In This Issue - 25th Anniversary!

years ago, we conceived of Outdoor Photographer to fill the needs of a particular niche of enthusiasts and right from the start made a particular point of using the word photographer. The rationalization was simple. The person makes the photograph, recognizing the opportunity, seizing the moment and crafting it into an image of personal expression. Without the photographer, exquisite occurrences in nature are like the unheard tree that falls in the forest with no one there.

In essence, Outdoor Photographer is all about mentor photographers—the best in the world—sharing their insights and techniques with readers. Now, 25 years later, I was asked by George Lepp, one of the magazine’s first columnists and contributors, to write a foreword to his new book. As I held the book in my hands and read the words again, it occurred to me that I also had written the perfect tribute for the celebration of this anniversary issue. We have worked with George and other esteemed professionals over the past 25 years. During that time, all of us have experienced the most incredible sea change in the history of photography: the paradigm shift from film to digital. Moreover, there were all the extraordinary advancements, starting with autofocus and continuing with image stabilization, totally integrated flash, electronic viewfinders, aspheric lenses, inkjet printers, imaging software and too much more to mention here. It is with all this in mind that I excerpt and amend the foreword here, beginning with the fundamental premise of Outdoor Photographer:

Those who can do, teach. Perhaps more than any other discipline, outdoor photographers are selfless teachers of their art, and our contributors represent the most talented photographers and gifted teachers. Since the inception of Outdoor Photographer, they have authored popular columns and countless articles. For readers, they show us all how to blend equipment innovation and fundamental technique to achieve the best possible results. In the ensuing years, they have helped to influence the direction of the magazine and to elevate its stature.

Technology does improve art. There’s no mistake about it. To be great photographers and teachers, our esteemed contributors have had to be nature photography’s outstanding students. Most began their careers in the simpler days of film, but have learned and adapted throughout photography’s technical advancements that have brought a wealth of tools to those who must cope with the challenges of the outdoors. Most were among the very earliest adopters of all that’s digital. At the outset, when many photographers were skeptical and even fearful of the onslaught of electronic imaging, our contributors embraced each subsequent breakthrough as an opportunity. Photography is absolutely a mechanical art, and there’s no sense in being a purist when the ends justify the means.

During the past 25 years, hardware and software companies have introduced such game-changers as autofocus, image stabilization, digital capture, flash memory, computer control and inkjet output. Even so, the stories behind the photographs make it clear that there’s no substitute for being in the right place at the right time, equipped with the right gear, sufficient knowledge about the subject matter and bountiful enthusiasm for the pursuit of the shot. Some professionals are deliberate in saying make a photograph as that implies the full creative process of an image, and as differentiation from take, which seems to insinuate a snapshot. In the retelling, it’s clear that the process involves all the verbs, for a photograph is something that has to be found and caught before it can be crafted, personalized and possessed.

Then there are the not-to-be-discounted life lessons that we learn from our participation in photography. It’s not only a hobby, an art and a gadget fetish, but a process that causes us to pause and contemplate, to look closer and longer. One excerpt from George’s book stands out in my mind.

“The lesson: When you encounter an animal in the wild, you represent all of that individual’s cumulative experiences with humans, and you are adding to that experience with your own actions.”

What a great bit of wisdom, so eloquent and concise. It should be a National Park sign, or maybe something we could apply to all human relations. Looking forward, there’s presently a great deal of discussion about the future of print versus electronic media. First, I’m fond of saying that our magazine (as with all others) has been electronic for over 20 years.

QuarkXPress design software was introduced two years after our launch, and in that same year, Thomas Knoll began to create Photoshop. Since that time, our printer has had to go through the process necessary to transfer our electronic, computer-generated content onto paper. The challenge for publishers isn’t the technology to go electronic, but the business model. Once consumers/readers settle on what serves their needs, whether it’s continuing with paper, or an iPad or a Kindle or Google TV, magazine publishers will respond. Music is music, whether on vinyl, tape, CD or iTunes. After all, publishers quickly populated websites when that became a useful means for distributing content and providing reader interactivity.

What the future most likely holds is an all-of-the-above solution where readers will be able to receive their content in a variety of ways. One major thing that will remain constant is the photograph and, more importantly, the photographer who made it and is willing to teach others so that they may enjoy the same experience and creative satisfaction.

–Steve Werner, Publisher/Editor In Chief