Galen Rowell
| Galen Avery Rowell | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 23, 1940 Oakland, California |
| Died | August 11, 2002 (aged 61) Bishop, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Photographer, Climber |
| Spouse(s) |
Carol C. Rowell (1962-1977) Barbara Cushman Rowell (1981-2002) |
| Children |
Nicole Rowell Ryan, Edward Anthony "Tony" Rowell |
| Parent(s) |
Edward Z. Rowell and Margaret Avery Rowell |
| Website | http://www.mountainlight.com/ |
Carol C. Rowell (1962-1977)
Nicole Rowell Ryan,
Edward Z. Rowell and
Galen Avery Rowell (August 23, 1940 – August 11, 2002) was a wilderness photographer, adventure photojounalist and climber. Born in Oakland, California, he became a full-time photographer in 1972.
Rowell was introduced to the wilderness at a very young age and began climbing mountains at the age of ten. For the next 52 years, he climbed mountains and explored the wilderness. He began taking pictures on excursions into the wild so he could share his experiences with friends and family. After graduating from Berkeley High School in 1958, he stayed in Berkeley to study physics at the University of California but dropped out after four years to pursue his love of climbing. He was never formally trained as a photographer.
In 1972 Rowell sold his small automotive business and became a full-time photographer. Within a year, he had completed his first major assignment, a cover story for National Geographic. The story, originally initiated by an invitation from fellow photographer Dewitt Jones to help him on an assignment, came about when Jones was called away and Rowell suggested an ascent of Yosemite National Park's Half Dome that he documented on his own. When National Geographic got the pictures, they decided to do a story separate from Jones's and thus Rowell got his start. He pioneered a new kind of photography in which he was not merely an observer, but considered himself a participant in the scenes that he photographed — he considered the landscape part of the adventure, and the adventure part of the landscape.
He won the Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography in 1984. He had numerous photographic assignments for Life, National Geographic, Outdoor Photographer, and various other publications. Rowell was also a highly regarded writer on subjects ranging from photography, humanitarian and environmental issues, human visual cognition, and mountaineering, publishing numerous magazine articles and eighteen books in his lifetime. His In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods about the history of mountaineering on K2 (1977) is considered a classic of mountaineering literature, and his 1986 book Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape is one of the best selling how-to photo books of all time. Also an energetic advocate for the causes in which he believed, Rowell served on multiple advisory and directors' boards for organizations ranging from the Committee of 100 for Tibet to the World Wildlife Fund.
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