Mountain Light Photography: News Room

EASTERN SIERRA MEMORIES: The wonders of the Eastern Sierra with Galen and Barbara Rowell. WATCH THE VIDEO.

Mountain Light Gallery is pleased to present its 2011 Photography Workshop schedule featuring five of the best instructors in the business.

Join John Shaw, David Muench, Jack Dykinga, Elizabeth Carmel and Jerry Dodrill as they go on location to some of the most stunning regions in the Western United States including Lake Tahoe, the Oregon Coast, the Eastern Sierra Nevada, Bryce National Park and the California Coast Redwoods. Each workshop is limited in size to ensure that everyone receives the time and attention needed.

Our workshops have been honored with recognition by both Sunset and American Photo magazines – Sunset having selected our workshop program as one of its top-ten smart vacation picks, while American Photo gave our workshops top billing among a handful of America’s best photo workshop operators.

A 10 percent registration discount will be granted to returning participants who have taken any past workshop operated by Mountain Light, as well as to new participants who simultaneously enroll in two or more workshops for 2010. The registration discount is also available to full-time students, full-time art or photography instructors and members of the North American Nature Photographers’ Association. Please note that these discounts are not cumulative and that the maximum available discount on any workshop is 10 percent.

Each workshop is limited in size to ensure that everyone receives the time and attention needed. We expect these to fill up quickly, please contact us promptly to reserve your space.

For a complete schedule or to reserve your space, please visit the Workshops page!

Signed, Limited Edition Wild Horses below Fitz Roy Available in the Collectors Vault!

Signed Wild horses below Fitz Roy Galen Rowell

Now available from the Rowell Family Collection is a signed, limited edition 16" x 20" Crystal Archive LightJet print of Galen Rowell’s AA#0431, Wild Horses below Fitz Roy, Patagonia, Argentina (1985). Presented in a custom hardwood frame with anti-reflective UV glazing, the print is in excellent condition and is among Rowell’s most popular images. The print and mat are signed, dated and numbered by the artist. The mat is acid-free 100% cotton museum board. It includes a certificate of authenticity and is offered at a price of $9000.

Collectors interested in rare Galen Rowell prints are encouraged to view our online Newsletter and use the signup link to be added to our notification list. Be sure to select the Rare and Collectible Prints option on the signup form.

For more information, on this and other rare and collectible prints, visit the Mountain Light Collector’s Vault!

Wilderness explorer and writer Craig Childs was recently honored as the recipient of the 2009 Rowell Award for the Art of Adventure.

Childs was presented with the award during the annual Rowell Lecture, held June 9th in San Francisco. As a writer, Childs has published more than a dozen critically acclaimed books on nature, science, and adventure. He is a commentator for National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, and his work has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Men’s Journal, Outside and Orion. His subjects range from pre-Columbian archaeology to U.S. border issues to the last free-flowing rivers of Tibet.

The expeditions that Childs goes on often last weeks or months, infusing his writing with a hard-earned sense of landscape and culture. The New York Times says “Childs’ feats of asceticism are nothing if not awe inspiring: he’s a modern-day desert father.” He has been called a “born storyteller” by the New York Sun, and the Los Angeles Times says his writing is “like pure oxygen,” and “stings like a slap in the face.” He has won several key awards, including the Sigurd Olsen Nature Writing Award and the Spirit of the West Award for his body of work, an honor he shares with Wallace Stegner, Terry Tempest Williams and N. Scott Momaday.

Childs is an Arizona native, and grew up back and forth between there and Colorado. In his teens, Childs began working as a river guide, and since then has held numerous jobs to support his field time, from gas station attendant to journalist to beer bottler. Now making a living as a writer, Childs lives off the grid with his wife and two young sons at the foot of the West Elk Mountains in Colorado.

Each year, the Rowell Award honors an adventurer whose artistic passion illuminates the wild places of the world, and whose accomplishments significantly benefit both the environment and the peoples who inhabit these lands and regions. Past recipients include adventurers and photographers James Balog, Beth Wald and Jimmy Chin.

For more information about Craig Childs, please visit: HouseOfRain.com. For more information about the Rowell Award, please visit the Rowell Award website.

The Galen Rowell calendars for 2011 are now available in the Mountain Light online store. These 12-sheet wall calendars measure 12" x 12" and are published by Sellers Publishing, Inc.

California the Beautiful 2011 features some of Galen’s best images from his home state, from snow-covered mountains in the north to white sand beaches and blistering deserts in the south.

American Landscapes 2011 celebrates the scenic beauty and diverse wildlife of North America’s national parks and open spaces through this unique portfolio of Galen’s work.

Reflection pond, Denali National Park, Alaska by Galen Rowell

Two photographs by Galen Rowell were recently named a part of the “Top 40 Nature Photographs of All Time” collection by the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP).

Rowell’s Split rock and cloud, Eastern Sierra, California and Reflection pond, Denali National Park, Alaska were chosen for the honor alongside photographs from Ansel Adams, Frans Lanting, David Doubilet, Thomas Mangelsen and Jack Dykinga, to name a few.

The Top 40 collection represents a wide range of styles and genres, and spans more than 100 years of photographic history. The images were nominated and chosen by members of iLCP, a fellowship of the world’s top professional conservation photographers.

More than 100 photographers and editors associated with iLCP were asked to submit nominations for images they considered to be “the best,” in whatever way they chose to define it. Restricted from self-nomination, the group was encouraged to consider factors such as aesthetics, uniqueness, historical and scientific significance, or contribution to conservation efforts.

“It was no easy task, selecting just 40 images from the incredible nominations submitted to us by some of the world’s greatest nature photographers, but it was a tremendous honor for iLCP to be asked to take the lead on this challenging project,” said iLCP Executive Director Justin Black.

“No doubt, there are other notable and worthy photographs that could have secured a spot in the Top 40 gallery,” Black added, “but this diverse cross section clearly demonstrates the power of photographs to educate, enlighten, inspire, and stir us into action to protect our limited natural resources.”

Many of the images were up for auction at the inaugural Christie’s International “Green Auction: A Bid to Save the Earth” on April 22, with proceeds to be divided between four environmental organizations, which include: Conservation International (CI), Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council and the Central Park Conservancy.

Breashears to Headline 2010 Rowell Award Lecture Series

Noted mountaineer and renowned filmmaker David Breashears will be the keynote speaker at the 2010 Rowell Lecture, scheduled for Wednesday, June 9th at the Mark Hopkins Hotel, One Nob Hill in San Francisco. A VIP reception begins at 5:30 p.m., and the main program itself will run from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Breashears has summitted Everest five times and was the first American to summit Everest twice. He served as a guide when Dick Bass became the first person to scale the Seven Summits, the highest mountain on each continent. Breashears was the first person to transmit live pictures from Everest’s summit; he has received four national Emmy Awards for outstanding cinematography.

Jon Krakauer’s bestseller Into Thin Air immortalized Breashears and his team for their efforts during the disastrous events of May 10, 1996 when eight climbers were killed and several others injured during Everest’s worst tragedy. Breashears and his crew stopped filming to coordinate the rescue. They regrouped and two weeks later achieved their goal of becoming the first to record IMAX film images from the summit. Breashears, while widely acclaimed for this accomplishment, feels that his greatest success was as a result of making sure his entire team returned safely.

Breashears will pay tribute to his friends Galen and Barbara Rowell and discuss his work in filmmaking, mountaineering and climate change.

The evening will also feature the presentation of the 2009 Rowell Award for the Art of Adventure to wilderness explorer and writer Craig Childs. Each year, the Rowell Award honors an adventurer whose artistic passion illuminates the wild places of the world, and whose accomplishments significantly benefit both the environment and the peoples who inhabit these lands and regions.

The event is sponsored by the Rowell Legacy Committee and its partners, NatureBridge and the Commonwealth Club of California.

Tickets are limited but still available. To purchase a ticket or to learn more about the event, visit the NatureBridge web site.

Galen Rowell's Inner Game - now in softcover!

Mountain Light Gallery is pleased to announce the availability of the much anticipated softcover release of Galen Rowell’s Inner Game of Outdoor Photography.

Published by W.W. Norton & Company, Inner Game features 140 color photographs and 66 essays in which Galen reveals the art, craft and philosophy behind his renowned images. Available in paperback for the first time, this groundbreaking work remains both an inspired manual to taking better pictures and an inspiring journey of discovery into the creative process.

Galen Rowell’s Inner Game is $29.95 plus shipping. To place your order, call us at (760) 873-7700 or visit the Mountain Light Book Store!

Pioneer Photography of Philip Hyde:
Featured Artist Exhibit, May 8 – August 31

It’s history in the making: The work of two of California’s most prominent outdoor photographers and wilderness advocates will be exhibited in the same building for the first time ever. The landscape photography of the late Philip Hyde will be on display at Galen Rowell’s renowned Mountain Light Gallery from May 8th through August 31st, 2010.

The exhibition will include more than 40 archival pigment prints and several original vintage Philip Hyde Cibachrome, Dye Transfer and black and white silver prints. New prints will be on exhibition of Philip Hyde’s unpublished work that the public has never seen before in any form.

Philip Hyde’s son, David Leland Hyde will speak about his father’s life and work at an artist’s reception Saturday, May 8th, 6-9 p.m.

Both Philip Hyde and Galen Rowell were contributors to the groundbreaking Sierra Club Exhibit Format Series and both were regularly featured in the Sierra Club Bulletin, Sierra Magazine, Outdoor Photographer and other publications. Hyde and Rowell are the only two honorary members of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

READ THE FULL STORY and find out more about Mountain Light Exhibits on the Featured Artists page.

Last Light on Horsetail Fall signed by Galen Rowell

A highly-collectible 20" x 30" Crystal Archive LightJet print, matted and framed and in excellent condition, of Galen Rowell’s AA#0008, Last light on Horsetail Fall, Yosemite, California (1973), was recently sold to a collector. The print was signed, dated and numbered by the artist, and was offered at a price of $12,500.

Continuing to reflect the strong demand for Rowell fine prints among collectors, this is one of several rare, signed prints recently sold through the Bishop gallery.

Signed Grizzly Bear and Salmon, Alaska
Available Now in the Collectors Vault!

Signed Grizzly bear and salmon by Galen Rowell

This piece is a 20" x 30" Crystal Archive LightJet print, in excellent condition, of Galen Rowell’s AA#0824, Grizzly bear and salmon, Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park, Alaska (1991). It is presented in a light, honey-colored solid wood frame with 98% UV-blocking museum glass. The mat is acid-free 100% cotton museum board, and is signed and dated by the artist. It is also signed and dated by the artist underneath the mat in the border of the print, and includes a certificate of authenticity. This collectible print is offered at a price of $7,000.

For more information, on this and other rare and collectible prints, visit the Mountain Light Collector’s Vault!

Mountain Light Gallery is pleased to offer a full lineup of workshops for 2010 with the best instructors in the business! Our workshops have been honored with recognition by both Sunset and American Photo magazines – Sunset having selected our workshop program as one of its top-ten smart vacation picks, while American Photo gave our workshops top billing among a handful of America’s best photo workshop operators.

In Spring 2010, Mountain Light will host a 3-Day Workshop with John Shaw, taught out of our Bishop gallery at the foot of the Sierra Nevada. Also in Spring 2010, Mountain Light will host a 4-Day Workshop with Jack Dykinga in Death Valley.

In Fall 2010, Mountain Light will host two 3-Day Workshops, one with David Muench and one with Brenda Tharp, taught out of our Bishop gallery at the foot of the Sierra Nevada. Also in Fall 2010, Mountain Light will host a 4-Day Workshop with Jack Dykinga at Zion National Park.

A 10 percent registration discount will be granted to returning participants who have taken any past workshop operated by Mountain Light, as well as to new participants who simultaneously enroll in two or more workshops for 2010. The registration discount is also available to full-time students, full-time art or photography instructors and members of the North American Nature Photographers’ Association. Note: discounts are not cumulative, the maximum total discount on any workshop is 10 percent.

Each workshop is limited to 15 participants to insure that everyone receives the time and attention needed. We expect these to fill up quickly, please contact us promptly to reserve your space.

American Landscapes 2010 Calendar by Galen Rowell

The Galen Rowell calendar for 2010 is in stock and shipping now. This 12-sheet wall calendar measures 12" x 12" and is published by Sellers Publishing, Inc.

American Landscapes 2010 celebrates the scenic beauty and diverse wildlife of North America’s national parks and open spaces through this unique portfolio of Galen’s work.

Collector’s Vault Section to Showcase Rare, Collectible and Signed Galen Rowell Prints!

Rare, signed and collectible prints by Galen Rowell

Due to recent strong demand for rare and collectible Galen Rowell fine prints, Mountain Light Gallery is pleased to present the Collector’s Vault.

This new section of our web site is dedicated to showcasing all rare and collectible fine prints currently available through Mountain Light Gallery. Collectors can view all current offerings, bookmark the page or notify friends and family through the Share links at the bottom of each entry, and reserve a rare print in their name with the links provided.

Rare, 16x20 Cibachrome print of California Gulls in last light by Galen Rowell

Within an hour of being announced as available in our July Newsletter, a collector contacted Mountain Light Gallery and has purchased the rare 16x20 Cibachrome print of Galen Rowell’s California Gulls in last light, Mono Lake, California, 1974 (#158 of 300). The print was signed, dated and numbered by the artist, and was offered on consignment sale through the Bishop gallery at $5,000.

Continuing to reflect the strong demand for Rowell fine prints among collectors, this is one of several rare, signed prints sold very shortly after availability was announced.

Rainbow over the Potala Palace by Galen Rowell

Of interest to collectors of Galen Rowell fine prints is the news that Mountain Light recently accepted on consignment a pristine signed 16x20 dye-transfer print of Galen Rowell’s famous Rainbow Over the Potala Palace. Before Mountain Light Gallery was able to broadly publicize the availability of this special print, it sold for $28,000. The print in question is #80/300, and was originally purchased from the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite in the early 1990s for $1,575. When additional Rowell signed prints become available, they will be announced here.

Collectors or institutions interested in Rowell signed prints may contact us via email or at 760-873-7700 to be placed on our special mailing list for information regarding any future releases from Mountain Light’s limited inventory of rare prints or prints placed on consignment.

Galen Rowell has been posthumously selected for Honorary Fellow status by the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). This honor is bestowed upon photographers who are either retired or deceased and have used their photographic talent to raise awareness and understanding of the natural world and the need for conservation.

The mission of iLCP is to use compelling images to translate conservation science to specific audiences. Working with conservation groups, policy makers, government leaders and scientists, they produce documentary images of not only the beauty of the natural world but the challenges that threaten it.

Mountain Light Pictures is pleased to announce the addition of Justin Black and Tony Rowell to the stock agency’s expanding line-up.

Justin Black specializes in evocative landscapes, from the expansive to the intimate, mostly made with large format film. A long-time Galen Rowell admirer, Black says his friendship with Galen and Barbara Rowell continues to influence and inspire his work in new directions.

“My work tends to prioritize the aesthetics of motion, form, quality of light, and atmosphere, making use of detailed texture to develop a sense of the tactile qualities of nature,” Justin says.

Recently named the new Director and Chief of Staff for the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), Justin will be soon based in his hometown of Washington, D.C. While he’ll be busy with new challenges, he fully intends to keep his camera equipment at his side and capture the scenes that stir his passion.

Tony Rowell, the youngest of Galen’s two children, found himself immersed in his father’s photography from a young age. Tony began photographing landscapes and wildlife as he joined his father on various adventures into wilderness areas.

Favoring digital SLR cameras, Tony has developed a passion for astrophotography in recent years. “Astronomy is something I’ve always been interested in,” Tony explains. “I just find this one more way to show the beauty we have in this world.”

Mountain Light Pictures is the home of the Galen Rowell Image Collection: stunning photographs from around the world produced by one of the most influential photographers of all time. MLP also represents a growing list of some of the finest working outdoor and nature photographers.

MLP’s goal is to build the finest commercial library of travel, outdoor adventure, landscape, lifestyle, and environmental photographs in the world. MLP chooses to work with people who share Galen’s dedication to producing stunning, vibrant pictures of all things rooted in the natural world. Featured photographers include Robert Holmes, Chris Noble, Linde Waidhofer, Harrison Shull, Dennis Coello, Justin Black, Tony Rowell and Chris Linder.

Coming soon to Mountain Light Pictures: the works of aerial photographer Christopher Boyer and adventure photographer Jerry Dodrill, plus new conservation and travel images by Chris Linder.

Mountain Light recently released a rare 16" x 20" dye transfer print of Galen Rowell’s Rainbow over the Potala Palace, signed and dated by the artist, at a price of $25,000. The scarce print sold quickly, reflecting the strong demand for Rowell fine prints among collectors. Collectors or institutions interested in Rowell signed prints may contact us via email or at 760-873-7700 to be placed on our special mailing list for information regarding any future releases from Mountain Light’s limited inventory of rare prints or prints placed on consignment.

Stormy sunset over Evolution Lake by Galen Rowell

Mountain Light has just released two rare, signed Galen Rowell limited edition prints that have been unavailable for public sale for several years.

The first piece is a 20" x 30" Crystal Archive LightJet print, matted and framed, of Galen Rowell’s AA#0941, Stormy sunset over Evolution Lake, John Muir Trail, High Sierra, California (1997). It is signed, dated and numbered by the artist, and is offered at a price of $12,500.

Last Light on Horsetail Fall by Galen Rowell

The second piece is a 20" x 30" Crystal Archive LightJet print, also matted and framed, of Galen Rowell’s AA#0008, Last light on Horsetail Fall, Yosemite, California (1973). It is also signed, dated and numbered by the artist, and is offered at a price of $12,500.

Click the images above to inquire about these prints via email. You can also call Mountain Light Gallery at 760-873-7700 for more information, or to be added to our special email list for information regarding future releases of rare and collectible prints from Mountain Light’s limited inventory.

If you haven't read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson yet, we’d like to highly recommend it. Already a New York Times #1 bestseller, it is the story of the journey that led Mortenson from a failed 1993 attempt to climb Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain, to successfully establishing schools in some of the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Mortenson descended from his failed 1993 climb exhausted and disoriented and wandered away from his group into one of the most desolate areas of northern Pakistan. Alone, without food, water, or shelter he stumbled into an impoverished Pakistani village where he was nursed back to health.

While recovering he observed the village’s 84 children sitting outdoors, scratching their lessons in the dirt with sticks. The village was so poor that it could not afford the $1-a-day salary to hire a teacher. When he left the village, he promised that he would return to build them a school. From that rash, heartfelt promise grew one of the most incredible humanitarian campaigns of our time.

Mortenson co-founded the Central Asia Institute “to promote and support community-based education, especially to girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.” He has since established 78 schools. In pursuit of his goal, he has survived an armed kidnapping, fatwas issued by enraged mullahs, repeated death threats, and wrenching separations from his wife and children.

Mortenson mentions Galen Rowell several times in Three Cups of Tea, as both an inspiration for his mountaineering and K2 attempt, as well as being an early supporter of his Central Asia Institute.

Three Cups of Tea is now published in three editions: the original bestseller release, a young adult version and a children’s version. Purchases through the Amazon.com or IndieBound.org links on Mortenson’s website (and any additional purchases) generate up to 7% of proceeds to benefit Central Asia Institute.

Mountain Light is pleased to announce the addition of fourteen Galen Rowell images to its Fine Print collection.

While conducting research for specific projects, Mountain Light staff regularly search through Galen’s archive of over two hundred thousand images. Occasionally we come across an original 35mm transparency that we feel is exceptional, and suitable to be added to our fine art print collection. These recent additions, which span different points in Galen’s career, include images from California’s High Sierra, Antarctica, Alaska, Arizona, Canada, Pakistan, Siberia, Tibet and Zimbabwe.

The images include: Spring break-up on Lake Baikal, Siberia, 1987 (AA0422); Red foxes near Chenik Lagoon, Alaska Peninsula, Alaska, 1991 (AA0619); Sunrise on Kangbochen (23,933 ft.) from Pekhu Tso, Tibet, 1988 (AA0648); Emperor penguin leaping the ice edge, Riiser-Larsen Colony, Weddell Sea, Antarctica, 1993 (AA0835); Victoria Falls at sunset from the air, Zambezi River, Zimbabwe, 1994 (AA0861); Sunrise at Padres Buttes, Lake Powell Arizona, 2000 (AA1069); Autumn mist over the Barrens, headwaters of the Thelon River, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1998 (AA1093); Wild seas of the Drake Passage to Antarctica, 2002 (AA1215); Winter sunrise on Basin Mountain from the air, Eastern Sierra, California, 2002 (AA1223); Sunset on El Capitan from Higher Cathedral Rock, Yosemite National Park, California, 1990 (AA1228); Sunrise on the Eastern Sierra over Owens Valley ranchland, California, 2000 (AA1244); Porters at Concordia, beneath K2 (28,251ft.), Karakoram Himalaya, Pakistan, 1989 (AA1246); Alpenglow on the east face of Mt. Whitney in winter, Eastern Sierra, California, 1995 (AA1247); Arctic Fox near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, 1993 (AA1245).

            • Ceramics by Michael Cooke
            • Wooden vessels by Ron Overholz
            • Hand-turned segmented bowls by David Miller
            • Artisan jewelry by Daryl Aukee, Danielle Dublino,
              Mia Vollkommer and Leah Dutcher
            • Fine hand-crafted furniture by Steven White

Mountain Light is pleased to announce the release of scarce prints by Galen Rowell that have been unavailable since his 2002 death.

Effective immediately, nine prints (in all sizes) of his famous photograph Machapuchare at dawn, Nepal Himalaya, Nepal (AA0010) and five 16 x 20 prints of Valley of the Ten Peaks, Banff, Canadian Rockies, Canada (AA0007) are available for sale. Both are available only as unsigned LightJet prints on Crystal Archive paper.

16 x 20: $3,300 (print only)
20 x 30: $4,300 (print only)
32 x 48: $8,000 (print only)

Valley of the Ten Peaks is once again available in the 16 x 20 size at $2,800 (print only). It continues to be available in the 11 x 14, 20 x 30, and 32 x 48 sizes.

For more information or order these prints, please call the gallery at (760) 873-7700 or email us at Gallery@MountainLight.com.

Bishop Gallery Hours:
10:00 to 6:00 Daily (U.S. Pacific)

Image Licensing Department Hours:
Monday – Friday, 9:00 to 6:00 (U.S. Pacific)

All images and content are © Galen Rowell / Mountain Light Photography, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. No form of reproduction, including copying or saving of digital image files, or the alteration or manipulation of said image files, is authorized unless accompanied by a written license issued by Mountain Light Photography, Inc. For information regarding commercial or personal uses, please contact: Mountain Light Photography, 106 South Main Street, Bishop, California 93514. Telephone 760-873-7700, or email us at mlpictures@mountainlight.com. All prices subject to change without prior notification. Original web site design by Barbara Cushman Rowell.