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Famous Landscape Photographers
10 brilliant famous nature photographers
Here's a quick introduction to 10 famous landscape photographers you'll enjoy getting to know! These guys have collectively produced many of the most inspiring landscape photos ever taken.
They each bring an original and compelling approach to photographing the natural world, which has made them so successful. I hope you enjoy discovering their brilliant work as much as I have! To help you do so, I've linked to galleries of their photos.
Needless to say, there are many other famous nature photographers out there who you should explore. This is just a list of 10 big names I'm personally a huge fan of!
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Perhaps the first name that springs to mind when we think of famous landscape photographers is Ansel Adams. He was actually shaping up to be a professional concert pianist when his passion for photography finally took over and sent him down a different path.
Lucky for us - since Adams went on to produce a vast number of breathtaking landscape photos of the Californian wilderness. His pictures of the imposing scenery in the Yosemite National Park capture the grandeur of the place and draw attention to the importance of conservationism.
In addition to producing lots of extremely famous photography, Adams founded the 'Zone System' for creating black and white photos with the best possible tonal range.
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This is a brilliant collection of 400 shots from throughout Ansel Adams' career. There are loads of images, but with average sized pages, it isn't a bank breaker! |
2. Edward Weston (1886 - 1958)
Edward Weston was a prolific and hugely gifted early photographer. He was born and raised in Chicago and had a fascination with photography from a very young age. He moved to California and became a major exponent of the 'pictorial', school of photography which sought to emulate the beauty of paintings in photographs.
But he soon realized that this limited the role of photography too much, and so became devoted to taking sharp, realistic images.
He was drawn to all manner of subjects, but became one of the most famous landscape photographers of all time through his beautiful shots of the scenery surrounding his Californian home.
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Galen Rowell's photographic career was spent capturing the impressive colours, light, textures and scale of mountains. He was a keen climber and well respected within the climbing community as someone who had an ability to articulate the sheer exhilaration of being on a mountain through his photographs.
He was tragically killed in a plane crash at just 62, but left a beautiful collection of work that continues to inspire thousands of people.
4. Charlie Waite (1949 -)
Charlie Waite is one of the most famous landscape photographers currently working. Personally, I'm an enormous fan of his stuff! His pictures seem to have a remarkable calming clarity about them. They are ordered, perfectly composed and beautifully lit. It's a relaxing experience looking at a Charlie Waite photograph.
His career began in the theatre, where he first gained an appreciation of the intricacies of lighting. He moved into photography and has since spent many years capturing landscapes throughout the world, often in a distinctive square format.
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This was the first of Charlie Waite's books that I bought, and I've been hooked on his images since! 50 perfect landscapes that seem to have been built entirely by the photographer! |
5. Jim Brandenburg (1945 -)
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Jim Brandenburg began as a regional photojournalist, before launching his career with National Geographic. He has also worked on several highly successful personal projects.
Like many of the famous nature photographers on this list, he's a passionate environmentalist. A lot of his work reflects this concern for the natural world and he has produced a large collection of beautiful wildlife, as well as landscape photography.
In 1980 he published a bestselling book titled "White Wolf", which featured images of wolves on Ellesmere Island. This really is a special book containing some of the most incredible photos I've ever seen! In the same year he won the Magazine Photographer of the Year award.
6. Luca Campigotto (1962 -)
Campigotto was born in Venice and many of his most famous images are of his native city. He's well known for both his urban and rural landscapes.
I absolutely love his images of Venice at night in particular, where smooth black water captured on a slow shutter speed suddenly meets the intricately carved, pale stone facades of ancient buildings.
He has a large portfolio of images taken in many continents and his world famous photography is contained in numerous private and public collections. One of my favourite famous landscape photographers.
Nick Brandt shoots exclusively East African wildlife. So he is perhaps technically more of a wildlife photographer than landscape. But then, he's not really a wildlife photographer in the traditional sense either. He doesn't take dynamic colour pictures of impressive beasts in mid action.
Brandt is more interested in showing animals simply being, or existing. He captures their dignity and majesty more subtly than the average wildlife photographer. He shows them just as they are, in the context of the landscapes in which they naturally exist.
Brandt's career began in the music business where he directed music videos for well known artists like Michael Jackson. It was while working on the video for "Earth Song" that Brandt first encountered the wildlife that would inspire him to change course and become a photographer.
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Accompanied by the second book of his trilogy, A Shadow Falls, this is the most inspiring collection of 'wildlife photography' I've ever seen. |
8. David Muench (1936 -)
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David Muench is another of the famous landscape photographers on this list who has been drawn to the American West. He has produced a great deal of very famous photography through more than 50 books!
His images feature beautiful rich, natural colours and pleasing, classical compositions. Muench's father was also a talented landscape photographer and so too is his son!
9. Bernhard Edmaier (1957 -)
Edmaier is from Munich, Germany, and before becoming a photographer had a career as a civil engineer and geologist. He has a passion for the big, impressive geological features and processes that shape the appearance of the earth.
His work belongs at the fascinating boundary between art and science. Many of his images are taken from above, and capture the striking textures, colours and shapes of the earth's surface. His images are inspiring both aesthetically and as representations of the scientific processes that mould the way the earth looks.
Bernhard Edmaier is one of my personal favourite famous nature photographers and he has won many awards.
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The ultimate magazine for photography of the natural world. I challenge you to pick up a copy and not reach for your camera soon afterwards! |
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10. Annie Griffiths Belt
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Annie Griffiths Belt studied photojournalism and very early in her career began working for National Geographic.
I really love her photography, which is ideally suited to the style and purpose of National Geographic. She captures inspiring and unspoilt locations from throughout the world that make you want to get out there and see them for yourself!
Quite a number of her shots are from an aerial perspective, which results in some very interesting compositions that make use of a 'flat' subject.
Free downloadable book, Getting Started With Photoshop, for all subscribers. |
The above famous landscape photographers are just my personal favourites. There are so many more great photographers out there to discover - so keep exploring!
Have Your Say and Share Your Photos
Who are your favourite famous landscape photographers? What is it about their work that grabs your attention? Share your opinions and thoughts. Why not even write a bio or two of famous landscape photographers for PAC!
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