Photographer of the Week- Art Wolfe

Art Wolfe

    Art Wolfe was born in on September 31, 1951 in Seattle, Washington.  His parents were both commercial artists in Seattle.  Wolfe would later attend the University of Washington and graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1975.  During his time in college, Wolfe did work for National Geographic and also wrote his first book.  Currently Wolfe has produced over 65 books and instructional videos on photographic techniques.  He has also had two of his photos used for stamps for the U.S. Postal Service.

Wolfe is best known for his color images of wildlife, landscapes, and native cultures.  He has traveled all around the world, and has been to every continent, where he has shot photos in hundreds of locations.  In 2007, he was the host of TV series called “Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe.”  It was documentary series that explored the visual impact of wildlife and culture diversity.  Wolfe is considered to a multi-faceted, and his career has consisted of wildlife advocacy, art, journalism, and education.  

Art Wolfe’s photography is known to have stunning visual impact, but some people argue that he does too much editing to his pictures.  His often does photo manipulation which includes things like “cloning” to create visual patterns.  Some people don’t think that his heavy editing belongs anywhere in nature/wildlife photography.  He believes that the editing of his pictures helps give them greater impact than they were originally captured, and this could contribute to his background of art.  

Wolfe is not only known as a photographer, but also a conservationist, and is involved heavily in wildlife preservation.  He is a part of many conservation organizations, such as, Wildlife Conservation Society, International League of Conservation Photographers, and many more.  Photography in nature can’t be talked about without bringing up the name Art Wolfe.  He has been a photographer for over 30 years and has received miscellaneous awards.  It’s estimated that he has taken over a million photos, and he continues to bring people his images full of color, and composition.