2012 Year in Review

It was another banner year for Ian Shive, the photographer. As many of you know, most of my time is dedicated towards enhancing the careers of over 400 other photographers via my stock photography and motion clip licensing agency, Tandem Stills + Motion, Inc. and as an instructor of photojournalism and advanced photojournalism at one of the world’s leading educational institutions, the University of Southern California.

Tandem had its own banner year with a major expansion and our first retail store. But beyond the accolades of the agency, I’ve also had a stellar year working for some of my favorite clients in some of the wildest places on the planet.

One of my personal favorite achievements was the cover of The Nature Conservancy magazine for my story on the Tehachapi Wildlife Corridor. I am also proud to capture the cover of National Parks magazine for my story on Hidden Yosemite.
   

I was also fortunate enough to take the 2011 Annual Report cover and accompanying interior spreads for TNC, photographed in Hawaii, and their Caribbean Division Report, photographed in Cuba, both were long form assignments that allowed me to spend time in the warm climates of these radically different but no less stunningly beautiful locations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additionally, I had yet another cover and major interior spreads for the Sierra Club’s 2011 Annual Report.

In addition to the above, I was also fortunate to visit Southern Chile where I photographed images of the Valdivian Coastal Reserve, a new reserve launched by several environmental non-profits including The Nature Conservancy. For a week I photographed artisan fishing efforts, coastal restoration and wild, raw landscapes.

One of my aerial images from Palau was also ranked one of the most popular images in National Geographic’s Travel 365 collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As if all of this wasn’t enough, I also managed to squeak out my first photography field guide in a form of an App available for the iPad in the iTunes Store, I was profiled in Travel & Leisure Magazine and conducted one of the best radio interviews of my  life on Los Angeles’ 95.5 KLOS Classic Rock station.

In a more memorable moment, one of my color images that looks black & white was hung next to Ansel Adam’s image that inspired it at the famous G2 Gallery in Venice, California.

I also announced my first workshop taking place at my beloved Channel Islands National Park. In partnership with the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, the G2 Gallery (where I’ll be conducting my first exhibit in April 2013) and the Channel Islands Park Foundation.

There were many other publications that ran my images including Lonely Planet, AARP, Mosaic, Men’s Journal, National Geographic Books, Sunset, Visit Montana and more.  I can not express enough my gratitude for the support that these organizations give to me by allowing me the opportunity to capture these important issues and bring them to the world in their publications. I can only imagine what 2013 will be like. Stay tuned!

Ian Shive: Cinematography Demo Reel

For the last two years, leading conservation photographer Ian Shive has traveled the planet photographing some of the world’s wildest places . Now for the first time ever he is sharing a secret – broadcast quality HD footage that was shot on location at the same time as the photos. In just a few minutes, you’ll experience some of our planets most stunning landscapes in a dream-like montage including Palau, Micronesia, underwater worlds of Cuba, Yosemite National Park, California, the Cayman Islands, Glacier National Park, Montana, Channel Islands National Park, California, Valdivia Coastal Reserve, Chile, the lower Himalayan Mountains, India, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, the Taj Mahal, India, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, Salt Lake, Utah, Antelope Valley, California, The Island of Hawaii, Maui, Hawaii, Rishikesh and the Ganges River, India, and Vrindivan, India among others.

[vimeo 57244431]

Produced by Tandem Stills + Motion, Inc. Edited by Ian Maliniak. Music by M83.

Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

What do you dream of when your days are filled with the activities usually reserved for those fantastical visions that come with a quiet, deep sleep? This was the thought that went through my mind as my small Cessna left a dirt and snow runway of the remote backcountry town  of Port Alsworth, Alaska in the last hours of daylight. As the engine sputtered bringing me and my pilot higher and higher, the valley below disappeared into a royal blue shadow punctuated by spearheads of wild salmon pink mountaintops. My door was completely open though I was harnessed to my seat by a four point belt that would make any mother feel a bit more at ease. Still, with temps dipping below zero and traveling at 85 knots, the windchill itself was a dangerous -60 fahrenheit. At these temps, a hot cup of coffee would freeze before it would hit the ground. Wrapped in down jackets but still tearing up as I hung out the side of this small aircraft, we bounced around above the tops of the mountains while I captured image after image of the dreamscape. Elated but not satisfied, I went back up again at sunrise. I struggled to keep the lens steady in the wind while I fought my own breath from fogging up the view finder. These are a few of those images:

Jagged peaks of the Chigmit mountains frame Mt. Iliamna, an active volcano.

Last light on the Aleutian Mountain Range

Last light on the Aleutian Mountain Range

Book Signing: Barnes & Noble Greenwich Village, NYC

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New National Parks Desktop Wallpaper

Download this newly released high res wallpaper from Ian’s new book, The National Parks: Our American Landscape at 1280×720 resolution. The image was photographed in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. 

Click here to download 

 

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Yellowstone Country: Barefoot in the Tetons

Even for us travelers who seem to wander endlessly from stunning location to exotic location, it can sometimes be easy to forget the most important reason we do so – to find solace, relax and just let go of whatever it is we call our daily grind. These days, my daily grind is more often about coffee and free wifi signals, but nonetheless, places like Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park will always bring me back to my center. A few weeks ago, with two wonderful friends, I decided to randomly detour from the prescribed trip and float the Snake River, hike mosquito-filled trails and just sit back and forget that anything else existed. 

 

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Krka National Park, Croatia

Ironically, despite having a book coming out on America’s National Parks this August, I have never been to a European National Park before (though I have been to others in different parts of the world). This park, Krka (pronounced Kirka), is a stunning gem in the European portfolio of natural wonders and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

 

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

A Photo for Myself

Tonight I traveled to the Malibu coast, not far from my home. There, I enjoyed the landscape, the sound of the ocean and a very low tide. It was a nice break to go out and shoot for myself…no deadlines, no “needs list” or contract. Just spending time with the camera, seeing if anything catches my eye and photographing it knowing that it doesn’t need to please anyone else but myself. But since I do enjoy the image, I might as well share it, too…

The View from 11,200 Feet

Standing at basecamp at 11,200 feet, the sound of avalanches could be heard sporadically, mixing in with the sounds of harnesses and skis tromping along the trail towards the summit of Mt. McKinley, Alaska. Stopping for a 2-day rest to acclimate, I made this image of  Mt. Foraker and it’s skirt of snowy seracs.