FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Used - Good | See details
Sold by beltwaybooks.
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape, Tenth-Anniversary Edition [Paperback]

Galen A. Rowell
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Amazon Student

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --  
Paperback $19.19  
Paperback, October 10, 1995 --  
Rent Your Textbooks
Save up to 70% when you rent your textbooks on Amazon. Keep your textbook rentals for a semester and rental return shipping is free.

Book Description

October 10, 1995 0871563673 978-0871563675 10th Anniversary
This best-selling classic, which the New York Times called “the classiest ‘how-to’ text on landscape color photography ever published,” captures the unique artistic vision of the late Galen Rowell, one of America’s greatest outdoor photographers. Here Rowell assembled eighty of his finest images, along with the stories behind them—what he was after and how he achieved it.
The photographs (and the details of their creation) are arranged in eight exhibits according to visual themes, reflecting Rowell’s fascination with the infinitely varying qualities of light found in mountain landscapes. He explains how film and the human eye see differently, how he selected and composed the content of his work, how he worked with optical phenomena and natural light, and how equipment and adventure interact in the field.
The engaging text also recounts Rowell’s development as a photographer, his philosophy and techniques for creating “dynamic landscapes,” and his adventures in remote, dangerous, and beautiful places—from California’s Yosemite Valley to almost-inaccessible peaks in China.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A leading photojournalist, Rowell here offers pictures of mountains around the world with brief essays describing how the photo was composed and shot. PW's view of these prints was positive: "This is a gem, the perfect gift for camera buffs, nature lovers, virtually anybody."
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Rowell ( Mountains of the Middle Kingdom ) is preeminent among photographers of mountains. His creations carry extraordinary visual impact: the affinity for light that marks his personal vision is supported by superb technical achievement. His abilities as a climber have allowed access to some of the world's most remote landscapes. This book presents 80 of Rowell's favorite photographs, grouped according to instructive similarities ("Light Against Light," "Integrated Vision," etc.). Accompanying descriptions cover not only technical data but the circumstances which surrounded the making of the image. The quality of reproduction is in keeping with the high Sierra Club standards. Necessary for serious photography collections. Jim Heckel, Lewis & Clark Lib., Helena, Mont.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Sierra Club Books; 10th Anniversary edition (October 10, 1995)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0871563673
  • ISBN-13: 978-0871563675
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 0.5 x 12 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #829,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Authors

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(39)
4.8 out of 5 stars
If you wanna be a landscape photographer, that's your book! Esteve Lpez Gmez  |  8 reviewers made a similar statement
They are unique, beautiful and inspiring. Thomas  |  9 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 33 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Landscapes without Peer December 26, 2000
By CMOS
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
IF you love the mountains and the feeling they give you as you take in their grandeur...or if you love photographing these majestic places, this book will likely become one of your favorites. As a landscape photographer, I've poured over literally thousands of landscape photos - in books, slides and magazines - but the work of Galen Rowell stands alone in the realm of mountain landscapes. As Arthus-Bertrand has mastered photography from above (aerial) and Doubilet from below (undersea), Rowell has mastered the mountains.

If you pay attention to his photos and read what Rowell has to say about the making of each, you will begin to "see the light" - quite literally. No one captures the ethereal like Galen Rowell. He has the rare ability to sense and then photograph those fleeting moments that most (even many photographers) only daydream about. His photos will not only impress your eyes but they will tug at your soul. If ever a collection of photographs defined the majesty and mystery of mountians, this is it.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Appealing to the technician and artist! July 31, 2000
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I've read probably 20 books on photographic instruction, leafed through at least a hundred more, spent countless hours on web articles, sites, talking to people, and at least as much time taking pictures, but this is first time I can truly say that something changed my perspective of the craft. After reading each chapter I would shoot a roll of film with more confidence and better artistic and technical results.

What is most striking to me is how generous Galen is with information. He explains how things work, not by telling you what to do, but by relating what HE did, which helped me draw my own conclusions and understand the material more thoroughly. For example, most photographers know that polarizers increase color saturation, cut down on glare, etc. but Galen goes the extra step of integrating the explanation with his style of photography and use of light. My appreciation for the utility of polarizers increased tenfold. He does a similar job of demystifing many other aspects of photography.

I really can't say enough about Galen Rowell's messages, whether they are technical, artistic, or even philosophical. Everything made sense. After reading between the lines I realized it's not just for photography instruction, but a way to approach life itself. Read his thoughts about "Luck" and you will know what I mean.

Thank you Galen!

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and inspirational: an unsurpassed primer. October 23, 1998
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Like Galen Rowell, I am a professional photographer specialising in landscape and mountain subjects. Also like him, I am what is sometimes called `self-taught'- which, of course, means we never took college courses in photography, but have learned from many people, both in person and from books. (Has there been a genuinely self-taught photographer since Fox Talbot?) In my case, one of the most- perhaps the most- significant books has been `Mountain Light'. There are other photographers who are as good as Galen Rowell, but very few who can write so clearly and illuminatingly about the creative and technical processes involved. Ansel Adams, of course, is the towering exception, but he was principally concerned with black and white large format photography. Galen Rowell speaks directly to those who work in colour and with smaller cameras. Adams is essential reading, but so is Galen Rowell.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! April 10, 2001
Format:Paperback
Galen Rowell's "Mountain Light" teaches beginning, intermediate and even advanced landscape photographers more about "seeing" than any other landscape photography book I have read. Unlike many other great photographers who cannot explain their craft with great clarity (including the incomparable Henri Cartier-Bresson who simply says it is "geometry"), Rowell is articulate and explains what he is doing technically, but more important artistically. Rowell has often been compared to the American landscape portrait artist Thomas Cole--but Thomas Cole on his best day could never have produced the quality of art that Galen Rowell gives to us every day. A lot of books can teach you technique; Rowell shows technique as a part of art. The art drives the technique and not the other way around. Everyone can learn something useful from this book. A tour de force.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Art and technique by a master of landscapes November 24, 2003
Format:Paperback
Galen Rowell was a world-class mountaineer and photographer. He passed away with his wife in an airplane crash on August 11, 2002.

He was a master of color landscapes and had the knack of catching unique combinations of light in the memorable photos that can be seen in his Mountain Light Gallery. Interestingly, he eschewed the large format cameras used by Ansel Adams and used exclusively 35mm cameras from Nikon (thus thoroughly debunking the orthodoxy that 35mm cannot be used for serious landscape photography).

In this book, Rowell lays out his relation to mountains, his artistic vision and his photographic techniques, in an engaging and lively style alternating between theoretical text and more illustrative intermezzos with detailed descriptions of the story behind each image (reminiscent of Ansel Adams' Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs. Like Ansel Adams, he was a member of the Sierra Club, but ecological preoccupations are woven subtly in the text. He shows a photo taken near a 4900 year old bristlecone pine that was felled by a botanist who couldn't be troubled to special-order a core sampling borer from Switzerland.

The photos in the book are gorgeous, but this is no mere coffee-table book (it is too affordable to be one, for starters). All in all, I believe this book is a must-read for anyone interested in landscape photography, even if you are not into the strenuous physical style he favored.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars The best photographs speak for themselves
This book can be summed up in one line the author writes in the Preface, "the best photographs speak for themselves". Read more
Published 1 month ago by asarkar
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Galen was not only a great photographer but a great writer too. If you'd like some insight into how a photographer works, then this is a good book for you. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tim Ziegler
5.0 out of 5 stars Photo Class Recommendation
This book was recommended by the Digital Photography I class instructor, Steve Reed. It is an amazing book with some very astounding pictures. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jack D. Cronk
5.0 out of 5 stars Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape, by Galen Rowell
The best way to learn is from a master, and Galen Rowell was indisputably one of the great masters of nature photography. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Outdoorphotographer93
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic
Incredible insights by a true master of landscape photography. The extensive descriptions of every photography provide invaluable perspectives and technical information that will... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Don Metz
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb photography
Breathtakingly beautiful photography! It was an incredible loss that the author was killed in a tragic accident. His artistry with the lenses was just incredible.
Published 18 months ago by J. Sherburne
5.0 out of 5 stars The light business
I had read, or rather quickly glanced at a Library copy of Galen Rowell's "Mountain Light", and decided I just had to have it. Read more
Published 19 months ago by N. G. Hilford
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating topics from an expert
"Mountain Light" is a unique book organized into alternating sections of short essays on photographic topics, followed by exhibits of Rowell's photographs that are related by a... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Alan Shi
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
I bought this book as a gift for a friend. Before giving it to him, I read it. It is a classic and belongs in every photographers collection of "must have" books.
Published on January 13, 2011 by J. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Galen Rowelll photography
This book gives some insights into his nature photography...if you are a fan of his work, you should buy this book.
Published on September 18, 2010 by E. Warkentine
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 



So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category