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.

The National Parks: Our American Landscape Paperback Edition

Ian Shive is proud to announce a new version of his popular photography book, The National Parks: Our American Landscape, as a paperback edition, on shelves March 2011. This new edition will be available at a new easy to carry size and a more affordable price point, just $24.95, and feature over 40 new images from America’s National Parks and Ian’s continued journey since the original publication of the hardcover edition.

To purchase your copy in advance, click here and buy from Amazon at over 30% discount!

To read and download the full press release as a PDF, click here

Ian Shive @ The Annenberg Space for Photography

Last week Ian Shive gave a lecture at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City, California. Check out photos and learn more about the space at the Annenberg Blog.

Adventure & Landscape Photography

For me, Adventure & Landscape photography often go hand-in-hand, as seen in my post back in 2008 on Mt. McKinley in Alaska. But really, Adventure Photography and Landscape Photography take two different sets of skills, some physically and others technically and both of these are addressed in two new books recently released by two people I look up to and consider friends and colleagues, Rob Sheppard and Michael Clark.

Rob Sheppard is the Editor at Large of Outdoor Photographer magazine and author of over 30 books on photography. He has been a great mentor and friend to me as my own career has developed and I’m excited to share his latest book, the Magic Of Digital Landscape Photography from Lark Photography Books. As an avid landscape photographer myself, I often get many questions from people who feel intimidated by photographing large scenes. They aren’t sure how to fill a frame or how to capture the moment just the right way. Rob’s new book manages to explain it in such clear terms that any aspiring photographer will be able to grasp the concept and after a couple days with the book, begin their own journey into stunning, magical landscapes.

Pick up your copy today by clicking the cover below.


If photographing an extreme adventure is more up your alley, you must check out Michael Clark’s new book, Adventure Photography, also from Lark Books. Michael is an internationally published outdoor photographer that you may recognize from the Nikon Ads. He’s one of the smartest, talented guys out there and if you want to know how to light that mountain biker in Moab, get awesome frames while rock climbing or just heading deep into the back country on a journey, this book I highly recommend.

Pick up your copy today by clicking the cover below

Join Ian Shive @ The Annenberg Space for Photography

“Water & Sky: A Photographic Journey from the Arctic to the Himalaya”

Registration for this event will go live Wednesday, May 26, 12pm PT and Thursday, May 27, 9:30am PT.
Thursday, June 3, 6:30-8:00pm

Click here for more information or to register

Join award-winning conservation photographer and author Ian Shive at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City, CA, on Thursday, June 3, 2010, 6:30 p.m., where he will present an archive of images that examine how our natural world interacts and is connected with the planet’s most valuable but increasingly threatened resource, fresh water, which constitutes 2.5 percent of the 70 percent of all water that covers Earth.

Ian’s photographs will trace the path that Arctic glaciers follow as they transform into rivers on the tundra, give witness to one of the world’s largest collections of terraced waterfalls in Eastern Europe two decades after the Bosnian Conflict of the 90s, as well as exploring the spiritually curative waters of the Ganges in the lower Himalayan Mountains and more.

Ian is the recent recipient of the Gold Medal, 2010 Nautilus Book Award, in the Great Peacekeepers category in recognition of his top-selling book The National Parks: Our American Landscape, released in August 2009 on Earth Aware Editions, for promoting “spiritual growth, conscious living and positive social change…and offering the reader “new possibilities” for a better life and world, joining previous Nautilus Award winners including Deepak Chopra, M.D., Eckhart Tolle, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, among others.

Referred to as the leading chronicler of America’s National Parks today and a self-labeled “wilderness diplomat,” Ian and his book The National Parks: Our American Landscape were the focus of a presentation on the challenges facing America’s most beloved landscapes in Washington, D.C. in November 2009, hosted by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Max Baucus.

Shive has dedicated his life to not only creating memorable photographs but also championing environmental awareness. Using photography as his primary tool, he has pioneered trends with new technologies to further the art of story telling through imagery. His photographs have appeared around the world in every major outdoor publication including National Geographic, National Geographic Adventure, National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic Explorer, Outside Magazine, Sierra Magazine, The Nature Conservancy, National Parks Magazine, andPopular Science, as well as numerous other major publications.

Shive is a resident of Los Angeles, CA.

California, My Home

I believe that we all feel a vibe, a resonation, with certain places in this world. I’ve heard surfers describe the feeling they get from being in saltwater as electrical, literally. They explain it as the electricity in our bodies producing a charge when dropped in a big bath of salt water like the ocean, a natural conductor. For me, living in the state of California often gives me that same charge. I’m not originally from this state but have been a resident for nearly 13 years, spending most of it exploring this magnificent stretch of land where mountains fade into sea, deserts succumb to fields of wildflowers and the oldest, tallest trees in the world reach for some of the clearest skies in our country. It’s a place where a photographer doesn’t need words to do the job of explanation. Of all of these places, one of my favorites is in Central California on a private ranch where great wine is harvested and horses ride in open fields. I was fortunate enough to spend a few days this week snapping some images that I felt most represented the almost cinematic backdrop that this great state offers.

The Real Slumdog, No Millionaire

While on the streets of Hardiwar, India a couple weeks ago, me and my travel partner encountered one of our first real street hustlers. A kid not older than 13 worked us hard to make cash. We were taking photos of many of the people with no consequence but this kid recognized an opportunity to make some money. I donated 20 rupees to his hustling-cause, but after three frames, he wanted another 20 rupees. I showed him that I overexposed by accident getting bad shots on 2 of the 3 frames to which he was quick with a reply, “Yes but your friend got two shots. 20 rupees if you want more.” He was a ball of energy, moving fast, yelling and working me and the crowd for anything he could make. After watching the film, Slumdog Millionaire, I had a lot of preconceived notions of India, including fears of being constantly hustled. After a week there spending the majority of my time in a crowd of 16 million people, I rarely felt hustled if at all other than this one moment. The people of India were incredibly generous, rich in spirit, and full of pride and culture. Some Indians find the term Slumdog insulting but it’s a term we are all now familiar with thanks to Hollywood (Bollywood?) and one I wanted to share some new insight on.

The Greatest Gathering, India

At the foot of the Himalayan Mountains in Northern India I spent the last few days documenting the greatest gathering of humanity, the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage and cleansing ritual that takes place every 12 years along the Ganges River. Originating in Hardiwar and moving further into the mountains to an ashram in Rishikesh, I was witness to something no words, photos or film can truly convey. Incense filled the air as did shouting and the shrill call of 20,000 police whistles that kept the nearly 16 million Ganges bathers moving. Unfortunately in a gathering of this size, a stampede broke out killing four not far from my own base camp. The intensity of the situation aside, the event was remarkable and a lifetime experience. Dedication beyond words was witnessed in the people here as they packed into trains, riding on the roof or in between cars or on luggage racks with a sweltering heat over 105 degrees fahrenheit further exacerbating the situation. People slept everywhere, on every bare inch of ground, in the shade of every sign, tree or car. Below are some of my first images from gathering.

Wild Exposure Episode 4 Launches

Ian Shive Photography in association with Wild Collective has released the final installment of the four part series chronicling the “making of” photographer Ian’s new book, The National Parks: Our American Landscape. In this episode, Shive reflects on one of his favorite national parks, The Channel Islands. Wild Collective shot the footage, sound and photos on location.

Wild Collective seeking Multimedia Photographers

Wild Collective, a Los Angeles based multimedia company, is looking for 10 multimedia-savvy photographers to represent for our commercial clients. We have recently engaged in some new work and need photographers who have shot for multimedia in the past and know what it means to shoot for it. You do not need to know how to put your own piece together – we have a production team who will do that for you – but production knowledge is helpful and knowing how to take on a top-tier commercial or editorial assignments is a must. This is a non-exclusive representation meaning you can still take all your own clients but in addition we will market you under our banner for our projects that need photographers. This new division will be launching June 1st and we will be taking applications/submissions until May 1. Please send a portfolio of your photography, a list of your past clients and if available, tear sheets of published work. Applicants with their photos in a finished multimedia piece go to the front of the line. Email photographer “at symbol” wildcollective.com. Please send links, no attachments.