This past Friday I headed for Custer State Park in South Dakota. I had heard about their annual buffalo (yes, we all know they are bison but it’s not called a “bison head nickel”) round-up. They have about 1200 head of wild buffalo in the park, and once a year they will round-up the herd to check their health and cull as needed depending on the state of the grasslands.
I was met by photographer, Ron Fry, a long time park volunteer and all around nice guy who gave me a tour of both viewing locations and some tips for where I might be able to get the shot I was looking for – namely a pattern of buffalo, thick with animals where one back and shoulder overlaps the next. Throw in some dust kicking up in the air and I’d be especially happy.
I was anticipating the shot – but not the sound and spectacle of the round-up itself. Some 40 men and women on horseback pushed the buffalo into a meadow before driving them to the first of two fenced areas. Out of the stampede, individuals would try and cut away – only to see a horse and rider take off at a dead run chasing them down and turning them back to the group. Constant “Whoops!”, “Yips!”, and “Yaws!” could be heard all-around the valley.
And then the whip! The crack was like a gunshot – never touching the animals, to be sure, but from behind pushing them forward into a run down the hill and into the fenced-in valley below where I was waiting along with some 10,000 others to watch the charge.
Bulls can weigh 2000 pounds, stand 6 feet tall and run up to 35 miles per hour! They are very dangerous animals and in the past have even taken down a horse and rider during this annual round up (the rider was fine though the horse did not survive). This is not a domestic cattle round up by any stretch.
Once in the larger fenced off area they were then herded to the gates of the smaller corrals where a treat of fresh hay, water and a rest lured them in. It was at that bottleneck of the second gate where I got the shot I wanted – a dense crush of buffalo where you can hardly see the ground as one back and head overlapped the next.
From South Dakota, it was then off to Colorado to present Photography As Art to an amazing and gracious crowd in Denver, but first I set my sights on Aspen for what else – Aspen trees of course! The fall colors were in full effect, and the whites, greys, yellows, and greens painted the breathtaking Colorado landscape. It was an excellent and peaceful way to end a busy weekend, and I’m especially grateful to the new friends I made on yet another adventure!
This upcoming Sunday, I will be in New York City to present Photography As Art at the Museum of Arts and Design. There is still time to join the seminar and spend the day with me as I discuss the many ways to use photography as an artistic medium to identify and capture the design elements in the world around us, creating visually interesting images in virtually any location.
I will also be attending a signing for my new book, Photographs from the Edge: A Master Photographer’s Insights on Capturing An Extraordinary World, at the Rotella Gallery New York from 2-4 PM the preceding Saturday afternoon, and I look forward to meeting everyone who is able to attend!
A thin veil of mist softens the hues of fall in this view of Minnesota’s North Woods. Paper birch, oak and maples provide a pleasing mix of colors and shapes.
Save 20% on any The North Woods print purchased this month. These Limited Edition prints are printed on EPSON Somerset Velvet watercolor paper using archival EPSON Ultrachrome inks. After each print is approved, it is then titled, numbered, and I sign each one. Only 150 of each size will be made. Get more information about my Fine Art prints here.
Spots are still available to join me in Denver this Sunday for Photography As Art! I can’t stress enough how personal and meaningful this seminar is for me to present; it’s a culmination of my experiences and discoveries as both Photographer and Artist, and it’s a pleasure for me to share it with you.
Sign up now on my events page to lock in your spot and spend the day with me as we discuss using our creativity and imagination to visualize the artistic elements all around us.
If you live elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada, check out the main Photography As Art page to see if I’ll be coming to a city near you in early 2017, and stay tuned for additional cities to be added to the list!
This trip has been a whirlwind of images and ideas. It started at the Andrei Duman Gallery, where I have ten prints hanging for the next two months. Not only is the Duman Gallery remarkable for its fine art print selection, it has won awards for its unique design. After a day spent with friends and casual photography in Venice Beach, I presented my Photography As Art seminar to a good crowd.
I then headed off to London to the Remembering Elephants opening at the La Galleria Pall Mall, which runs through October 1. This was followed by the keynote and book launch at the Royal Geographical Society with the Born Free Foundation. I give a hearty thanks to Margot Raggett, who has worked tirelessly on the Remembering Elephants project with 65 photographers for the last two years!
I’m back in town for a few days, but for those of you in or around the Denver area, I’ll be presenting Photography As Art there this coming Sunday!
I’m excited to bring Photography as Art to Denver in just over a week! Space still remains to join me as well as other like-minded artists and photographers and explore the ways we can expand our visual imagination, and discover the amazing artistic elements all around us!
Sign up today and guarantee your spot at this event!
Today is the last day to receive a discount on 2017 Photography As Art Seminars! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to lock up your spot early at a discounted rate for Dates in the following cities:
Photographs from the Edge is a stunning and intimate behind-the-scenes guide to the experiences, decisions, and methods that have influenced forty years of stunning images captured around the world. Legendary photographer Art Wolfe and co-author Rob Sheppard transport readers on a global journey, while carrying on a dialog about photography, tools and process, world travel, close calls, and photographic opportunities both taken and missed.
From the explosive drama of a volcanic eruption in Iceland to the poignant moment of a tiny sea turtle hatchling scuttling to the ocean, Photographs from the Edge is a lifetime of experience distilled into a rich photographic education. Many of these photographs can never be duplicated as cultures and landscapes are transformed and wildlife diminishes or disappears all together. No matter his subject, Wolfe regales us with the stories behind the photographs and helps us experience life on the world’s most unique photo safari.
“Art Wolfe has spent a career mixing his passion for artful photography and his passion for the diversity, nature wonder, and humanity of our world. With this collection we enjoy a grand tour of our world as only Art Wolfe can bring us. In a way, you could call Art the ultimate tour guide.”
– Rick Steves, travel writer and public television host
“At first glance a photograph can inform us. At second glance it can reach us.”
One of my good friends (thank you, Cindy!) sent me a marvelously thoughtful book of photographer Minor White’s instrumental work, “The Time Between: The Sequences of Minor White”. White was a visionary photographer, an educator, poet and writer. He believed that the power of images could be transformed when positioned sequentially, thus creating a new level of interpretation. This is something I take to heart in my Photography As Art seminar and I will really enjoy thoroughly absorbing this book.
This coming week I’ll be heading across the pond to London to join the Royal Geographic Society in celebrating the launch of Remembering Elephants, a book project containing photographs from over 65 of the world’s top wildlife photographers illustrating the life of an elephant. I have the privilege of presenting at the launch event occurring on the evening of next Thursday, September 22nd, which will also commemorate the opening of an exhibit featuring images from the book itself. 100% of the proceeds from this book project and event will benefit conservation and anti-poaching efforts in Africa.
There is still time to join us for this important event! Purchase tickets here to be a part of the opening festivities, which will include a presentation by elephant expert Ian Redmond, OBE, as well as myself. Books will be available for purchase with opportunities for signings. There will also be an auction of prints of many of the images seen in the book.
