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It’s one thing to be a nature photographer. It’s something entirely different to put yourself at risk, often in the most extreme conditions, to get the perfect photo. It’s a particular form of photography called “photojournalism,” which uses the powerful imagery of photos to take the reader closer to an event than words alone can describe. The photographer becomes a participant in the event, rather than just a spectator.

Photos have served to amplify the magnitude of events like World War II, the Vietnam War, Hurricane Katrina, the assassination of President Kennedy and hundreds of other events over the years. Thankfully, though, photojournalism has a more beautiful side as well.

Galen Rowell was one of the forefathers of nature photography as photojournalism. His work graced the pages of National Geographic, Life, Outdoor Photographer and numerous other magazines that became famous for the quality of photography in their pages. Galen Rowell’s photos are beautiful, but even more so considering two important factors: the fact that he was never formally trained as a photographer (though he would conduct hundreds of photography workshops in the years before his death in a plane crash in 2002), and the lengths he went to in order to take those photos.

Photographer and adventure

Rowell’s love of the outdoors meshed well with his skill as a photographer, but his natural athletic ability – as well as a well-honed sense of adventure – took him to places where other nature photographers wouldn’t stand a chance. Rowell was an accomplished mountain climber who began climbing in 1950, at age 10. Photography was originally a way for him to share his adventures with family and friends, but eventually it became a way of life.

As a result, mountains are the focal point for many of Rowell’s most famous photos. Some of his most famous photos were published in his 1977 book “In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods,” a history of the mountain K2 that included the story of his participation in a failed attempt by U.S. climbers to scale the mountain in 1975. K2, which is located on the mountainous border between China and Pakistan, is the second-tallest mountain in the world at 28,251 feet (behind Mount Everest at 29,029 feet), and is arguably the most difficult to climb because of its incredibly steep climbing paths. More than 2,700 climbers have reached the top of Mount Everest, with 208 deaths, while K2 has had slightly more than 300 successful ascents – and 77 fatalities at last count. In context, the ratio of deaths to successful ascents of Everest is a little less than 1 fatality for every 14 successful ascents, while K2’s ratio is 1 death for every 4 successful ascents.

Beyond K2

K2 is only part of Rowell’s photographic record of mountains around the world, including his one-day ascent of 19,000-foot Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, and a one-day climb of 20,000-foot Mount McKinley in Alaska. He was part of the first group to climb Cholatse, a 21,000-foot peak near Mount Everest. As if that wasn’t enough, he also is on record as being the oldest person to climb El Capitan (the 3,000-foot sheer-faced granite wall in Yosemite National Park) in a single day, at age 57.

“Throne Room” was one of 18 books of photos and text that Rowell authored. His 1986 book, “Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape,” combines 80 of Rowell’s favorite photographs with information about equipment, conditions and techniques connected to each one. It is considered a must-read for any nature photographer of any skill level.

Rowell shot a wide variety of landscapes, reaching from the Arctic to Antarctica, but he understood the importance of mountains to his legacy. “My mountaineering skills are not important to my best photographs,” he once admitted, “but they do add a component to my work that is definitely a bit different than that of most photographers.”

Despite his skill as a photographer, Galen Rowell also understood the importance of words to go along with beautiful images. “The combination of pictures and words together can be really effective, and I began to realize in my career that unless I wrote my own words, then my message was diluted,” he said. “There’s no question that photographs communicate more instantly and powerfully than words do, but if you want to communicate a complex concept clearly, you need words too.”

The black-and-white images of Ansel Adams are certainly among the most recognizable examples of the best nature photography ever created. His images of the American west – from national parks to painted deserts, from mountain lakes to river valleys – hold a permanent place in the nation’s consciousness as the ultimate vision of the nation’s natural beauty.

Even before the age of digital photography, the use of black-and-white film fell gradually by the wayside as color technology improved. While even the average nature photographer can put take an outstanding shot of a beautiful landscape, it’s generally the color that gives the scenery its impact. Those landscapes would arguably lose their impact if shot instead in black and white.

Adams took the same scenery and made color irrelevant. He is generally considered the master of lighting and its importance in landscape photography, waiting for the exact moment for the right conditions to shoot a photo. In most cases, it meant all the difference between a great photo and a legendary masterpiece.

Going beyond black and white

Adams began shooting photos as a teenager, with his first shots of Yosemite National Park in 1916. He devoted his life to the medium, and was actively shooting photos well into his 70s. He died on April 22, 1984, at the age of 82.

Most of Adams’ famous images are in black and white, and prints can be purchased in just about any shopping mall poster store. What isn’t widely known about Adams is that while black-and-white photos are his hallmark, he devoted quite a bit of time to shooting color photos as well. In fact, while he preferred the nuances of shooting in black-and-white, he understood that color photography would be the medium of the future and shot hundreds of photos in color. Many of them appear in a book called “Ansel Adams in Color,” first published in 1993 and revised in 2009.

Although he shot a huge number of photos in color, it frustrated him a great deal. According to one biography, Adams compared taking color photos to playing an “out-of-tune piano.” When Kodachrome was introduced in the mid-30s, it was complicated to master photo production using the negatives. In fact, even a meticulous technician like Adams – who pioneered a number of darkroom production techniques working with his own photos – thought it was so frustrating that he would often leave the color development of his photos to others.

Adams also was wary of the quality of color reproduction. Since the technology was new, reproductions in print or in magazines could be out of register and blurry, and not look the least bit true to life. In Adams’ view, though, black-and-white photography was more of an art form, and easier to mold to his high standards – especially since he had spent a lifetime dedicating himself to that form of photography.

Making money with the new medium

One of the main reasons Adams shot in color was for the commercial aspect. While his black-and-white photos were visually groundbreaking, they had limited possibilities for advertisers and corporations, who preferred to represent themselves in color. His clients included companies like AT&T, Fortune magazine and Eastman Kodak. So ultimately, his commercial work subsidized the part of the medium that he viewed as an art form.

Eventually, he dedicated himself to solving some of the early issues that affected color photography. For example, rather than complain about the limitations of color photography, he worked as a consultant for film and camera manufacturers, developing ways to improve quality of both color film and photo reproduction. He also wrote several articles on the subject of color photography, noting that the lack of quality reproduction usually had a negative effect on the emotional impact of the photos, muting their colors and deadening the relationship between various elements of any particular photo.

An early conservationist

Another lesser known aspect of Adams’ life was his devotion to environmental causes, particularly through the Sierra Club environmental organization. He originally had a job at age 17 as a custodian at the Sierra Club’s headquarters in Yosemite. He became more active in the organization very quickly, and became a member of the board of directors in 1934. During his 37-year tenure, the Sierra Club underwent a transformation from a small grass-roots movement into a powerful national organization that has become a powerful lobby for environmental interests.

Arguably, though, his biggest contribution to conservation came from his body of work that showed the beauty of natural landscapes and resources.

On the surface, it should be relatively easy to come up with a working definition of the term “nature” as it applies to photography. Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary uses the broader picture: “the external world in its entirety.” Dictionary.com puts a finer point on it: “the elements of the natural world, as mountains, trees, animals, or rivers.”

But Webster’s dictionary (a different resource than Merriam-Webster), uses a much wider perspective: “the existing system of things; the world of matter, or of matter and mind; the creation; the universe.” That’s a much larger playing field for a photographer.

Maybe it’s best to use a definition that doesn’t appear in any dictionary, but comes instead from the U.S. Supreme Court. In a decision regarding the legal threshold for publication of obscene materials, Justice Potter Stewart said a true definition is hard to determine, “but I know it when I see it.”

The same standard can be applied to nature photography:

• Is it a car driving down a city street? Or is it a sleek automobile headed down a long stretch of desert highway, with the sun setting in the background?
• Is it a shark swimming inside an enclosed tank at the aquarium? Or is it a Great White shark navigating its way along the ocean floor?
• Is it a young child playing with a toy in the driveway? Or is it a toddler wrestling with a little of eight-week old puppies in the lush green grass of the backyard?

The answer always seems to come up the same. Whether it’s animal, vegetable, mineral, mountain, ocean, stream, desert or any of a thousand other settings and subjects, one thing’s for certain: You’ll know it when you see it.

Tips for novices

If you’re just getting started as a “nature photographer,” here are some easy ways to get ahead of the game:

• Search online to find examples of work from amateur and professional photographers. Nobody says an idea has to be original, especially if it’s just for your own gratification. You’ll also pick up valuable pointers along the way, since photographers are usually generous with sharing advice and tricks.
• Keep an eye out for uncommon opportunities in common situations. A day at the beach can be an excuse to work on your tan, or an opportunity to wander around looking for photo opportunities. There might be a bird’s nest in a tree outside your office. Maybe your neighbor’s cat just had kittens. Great photo opportunities are everywhere.
• Use a variety of angles. A photo of a newborn kitten might look common when shot from a typical point-of-view, but might look special if you’re willing to get down on the floor to shoot head-on.
• Don’t be afraid to shoot a lot of photos. Digital memory cards will typically hold hundreds of photos, so click away. The boring ones are easy enough to erase, and even if only one or two photos are special, that’s a good start to your portfolio.