Famous Landscape Photographers
Ansel Adams is probably the best known American landscape photographer. His most well known photographs are of Yosemite Valley in California. Adams was born February 20, 1902 and he became interested in Yosemite Valley as a child after reading “In the Heart of the Sierras” by James Hutchings. Since Adams grew up before color photography became available, his most famous work is done in black and white. He created a photo essay subsequent to World War II, which dealt with the treatment of Japanese Americans during the war. It’s called, “Born Free and Equal,” and it appeared in a Museum of Modern Art exhibition. Ansel Adams died April 22, 1984.
Iain S. Byrne is a famous wildlife and nature photographer based in England. From his early childhood, Byrne has felt a connection with nature. His photographic work has received recognition throughout the world and Byrne’s photographs have appeared in Lancashire Life magazine and Birdwatcher’s Digest in the USA. Byrne believes “that a successful image is a combination of the photographer’s technical ability and personal vision.” His landscape titled, “Boats,” shows three beached sailboats, as the ocean’s tide has gone out to sea.
Dean Sauskojus is an American nature and landscape photographer based in the northwest. Dean is most famous for his vivid colors and unique natural lighting. One of his photos, “Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park, Montana,” shows a mountain range reflected in a lake at sunset. The colors are strikingly beautiful. They go from a vivid pink to violet. The photograph looks more like a painting than a photograph. An 8×10 print of this image can be purchased for $24 on Dean’s website. Some of his other pictures are just as interesting, such as “Moulton Barn, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.”
Famous Western Landscape Photographer
Time-Life books produced a series called the Old West , which has numerous photos of life in the frontier days. One of the many photographers featured was Carleton Watkins. In fact, he was considered by many to be the best.
Watkins was born in New York and headed to the famous gold rush in California when he was 20 years old. The gold he discovered was not found underground. Watkins’ claim was in his new job as a photo assistant for Robert Vance. Watkins was a natural for the trade and learned and developed several techniques for photography. For the next thirty years, Watkins took many photos of the west and created a portfolio of stereoviews. He built a studio and printed his works for resale. Not being a good businessman caused him many problems. However, he rebounded at 50 years old. He started a new photo presentation titled Watkins’ New Series. He also married his 22 year old assistant and began a family resulting in two daughters.
Watkins was hit with tragedy again at 80 years old. The fire and earthquake of California, in 1906, destroyed his studio plus all his negatives, his entire life’s work. His loss caused his family to live in a railroad box car for a short while. Sadly, he was placed in Napa State Hospital for the insane. He remained there until his death at 87 years old. Even though Watkins experienced great losses at times, he still left an indelible legacy in western landscape photography.