Art Wolfe (born 1951) is an American photographer and conservationist, best known for color images of landscapes, wildlife, and native cultures.Art Wolfe, University of Washington, Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, accessed April 2013, (http://www.cs.washington.edu/building/art/ArtWolfe/) His photographs document scenes from every continent and hundreds of locations, and have been noted by environmental advocacy groups for their "stunning" visual impact.
Wolfe's career has been described as "multi-faceted", involving wildlife advocacy, art, journalism, and education. According to William Conway, former president of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Wolfe is a "prolific and sensitive recorder of a rapidly vanishing natural world."Three Degrees: The Law of Climate Change and Human Rights Conference/Art Wolfe, The University of Washington School of Law, accessed May 2013, (http://www.threedegreesconference.org/speakers/art-wolfe ) In the last 30 years, the public has viewed Wolfe's work in more than sixty published books, including Vanishing Act, The High Himalaya, Water: Worlds between Heaven & Earth, Tribes, Rainforests of the World, and The Art of Photographing Nature.
Early life and education Wolfe's parents were both commercial artists in Seattle, Washington. Wolfe graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Washington.http://www.globalgallery.com/knowledgecenter/artist_biography/art+wolfe Biography on Global Gallery Website Within four years of graduation, Wolfe completed assignments for National Geographic magazine and produced his first photo book documenting Northwest Indian baskets.
Career Art Wolfe has released more than 65 photo books and instructional videos of photographic techniques. The U.S. Postal Service has used Wolfe's photographs on two stamps. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and serves on the advisory boards for the Wildlife Conservation Society, Nature's Best Foundation, Bridges to Understanding, and is a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP).http://www.conservation.org/photography/Pages/wolfe_art.aspx Biography on Conservation International Website
Documentary television series: Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe
The public television series, Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe, is a documentary project that explores environmental themes of visual interest. Art Wolfe's perspectives on nature, cultural diversity, geography and digital photography are the focus of each episode, as he travels to new global regions.Art Wolfe, by Jim Miotke. BetterPhoto.com. Accessed April 2013, (http://www.betterphoto.com/interviews/Photographer-Wolfe-A.asp ) The series is hosted by Art Wolfe and supported by a professional film team (Karel Bauer, Field Director/Director of Photography; Sean White, Director of Photography; John Greengo, Field Production; and Gavriel Jecan, Field Production).Official Website - Art Wolfe's Travels to the Edge, accessed April 2013, (http://www.travelstotheedge.com/series/team_bios.shtml)
The program began with the making of 13 episodes released in 2007. By 2009, 26 episodes were filmed in nearly as many locations, including Patagonia, Madagascar, Alaska, New Zealand, and India.Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe, February 10, 2009, GreatOutdoors.com, accessed April 2013, (http://www.greatoutdoors.com/published/travels-to-the-edge-with-art-wolfe ) Some of the specific subjects addressed include glaciers of Alaska, and sacred tattoos created by Maori artists.KCET / Travel, accessed April 2013, (http://www.kcet.org/shows/art_wolfes_travels_to_the_edge/ ) The program is produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), distributed by American Public Television and aired on Create.
In 2015, Wolfe appeared in the Australian television series Tales by Light.
Photographic and artistic methodology Wolfe's approach to nature photography combines elements of photojournalism and art photography. Wolfe lists his major influences as Ernst Haas and Eliot Porter. Interview on Rotary International Website In his 1994 book, Migrations, Wolfe presented photos that were documentary as well as others that were enhanced. Through a process called "cloning", for example, Wolfe strove to enhance visual patterns and create photos with potentially greater impact than originally captured.
Books Light On the Land (1991, Beyond Words, Hillsboro, Oregon) Endangered Peoples (1993, Sierra Club, San Francisco) The Art of Photographing Nature (1993, Crown, New York) Migrations (1994, Beyond Words, Hillsboro, Oregon) Wasser: Welten zwischen Himmel und Erde (1997, Frederking & Thaler, Munich) Tribes (1997, Clarkson N. Potter, New York) Rainforests of the World: Water, Fire, Earth and Air (1998, Crown, New York) The Living Wild (2000, Wildlands, Seattle) Africa (2001, Wildlands, Seattle) High Himalaya (2001, Mountaineers, Seattle) Animal Action ABC (2003, Handprint, New York) Edge of the Earth, Corner of the Sky (2003, Wildlands, Seattle) Smithsonian Answer Book: Cats (2004, Smithsonian, Washington, DC) Vanishing Act (2005, Bulfinch, New York) On Puget Sound (2007, Sasquatch, Seattle) The New Art of Photographing Nature: An Updated Guide to Composing Stunning Images of Animals, Nature, and Landscapes (2013, Crown, New York) Earth is my Witness: The Photography of Art Wolfe (2014, Earth Aware, San Rafael, CA) Photographs from the Edge: A Master Photographer's Insights on Capturing an Extraordinary World (2016, Amphoto)
Awards Photographer of the Year by Photo Media magazine, 1996 Outstanding Nature Photographer of the Year, 1998, by the North American Nature Photography Association Alfred Eisenstaedt Awards for Magazine Photography, April 2000 National Outdoor Book Award (Design and Artistic Merit), The Living Wild, 2001 National Outdoor Book Award (Design and Artistic Merit), Edge of the Earth, Corner of the Sky, 2004 Honorary Fellowship of The Royal Photographic Society in 2005.
See also Nature photography Wildlife photography
References
External links