Howie Garber photography | Wanderlust Images

Bio

Artist Statement | Resume

HOWIE GARBER is a professional fine arts and nature photographer. He has lived in Salt Lake City since 1972. Howie’s interest in photography started in 1969 when he took a “History of Photography” class while at the University of Rochester. He remained an amateur for many years. At age 40, ( In 1990) he traveled to Nepal, his first trip outside North America, and shot 40 rolls of film while trekking for a month. This convinced him to spend more time with his cameras. While traveling in South America during 1991, his wanderlust was rewarded with an incredible stroke of luck. On his birthday, he was picked up while hitch-hiking by a Brazilian biologist who was doing jaguar research. Experiencing the wonder of observing wildlife in natural habitats was an incentive to improve his photography skills and start a second profession. Since then he has traveled and photographed on 7 continents including China, Bhutan, Patagonia, Peru, Antarctica, Brazil, Kenya, England, Alaska, Australia and Switzerland. He often returns to the same locations.

Howie’s images have been widely published as book and magazine covers; and in calendars, and greeting cards. Some of his clients have included Newsweek, National Geographic, Patagonia, Anheuser Busch, the Sierra Club, National Audubon Society, Greenpeace, and ColdWater Creek. In 1997, he received a prestigious award from the British Broadcasting Corporation. Howie won the Wild Places (Landscape) category of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest. That same year, his photo of two mountain goats won the Endangered Places photo contest sponsored by Outdoor Photographer Magazine, Mamiya and Lowepro. During the summer of 2000, his work was featured in Nikon World. His work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Museum and the Museum of Natural History in London. In 2004, his image of a caiman won the Animals in their Environment Category of the BBC contest.

Since 1983, Garber has worked as an Emergency Physician at small and large hospitals all over Western U.S. and Alaska. He finds that there are many similarities in his two professions. Every day as an outdoor photographer is different and often full of surprises. Your success depends on multiple factors-weather, planning, animal behavior and luck. In the hospital and in the field, you must accept that many factors are out of your control. In the same way that providing good health care is a team approach, his success as a photographer has likewise been dependent on wildlife biologists, gifted athletes, pilots, and river guides who have contributed to his success. One of the challenges that remains is how to use photography as a tool for conservation. Artistically capturing pure beauty seems hedonistic and socially irresponsible at times. It is important to document what we are trying to save as well as what we are destroying at a fast pace. Recently Howie has worked with Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment(UPHE.ORG) to improve Salt Lake City’s air quality. He has given numerous slide shows on his travels to the public as well as political leaders. He enjoys teaching photography and is available for slide shows, workshops, and one on one instruction.

Howie shoots digital as well as medium format and panoramic film cameras. In his Fine Arts images, he tries to exhibit photos that transport you to another place. Most of his color images are printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper by Photo Craft Imaging of Boulder Colorado using the Lightjet 430 printer. He has recently experimented with metallic printing and canvas photo-giclees. - Printing Facts and Info

Artist Statement

Wanderlust and a love of nature have taken me to many wondrous places on 7 continents. I have captured glorious moments with cameras and film for 15 years and mostly digital Nikons the last 5 years.

The creation of a single photo is often the result of hours, days, or even weeks in the same place waiting for the right light or an intimate moment with wildlife. Even if you have been to this exotic location, my photo will hopefully transport you to a place that is unfamiliar. I have returned many times to the same places, yet the scene is always different. Nature is in perpetual change. This change has been accelerated by habitat loss and climate change. The result has been species loss and diminished biodiversity.

I waited 4 days for the fog to lift to capture one Wildflowers and Icebergs photo. Being in the same place at sunrise for 7 days means that one of those mornings will be magical. Every year the fall colors are different, but I have only seen brilliant orange aspens once. I have seen red maples coincide with golden aspens a few times. In one out of 20 years red maples peak with golden aspens, and a late September snow will drape the leaves for a few hours before they fade or fall. Timing, patience, luck, spontaneity, and the ability to drop everything are required. Peak wildflowers or fall foliage rarely last greater than one week. Three trips to Mexico and several weeks spent with wintering Monarch Butterflies have resulted in several photos that I would enjoy hanging on my wall.

While the digital realm has forced many to question what is real, I am exploring new relationships between shadow, light, and color that has allowed me to maintain the integrity of my subjects. Maintaining texture and detail in shadows and highlight was often impossible with film and snow often looked blue in the shadows. In the same way that a masterful black and white printer would spend an hour in the darkroom for a single print, every digital photo needs to be developed to capture what I saw. Archival prints are created from digital files under my supervision.

My valued clients are making once in a lifetime purchase, and I will gladly share the circumstances surrounding the photo’s creation. I will soon combine the story with each framed fine art photo purchased. I will be honored if you take a second look at my photos. I hope they will inspire you to take small steps to save what is rapidly disappearing from the natural world

........Howie Garber

Resume


National and International Photo Contests

Solo Exhibitions and Art Festivals:

Polar Bear Photograph permanently exhibited in the Smithsonian Museum.

Select Group Exhibitions:

Photo Credits:

Magazines: Newsweek, National Geographic Adventure, National Wildlife, BBC Wildlife (England), Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Outdoor Photographer, Powder, Rock and Ice, Bugle, Backpacker, Natural History, Nikon World (Featured Photographer), Outside, Ranger Rick, Skiing, Utah Outdoors, Sierra, Salt Lake City

Covers: National Wildlife (back cover), Animals, National Geographic Video (Box Cover), The Wilderness Society (back cover), Cerca, Alaska Airlines, Territory Ahead, National Science Foundation, Mountaineers Books, Arctic Research

Calendars: Inner Reflections, Greenpeace, Cabellas, Audubon Engagement, Sierra Club Engagement, Willow Creek Press, Barnes & Noble Wildflower calendar, Utah Office of Tourism, Avalanche Publishing, Greatland Graphics, Zebra Publishing

Corporate/Nonprofits: National Geographic Books and Video cover, Black Diamond, Patagonia, Voile, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Ericsson Inc., Coldwater Creek, Nature Conservancy, The Wilderness Society (Catalogue Cover), Natural Resources Defense Council (mailing), Orvis, Arbor Day Foundation

Previous: Gallery Representation

Slide Presentations

I have given numerous slide presentations to the public and professional groups.

Slide shows during 2009-2010 have included :

Education:

References:

Learn more about the book: Utah's Wasatch Range: Four Season Refuge | 25 Years of Photographs By Howie Garber

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