizes the lines present in a scene to direct an audience’s gaze. This is most effective when the subject is at the convergence of multiple lines. In the wild, use natural lines such as riverbanks, tree trunks, or animal trails.

Lastly, another introductory composition technique is framing. This adds depth and dimension to any photo. This can be achieved by using natural frames such as tree branches, arches, or doorways to frame the subject.

II. Lighting Techniques For Wildlife Photography

Moving on, lighting is also a fundamental element in photography. It is so important that it can make or break your photo. Here, we talk about two main types of lighting: Natural and Artificial.

Natural light is most common in wildlife photography. Understand how the position and intensity of light affects your image. By having this knowledge, you see light as a tool not an obstacle. Learn how to create different moods and effects with different light intensities and positions.

Artificial light on the other hand involves the use of man made light sources. This includes flashes, reflectors, and other light producing or modifying tools. Also obtain knowledge of how artificial light sources add benefits to capturing wildlife photos.

III. Exposure techniques for wildlife photography

Lastly, we talk about exposure techniques. Exposure refers to the amount of light entering the camera. This is controlled by three elements: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.

First, shutter speed is the unit of measure corresponding to the amount of time where the camera’s shutter is open. A fast shutter speed is capable of freezing motion. On the contrary, a slow shutter speed creates motion blur or is useful for still objects. 

Second, aperture refers to how big the lens opening is. A large aperture allows more light to enter the camera. Meanwhile, a smaller aperture allows less light to enter. Aside from light, aperture controls the depth of field or how focused a subject is. Understanding aperture is beneficial in isolating your subject by creating a sense of separation with the background.

Lastly, ISO refers to the camera’s sensitivity to light. A high ISO allows you to use fast shutter speeds or smaller apertures in low light situations. However, increasing your ISO adds noise into the image. A perfect balance of the three is ideal in achieving clear and professional photos.

The Best Gear for Wildlife Photography: Cameras, Lenses, and Accessories

Make sure that you’re ready for exploration. Obtain the right gear before heading out to capture wildlife photos. There are many options for cameras, lenses, and accessories. At the end of the day, it all falls to personal preference and budget ranges.

I. Cameras for Wildlife Photography

DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) cameras are the most popular cameras for wildlife photography. They offer a wide range of focal lengths, fast autofocus, and the ability to change lenses. They also offer good image quality and fast frame rates. All of which are important for capturing fast-moving wildlife.

Mirrorless cameras are becoming increasingly popular for wildlife photography. They offer many of the same advantages as DSLRs, but they are smaller, lighter, and more portable. They also offer good image quality and fast autofocus.

II. Lenses for Wildlife Photography

Telephoto lenses are essential for wildlife photography. They allow you to zoom in on your subject and capture close-up shots without disturbing the animal. They also offer a shallower depth of field, which can be used to isolate your subject from the background. The most common focal lengths for wildlife photography are 300mm, 400mm, and 600mm.

Zoom lenses are also viable options for wildlife photography. They allow you to change focal lengths quickly and easily. They are also more versatile than fixed focal length lenses, and can be used for a wide range of subjects.

III. Accessories for Wildlife Photography

Tripods are essential for wildlife photography, as they provide a stable platform for your camera and lens. They also allow you to use slower shutter speeds and longer exposures without blur.

Next, remote triggers are also useful for wildlife photography, as they allow you to take pictures without touching the camera. This is helpful in reducing camera shake and blur.

Filters can also be used to enhance your wildlife photos. The two types of filters are polarizing and neutral density filters. Polarizing filters reduce glare and improve color saturation. Meanwhile, neutral density filters are useful in slowing down the shutter speed and capturing motion blur.

Tips for Capturing Stunning Wildlife Shots: Understanding Animal Behavior & Shutter Speed

After having the photography fundamentals and equipment inside your pocket, we move on to animal behavior. When capturing these magnificent creatures, it’s important to understand how they interact in their habitat. Additionally, take more stunning photos by using the right shutter speeds and using light to your advantage.

I. Understanding Animal Behavior

The first step to a great wildlife photo is understanding animals. Watch out for their movements and habits. It’s also useful to learn about their habitat because afterall, it is their home.

Moreover, understanding animal behavior patterns is helpful for prediction. Once you predict how they’re going to act next, you can capture once in a lifetime moments. Know when they are most active, most likely to be feeding, and when they are likely to be mating.

II. Shutter Speed Techniques

Freezing motion is important for capturing sharp and detailed shots of fast-moving wildlife. This can be achieved by using a fast shutter speed, such as 1/1000th of a second. 

First, panning is a technique useful in capturing a sense of motion in your images. This is achieved by moving the camera in the same direction as the moving subject, while using a slow shutter speed. 

Meanwhile, tracking is a technique that can be used to keep a moving subject in focus. This is achieved by following the subject with the camera, while using a fast shutter speed and continuous autofocus.

How to Edit and Post-process your Wildlife Images for Maximum Impact

After capturing your wildlife photos, editing and post-processing them brings out their full potential. It enhances your images, ultimately bringing out the best in them. There are multiple techniques both basic and advanced worth trying. 

Some of the basic editing techniques include cropping, color correction, and adjusting image values such as exposure and contrast. These are essential in bringing a polished and professional look to your photos.

Advanced techniques on the other hand include HDR processing, panorama stitching, and black and white conversion. Application of these techniques provide dramatic and at the same time impactful images.

The Top Destinations for Wildlife Photography and How to Plan a Successful Trip

Getting the most out of wildlife photography starts from knowing where to go. Some of the best destinations out there are Africa, North America, and Atartica. Each has their own unique characteristics and offers different experiences. 

Upon choosing your desired location, planning is the next big thing. Make sure that you are prepared for your adventure. There are multiple factors to consider such as knowing about the wildlife and preparing your equipment.

I. Popular Wildlife Photography Destinations

Africa is known for its diverse wildlife and stunning landscapes. It’s a great destination for capturing images of big cats, elephants, and other iconic African animals. 

Meanwhile, North America is also a great destination for wildlife photography. It’s home to a wide range of animals, from bears and wolves to bison and eagles. 

Lastly, Antarctica is a unique destination for wildlife photography. It’s home to a wide range of animals such as penguins, seals, and whales. It’s also known for its stunning landscapes and unique lighting conditions.

II. Planning a Successful Wildlife Photography Trip

Research the destination: Before planning your trip, research the destination thoroughly. Find out what types of wildlife and habitats you can expect to find, and what the best time of year is to visit.

Choose the right gear: Make sure you have the right gear for the trip. This includes cameras, lenses, and accessories that are suitable for wildlife photography.

Choose the right accommodation: Choose accommodation that is close to the areas where you’ll be photographing wildlife. This will save you time and energy, and allow you to make the most of your time in the field.

Hire a guide: Hiring a guide can be a great way to get the most out of your trip. They can provide you with valuable information about the destination, the wildlife, and the best places to photograph.

Be respectful of wildlife: Remember that wildlife photography is not just about getting the perfect shot. It’s also about respecting the animals and their habitats.

Conclusion

Wildlife photography is a challenging and rewarding field that allows you to capture the beauty of nature and its inhabitants. It requires knowledge, skill, and experience, but with the right approach, anyone can capture stunning wildlife shots. Remember to learn from the pros, understand the basics of photography, have the right gear, plan your trip, and be respectful of the wildlife and their habitat.

We hope that this blog post has provided you with valuable information and inspiration for your next wildlife photography adventure. Share this post with your friends and photography enthusiasts, and let us know your thoughts and questions in the comments section. Happy shooting!

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Galen Rowell Quotes

My interest in photography did not begin with a burning desire to see the world through a camera. It evolved through an intense devotion to wilderness that eventually shaped all parts of my life and brought them together.

At the heart of all photography is an urge to express our deepest personal feelings – to reveal our inner, hidden selves, to unlock the artist. Those of us who become photographers are never satisfied with just looking at someone else’s expression of something that is dear to us. We must produce our own images, instead of buying postcards and photo books. We seek to make our own statements of individuality.

Still photographs are better matched to the brain’s long-term way of holding information than any other form of mass communication. The best photographs can capture a whole era in an image or two. Even the finest human mind never recalls everything from previous experience. Memory is a sieve that keeps the nuggets and releases the rubble; I wanted my photography to do the same.

Memory selects single important images, just as the camera does. In that manner both are able to isolate the highest moments of living.

Still photography will hold its present hallowed place in the world of art and communication only as long as it respects the natural integrity of the world it depicts and doesn’t overtly try to compete with high-tech media.

Photography is powered by passion of individual photographers. At the most basic level all photographers are trying to do the same thing: make images that preserve their most deeply felt visual experiences. To deviate from this pursuit of personal truth, regardless of how much money or fame may be at stake, is to risk losing that all-important source of power forever.

Each time I pick up a camera I’m trying to say something. I’m trying to communicate my view of the world and to share those high moments when what I see and what I feel are a single experience. The best images come from a blend of technical discipline and creative thought, a meld of left-brain/right-brain action. Only then can a photographer merge, for an instant, his camera’s way of seeing the world with his own.

Photographs are like gems: the real and the synthetic are often physically indistinuishable, but there is no question to the ultimate value. A photograph that depicts a moment of real life, whether that of a human activity or of the natural world, is of a higher order than the most perfect replication created by or for the camera with luck removed from the formula.

Landscape and Nature Photography

I think landscape photography in general is somewhat undervalued.

Ever since the 1860s when photographers traveled the American West and brought photographs of scenic wonders back to the people on the East Coast of America we have had a North American tradition of landscape photography used for the environment.

These days, most nature photographers are deeply committed to the environmental message

I’m exchanging molecules every 30 days with the natural world and in a spiritual sense I know I am a part of it and take my photographs from that emotional feeling within me, rather than from an emotional distance as a spectator.

The landscape is like being there with a powerful personality and I’m searching for just the right angles to make that portrait come across as meaningfully as possible.

The most interesting parts of the natural world are the edges, places where ocean meets land, meadow meets forest, timberline touches the heights.

A lot of people think that when you have grand scenery, such as you have in Yosemite, that photography must be easy.

… photographers do not merely look, they see. To see, instead of to look at, the desert through a photograph is to make its essential values come alive without resorting to gimmicks such as heavily filtered colors or yellow taxicabs. Unless a landscape is intended as an abstraction, it needs to be absolutely rooted in the integrity of the natural scene.

Photography has traditionally carried with it a cachet of fact, an illusion of captured reality. Today this quality is increasingly endangered by ever more sophisticated ways of manipulating images.

I began to realize that the camera sees the world differently than the human eye and that sometimes those differences can make a photograph more powerful than what you actually observed.

Galen Rowell on Looking for Light

I almost never set out to photograph a landscape, nor do I think of my camera as a means of recording a mountain or an animal unless I absolutely need a ‘record shot’. My first thought is always of light.

When the light is right and everything is working for me, I feel as tense as when making a difficult maneuver high on a mountain. A minute – and sometimes mere seconds – can make the difference between a superb image and a mundane one.

When the magic hour arrives, my thoughts center on light rather than on the landscape. I search for perfect light, then hunt for something earthbound to match with it.

Most amatuer photographers think of landscapes simply as objects to be photographed. They tend to forget that they are never photographing an object, but rather light itself. Where there is no light, they will have no picture; where there is remarkable light, they may have remarkable image picture.

It is easy to forget that light to photographers, like language to writers, is their ony means of artistic expression. Without an understanding of language, combined with imagination and intuition, occassional strings of lyrical words are little more than intermittent accidents. So are photographs made without understanding the language of light.

Different Types of Light

As soon as I see that the shadows are gone in an outdoor situation, I know I have soft light and a contrast ratio well within the limits of my film. I can photograph faces without fear of having them go partially black; I can shoot forest detail that would otherwise be splotched with light and dark spots , beyond hope of rendering as a color image.

The clean, even colors that come in nature under a cloudy-bright sky are not found in shadows on clear days or under dark storm clouds. They happen only when nature’s umbrella is white, a situation that can be caused by clouds, fog, light rain, or snow. If I am on assignment and these conditions present themselves, I shift gears to take advantage or the light and consequently make some of my most important outdoor images of people. I f I am in the mountains, I look for the colors of flowers and meadows to come alive. When the air is clear beneath the clouds, there is the potential for making a classic landscape, with mountains in the background and a softly lit foreground scene that doesn’t overpower the whole.

Rainbows are most commonly seen during magic hours because of their optical geometry. They form a halo around the antisolar point, the place directly opposite the sun. Because the primary are of a rainbow lies in a forty-two-degree radius around this point, it is not visible above the horizon unless the sun itself is low in the sky. A full display of a rainbow commonly occurs minutes before sunset when the sun pops out under a layer of clouds after a storm to illuminate falling rain in the distance.

At its best backlighting simplifies what might otherwise be a busy or confusing situations by allowing unnecessary details to drop away in the shadows. Forests can look very complex and uninteresting until backlighting creates beams of light, called crepuscular rays, that have corresponding exaggerated shadows. These “God beams” are among the most beautiful of common opical phenomena.

Sunrise and Sunset Photos

When the magic hour arrives, my thoughts centre on light rather than the landscape. I search for the perfect light, then hunt for something earthbound to match it with. The best images that result from this process look like visual riddles with unexpected answers; and like verbal riddles, visual riddles have been created by starting with answers then working backward.

Some of my favorite images were made after sunset or before sunrise. To work only in direct light is to miss a feast of subtle twilight colors that often become far more vivid on film than they appear to the eye, plus the chance to simulate night photography with some daylight still present.

I treat sunrises and sunsets similarly. Those who travel with me on photo trips often hear my battlecry, “Let’s unset the sunset, ” just before I drive, hike, or run to the higher ground, racing the shadow of last light. A photographer who deals with two or three sunsets a day has more chances to be lucky than a personn who settles for just one.

You only get one sunrise and one sunset a day, and you only get so many days on the planet. A good photographer does the math and doesn’t waste either.

Mountain Light

The publication of Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape in 1986 put my philosophy on the line with the story behind my work. Before Mountain Light the many magazines I had worked for never let me say what really motivated my work, and how different my style of participatory photography is compared to that of an observer with a camera who is not part of the events being photographed. It is the difference between a landscape viewed as scenery from a highway turnout and a portrait of the earth as a living, breathing being that will never look the same twice.

Recommended book: Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape

Photogpedia is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases.

Author note: I purchased Rowell’s book used for less than $15. It’s one of the best photography books I own. The book not only features Rowell’s brilliant photography, but also a ton of great information about landscape technique and working on assignment for National Geographic. This is a must own book for all landscape and adventure photographers.

Composition Quotes

In my opinion composition comes boils down to nothing more than pleasing the eye. A good inuitive sense goes a lot further than a headful of rules.

Over the years I have developed a method to avoid thinking in terms of halves, thirds, quarters or the golden [ratio] as I compose a landscape: I always begin by spontaneously balancing the features I have chosen by intuition. I look for the most important convergence of light or form and try to decide where to place it in my picture. If a certain framing feels right, I go with it. Only when it doesn’t, or when I have too many other factors to consider, so I use a rigid procedure to achieve a blanaced composition that does not appear contrived.

Another great rule of composition that I follow faithfully is to include nothing at the edges of my images that will interrupt my viewer’s eye, unless I want such an element there to lead the eye towards the subject (as with a strong diagonal or an S curve). When the main events are in the interior of a photo, the viewer’s eye should be able to run around the perphery without finding anything distracting. Continuous tones without bright highlights or unobtrusive patterns make ideal borders.

Even the most beautiful elements in nature – sunsets, waterfalls, clouds, and rainbows – don’t look their best in photographs when singled out. They are invariably more interesting when juxtaposed against their surroundings; they need something else to locate them in the universe. The balance of the splendid against something ordinary is contrary to a photographers natural inclination. We tend to either single something out or include too many ordinary things.

In photo workshops, I have found that at least 90 percent of the students make a basic compositional mistake. Their best pictures are invariably improved by cropping the foreground. Why? Because we look at a scene with our eyes, our three dimensional vision takes into account the fact that things close to us appear larger because of natural perspective distortion. When we make a photograph, however, we are translating a three-dimensional vision into two, and the foreground will always look overemphasized unless we take that factor into account beforehand.

Adventure Photography and Mountain Life

When I go to the mountains, I intuitively know my place in the world much better through these experiences. The more intense they are, the better I know myself, and the more I am able to challenge myself.

My interest in photography did not begin with books or mentors, or with any burning desire to see the world through a camera. It evolved from an intense devotion to mountains and wilderness that eventually shaped all the parts of my life and brought them together.

I began taking pictures in the natural world to be able to show people what I was experiencing when I climbed and explored in Yosemite in the High Sierra.

We mountaineers always live with the feeling that we came on the scene too late.

My mountaineering skills are not important to my best photographs, but they do add a component to my work that is definitely a bit different than that of most photographers.

Contray to what some people may imagine, my photography style does not depend on athletic aability. Most of my best images have come about precisely because of the non-athletic component in my mountain experiences. Even during the most ambitious adventures, I have free time to contemplate my surroundings, from camps, trails, and ledges. Many of [my] photographs… were made in locations readily accessible to people whose reasons for being in the wilderness are distinctly non-athletic.

I am intent on preserving the integrity of still photography… I recognize that some of my photographs may seem unreal to people that have never experienced the many nuances of mountain light, but all are natural events. Those high moments of mountain experience, the ones that would burn themselves into my memory whether or not I have a camera, are what I want to put on film, or whatever media for recording still images may emerge in years to come.

I remember when an editor at the National Geographic promised to run about a dozen of my landscape pictures from a story on the John Muir trail as an essay, but when the group of editors got together, someone said that my pictures looked like postcards.

Often when I walked alone in the mountains, I tried to make sense out of the two halves of my life. What went on in the city during the week seemed chaotic and unrelated to the events in my mountain world.

Photo Essays and Writing

The reason that I keep writing is that all my most powerful messages about the fates of wild places that I care about need to have words as well as images.

Theres no question that photographs communicate more instantly and powerfully than words do, but if you want to communicate a complex concept clearly, you need words, too.

Today, I’m very careful not to mention very specific locations when I write or give captions.

In John Muir’s time those who traveled through the mountains recorded their experiences in words or sketch pads. Muir did both, but his words are better remembered. If he were alive today, I have little doubt that he would be a wilderness photographer.

… whether I consider myself a writer or a photographer: “I spend two-thirds of my time on writing and one-third on photography; two-thirds of my income is from photography, one-third from writing.” By practicing both trades at once I was able to compare them and thereby gained a new understanding of the startling effects they have had on one another over the last century.

Galen Rowell on Equipment

Some of the time I use a tripod for static scenes and long telephotos, while other times – when I need to go very light ib wilderness adventures – I make do as best I can without one. The same principle holds true for all my photo equipment. The fact I own an item – a lens, a filter, or a tripod – doesn’t mean I use it all the time. Sometimes I take it in the field with me and never use it; it may stay in the car or at basecamp.

The most commonly used lens in my collection is a [Nikon] 24mm f/2.8. It is a carefully weighted compromise that gives me just enough interplay of foreground and background while keeping parallax distortion within control. A 28mm lens is simply not wide enough to give me the feeling I want most of the time.

I use the Nikon Series E 75-150 zoom almost as much as the 24mm lens. Its relatively fast f/3.5 aperture and light weight make it a perfect short telephoto for outdoor use.

The reason 35mm image doesn’t look like the 4-by-5 image is more of a result of method than of equipment. When I come across a still landscape that moves me, I pretend my Nikon is a bigger camera. I heft it onto a tripod, fool with composition for long minutes, shoot at f/16 to maximize depth of field, and get results that resembles in every respect what I would have gotten with a bigger camera, except the size of the film grain in enlargement. Images made in this manner regularly stand up to poster-size enlargements.

Rowell died in 2002 in a plane crash while returning from a photography workshop in Alasaka. Sadly, the pioneering outdoor photographer wasn’t around to see the photography world make the switch from film to digital. Here’s what Rowell said about the future of cameras a decade before:

Small, portable digital cameras that exceed the performance of an off-the-shelf Nikon using 35mm slide film are further away from current reality than the proposed NASA manned Mars mission, although I expect both to happen sometime during my lifetime.

To see a full list of Rowell’s cameras, lenses and filters, check out the Galen Rowell’s Camera Bag page on the Mountain Light website.

Galen Rowell Quotes for Better Photography

My advice for climbers or photographers is to really tune into your own passions and not just what other people are doing or aren’t doing. Figure out what works for you, what turns you on, what gives you the greatest amount of energy and feeling of satisfaction.

One of the biggest mistakes a photographer can make is to look at the real world and cling to the vain hope that next time his film will somehow bear a closer resemblance to it… If we limit our vision to the real world, we will forever be fighting on the minus side of things, working only too make our photographs equal to what we see out there, but no better.

Before I press the shutter release, I think about the validity of my subject. Photographs can lie as surely as words, and just as with writing, making a photogaph implies that the photographer understands what his photograph says. My rule of thumb is to hold back from making an exposure unless it directly involves me either intellectually or emotionally, or in both ways.

And most of my early pictures failed but about one in a 100 somehow looked better than what I saw.

Photography was a means of visual expression to communicate what I had seen to people who weren’t there. At first I was disturbed that 99 percent of my images didn’t look as good as what I had seen. The other one percent, however, contained some element–a beam of light, a texture, a reflection–that looked more powerful on film than to my eye. Without this I never would have been drawn toward photography as a career. I became fascinated with trying to consistently combine photographic vision and a visualization in my mind’s eye to make images that exceeded the normal perception before my eyes.

What I mean by photographing as a participant rather than observer is that I’m not only involved directly with some of the activities that I photograph, such as mountain climbing, but even when I’m not I have the philosophy that my mind and body are part of the natural world.

I like to feel that all my best photographs had strong personal visions and that a photograph that doesn’t have a personal vision or doesn’t communicate emotion fails.

I cannot overemphasize the importance of paying close attention to poor photos as well as to good ones, for it is in the rejects that our own conceptual errors are the most apparent. Too many of us get back our slides, pull out the good ones and banish the rest.

Luck plays a role in all great photographs, especially those in the natural world; yet it is not to be found in the indexes of photography manuals or on the agendas of photography classes and workshops. Luck is what makes photography an entirely different medium from art forms based only on planned creative acts.

Photography succeeds not when the original vision is created photographically, but when the photograph is able to evoke or re-create a similiar vision in the mind of each viewer. If the re-creation is not understood or not relevant or not powerful enough, the image fails. But if the special unity of composition found by the photographer triggers strong emotions, the image has a chance of success.

In the clip below, Rowell explains how he captures his remarkable photos. Also, check out episode 30 (opens in new tab) where he shares his top tips for photographing the great outdoors.

What’s your Favorite Galen Rowell Quote?

Have a favorite Galen Rowell quote from the list? Let us know in the comment section below.

Don’t forget to bookmark this page, or print it out, and refer to it next time you need some inspiration. If you’ve enjoyed the article, we would be grateful if you could share it with other photographers.

To learn more about Rowell’s landscape and outdoor photography, check out the Mountain Light website. Unfortunately the gallery links on the website don’t seem to be working, however you can still view his images using the Internet Archive website.

Looking for more words of wisdom from master photographers? Visit the quotes section of Photogpedia for more great photography quotes.

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• Ansel Adams Quotes
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• Nature and Landscape Photography Quotes

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