News Flash! Galapagos Berths Come Available!

Marine iguana basks in the sun, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Marine iguana basks in the sun, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

In May Art is teaming up with Frans Lanting and Tom Mangelson on the Galapagos trip of a lifetime. These trips have been sold out for months, but now several berths have come available.

Galapagos I, May 6-14, 2016
Three berths available

Galapagos II, May 13-21, 2016
Six berths available

Phone: 1-202-558-9596  |  Email: info@visionarywild.com

Do not delay in signing up as these last few spaces will fill quickly!

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Sailing South in Antarctica


This trip was the furthest south I’ve ever gotten on a boat to the Antarctic mainland. It was tantalizing close, but we didn’t quite make it there. Hurricane force winds compacted the ice pack and nearly stranded our Ukrainian expedition ship. The captain was able to extricate the ship before it got stuck. This far south we were able to see the massive tabular icebergs and along the Antarctic Peninsula we encountered colonies of Adelie and Gentoo penguins. Enjoy the journey!

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2015 Year in Review

Some years are publishing years, some are traveling, 2015 was for reshaping the business—a necessity in the ever-changing photography industry. I closed my downtown Seattle gallery and launched this website, focusing my core business online and allowing me the ability to concentrate on other projects, of which there are many.

TV: Tales by Light aired in Australia & New Zealand

All the filming that I did in 2014 with Abraham Joffe and the Untitled Film Works crew—in East Africa, Papua New Guinea, Alaska, and here in Seattle—finally came to fruition. Tales by Light is a joint Canon Australia and National Geographic Channel production & I hope it comes to the US soon!

As for Art Wolfe’s Travels to the Edge, it continues to air in broadcast markets worldwide.

Travel & Photography: The year was bookended by East Africa

While travel slowed somewhat in 2015, I still managed trips to Tanzania (twice), Kenya, Yellowstone National Park (twice), Antarctica, India, Bali, Japan, Iceland, Washington State, Alaska, Svalbard, California, and Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. The final expedition of the year was to the Danakil Basin of Ethiopia.


Presentations, Gallery Shows, and Articles

I lectured at, among other places, Florida’s Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Fine Art, Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, Portland’s OMSI, and at #OPTIC2015 in New York. Human Canvas took over the Rotella Gallery in Soho for the month of November. DPreview.com published several well-received articles on my experiences photographing emperor penguins, humpback whales, and Iceland.

Books: A year of foreign editions

 

The Art of the Photograph in Spanish

El Arte de la Fotografia

 

Earth Is My Witness in French and German by National Geographic

Hymne coverEden cover

 

Vanishing Act in USA, German & French

VANISHING ACT Photographs by Art Wolfe, text by Barbara Sleeper In this revised edition, legendary wildlife photographer Art Wolfe turns to one of nature's most fundamental survival techniques: the vanishing act. His portraits show animals and insects disappearing into their surroundings, using deceptions, disguises, lures, and decoys to confuse the eye of both predator and prey. Spotting each cryptic animal amid Wolfe's clever compositions is both a fun and an informative challenge. At a time when many species are performing permanent vanishing acts due to habitat loss and human encroachment, this book showcases the beauty and evolutionary extremes of animal behavior and artfully illustrates the tenacious will to stay alive in an eat-or-be-eaten world. Softcover: 224 pages Publisher: Cameron + Company; Revised edition (Oct 14, 2014) Language: English Product Dimensions: 12 x 8.5 inches Preorder: http://store.artwolfe.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=526 Book will be signed and shipped October 14, 2014. (Cover design and release date subject to change)Meisterhaft getarntL'art du camouflage001

Awards & Honoraria

Earth Is My Witness garnered several publishing awards, including an IBPA Benjamin Franklin and an Independent Publisher. As for moi, I was named honorary chair of Washington Wild.

Top Blog Posts of 2015

Why I Do What I Do
Pretty in Pink: Springtime in Japan
Yes on 1401: Save Animals Facing Extinction (YES- it passed in November!)
Technique: Creating Graphic Images
Revealing Africa’s Major Elephant Ivory Poaching Hotspots
Travels To The Edge Music in the Japan Episode
Fall in Wyoming
Technique: Creating Abstract Images
International Cheetah Day
Colors of the Year 2016

Now on to 2016: new books! Museum shows in Europe! Exciting travel and learning opportunities!

 

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Stumped for a Gift?

Toco toucan, Cantareira State Park, Brazil

Nothing says I love you quite like an Art Wolfe gift certificate. Seriously, though, it is a thoughtful item for the art collectors, photography enthusiasts, and ambitious travelers in your circle of family and friends. We have multiple denominations to choose from.

Buy a gift certificate now through Cyber Monday and get a $5 store credit posted to your account on Tuesday. (Limit one credit per customer.) They can be redeemed for any retail item in the Art Wolfe Store including workshops.

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Technique: Composition in Surreal Landscapes

It is important to pay attention to foreground and background elements when trying to compose an effective surreal landscape image. Shot on location in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. Speaking of which, there is only one spot left in my exclusive Glacier Bay Tour happening next July. Cruising the majestic bay in this small yacht is quite a different experience than traveling in one of the large crowded cruise ships. One caveat- due to the cabin space, the remaining spot is for a man only.

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Technique: Creating Abstract Images

I love to create abstract, painterly images. I often find my favorite ones in locations that most people might not even notice. This video was filmed on location in Eastern Idaho.

I also want to instill this passion in the participants of my workshops. I will be focusing on this specifically in my Oregon Coast Workshop next August. Join me and I will change the way you look at photography and the world around you!

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Fall in Wyoming


Late September is a gorgeous time to be in Wyoming. The air is crisp with fall, the aspen leaves are fluttering golden in the breeze, and the wildlife is out browsing and fattening up for the harsh, but beautiful, winter.

The Photographic Society of America invited me to Jackson, Wyoming, to present at their annual conference. I was able to take the time to catch some favorite spots in Yellowstone National Park, and then teach another successful workshop in Grand Teton National Park. The week was capped off by doing aerials over the jade & sapphire waters of Grand Prismatic Spring.

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Worst Advice Ever

What is the worst advice you ever followed?

For me – early in my career people told me not to bother going to India – they said it had nothing to offer and I should focus elsewhere. So for over a decade that’s what I did. Worst advice ever!

Once I finally saw India with my own eyes—I’ve been back just about every year since and I’ve still just scratched the surface it’s beautiful, complex and wonderful variety of culture, nature, landscape and wildlife.

I’ve added a new photo tour for India in January/February 2016 that can either be just one week or over two depending the time you have. I’ll be taking you along an extraordinary route that combines the best of Inida, full of lore and splendor, punctuated by diverse photographic attractions.

The Kumbh Mela is a rare mass pilgrimage when Hindus from all over the world journey to bathe in the sacred river Ganges. It is considered to be the largest peaceful gathering in the world. I have been to several Kumbhs and can help effectively navigate you through this large and colorful congregation of pilgrims, yogis, and sages. Following the Kumbh we will travel to Ranthambore National Park where a highlight will be the chance to photograph elusive tigers and leopards and other rare wildlife.

Secret, Sacred and Wild India Workshop
January 25, 2016 – February 2, 2016

I hope to see some of you there! And if not with me, just put India on your bucket list regardless. That’s my advice!

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New Katmai Bears Trip Scheduled

In Alaska's Katmai National Park, there are abundant sock-eye salmon in the rivers and abundant bears hungry for them. Here a brown bear bounds and splashes after a school of the red fish.

It is the last frontier, a place where wild dominates humankind. A place known as the land of the midnight sun, here alpenglow lasts for hours, not minutes. Imagine venturing into this wilderness where the brown bears do not fear humans, where the minimal human population has learned and adapted to live in harmony with them. The bears rule, not only because they are strong, large, and on the top of their food chains, but because the humans believe that they should. Now imagine being able to capture photos of these magnificent creatures from 15 feet away. This is Alaska!

All aspects of outdoor photography will be covered, including composition, field techniques, technology, and the unique philosophy of this highly specialized profession. There will be informative lectures, rigorous critiques and portfolio reviews. Instead of concentrating only on f-stops and equipment, we will work on composition, imagination, and the control of every element in the image. We do more than just take you to the location; we help you to maximize your creative and technological skills as a photographer.

Katmai, Alaska Photography Workshop
Led by Art Wolfe
July 27th – August 1st, 2016Limited to 8 participants

Click through to the events page to read more.

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Recent Photos from the Southeastern Sierra

I recently led a workshop in the Southern Sierra in California. The fall color put on quite a show, with the aspen trees being a particularly stunning subject to photograph. We also found a lake full of coots, worked on abstracts in Bodie State Historical Park, visited the always fantastical tufas at Mono Lake and stopped at the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest to add more unique texture to the portfolio.

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