"Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape" by Galen A. Rowell

This best-selling classic, which the New York Times called “the classiest 'how-to' text on landscape color photography ever published,” captures the unique artistic vision of the late Galen Rowell, one of America’s greatest outdoor photographers. Here Rowell assembled eighty of his finest images, along with the stories behind them—what he was after and how he achieved it.

The photographs (and the details of their creation) are arranged in eight exhibits according to visual themes, reflecting Rowell’s fascination with the infinitely varying qualities of light found in mountain landscapes. He explains how film and the human eye see differently, how he selected and composed the content of his work, how he worked with optical phenomena and natural light, and how equipment and adventure interact in the field.

The engaging text also recounts Rowell's development as a photographer, his philosophy and techniques for creating "dynamic landscapes" and his adventures in remote, dangerous, and beautiful places - from California’s Yosemite Valley to almost-inaccessible peaks in China.