Art Wolfe: Ocular Nirvana

Outdoor Photographer Magazine article on Art Wolfe


Besides the spellbinding shoreline of Virginia's Chesapeake Bay that I am fortunate enough to call home, I cannot instinctively imagine nature photography without pronounced mountain peaks, the surrounding influences of a thousand-year-old culture, and a primordial wildness that nothing in the Western Hemisphere can fully offer.

Perhaps this is why the nasence of Art Wolfe's professional photography career on the Tibetan side of Mount Everest in 1984 is so fitting.  Despite having an impressive resume up to that point, scaling and discovering the rich habitats of the North Cascades, Wolfe describes his experience on the northern side of the great Sagarmatha as "life changing."  Having only seen the peak itself from the window of a Buddha Air Beechcraft 1900D on a sightseeing flight some years ago, I can only imagine the spiritual transformation Art Wolfe undertook when he discovered the mountain face-to-face.  Having had similar experiences with the wildlife and cultures of the Himalayas, however, I know the immediate proceeding longing Mr. Wolfe felt to see the planet's truly outstanding wild places all too well.

A great many things struck me as I discovered one of the world's amazing nature photographers, who has seen warfare in Ethiopia, the untapped wild of Patagonia, the elusive South Georgia Island (said to be the most isolated place on Planet Earth), and so many other places.  However, what resonated even more than his awe-inspiring images were his words: "The universe rewards our attention and our faith with magic moments..."

I can only hope to focus my attention and hone my faith enough to capture the natural world one iota as well as Mr. Wolfe, but his attitude is surely one that all nature photographers would do well to emulate.