Speak to any beginning landscape or wildlife photographer and you can be absolutely certain that they would have heard of Thomas Heaton, Ben Horne, and Morten Hilmer (to name but three) but mention Galen Rowell, Jim Brandenberg, Eric Hosking, Fay Godwin or John Shaw, and the likelihood is that you will receive a tilt of the head followed by a blank expression. Please, don't get me wrong, I'm not having a go at vloggers. Far from it. Those I have mentioned do what they do extremely well, they're informative, entertaining, and very often put out a good message for responsible photography. Good luck to them I say!
But, the danger here is that many nature photographers don't look beyond them. I say they instead of we because I cannot include myself in this. I'm too old to. I grew up when YouTube, digital cameras, and even mobile phones weren't a thing! My influences came from those whose photographs appeared in the very magazines and books I enjoyed reading. Dalton, Hautala, Lanting et al were pioneers and many continue to produce incredible work, but by the very fact that they don't have a channel they are largely unknown by both beginners and even more experienced shooters.
Putting aside those that continue to work today, why the importance of knowing those of a bygone era? As with any art form, I feel it's important to know its history and who its early 'influencers' were. The guys I mentioned are legends, not because of how many subscribers they had (again, it wasn't a thing back then) but because they consistently produced bodies of work that meant something. When you look at the work by any of the aforementioned (and those listed below) you will see how they have influenced pretty much all photographers working today. Michael Kenna, for example, openly admits that his work has been greatly affected by the likes of Sudek and Brandt. Their work continues to hold strong and when I thumb through the pages of Dalton's The Secret Life of an Oakwood or Lanting's Okavango I still look in awe just as I did when I first picked them up 30 years ago.
So, do yourself a favour and check out the work of those listed below, and others besides. Where's Ansel Adams I hear you cry? C'mon, everyone's heard of Ansel! Here's a list to get you on your way. Trust me, you won't regret it!
Eric Hosking
Stephen Dalton
Takeshi Mizukoshi
Galen Rowell
Henry Gilpin
John Shaw
Mitsuaki Iwago
Hans Strand
Michio Hoshino
Fay Godwin
Michael Kenna
Charlie Waite
Frans Lanting
Jim Brandenberg
Hannu Hautala
Manoj Shah
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