Art Wolfe (born 1951) is an American photographer and conservationist, best known for color images of landscapes, wildlife, and native cultures. 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 Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington. Wolfe graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

.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 ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

'' 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 The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

has used Wolfe's photographs on two stamps. He is an Honorary Fellow of the

Royal Photographic Society The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is the world's oldest photographic society having been in continuous existence since 1853. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as th ...

and serves on the advisory boards for the

Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a global 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) non-governmental organization, headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, with a mission to save "wildlife and wild places across the globe". Founded in ...

, 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. 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). 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. Some of the specific subjects addressed include glaciers of Alaska, and sacred tattoos created by Maori artists. 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 Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...

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 strictly 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 The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

, 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

in 2005.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfe, Art 1951 births Living people American nature photographers Travel broadcasters University of Washington School of Art + Art History + Design alumni Artists from Seattle