Mountain Light Photography

I stopped here on my last trip to Bishop, the first trip in many years, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was able to get some inspiration and ideas for my own landscape photography. I especially enjoyed the images of wild blue iris fields with the snow-​capped Sierras in the background. My next spring trip will include images of wild flowers and iris fields. Great place to view the best photography of the Eastern Sierra.

I just loved it it here at Mountain Light. Ever since I landed in Denver and rented a car for my driving trip of a lifetime in the American west i’ve been visiting impressive sights and stopping at photo galleries, and this one a favorite. It is tragic to consider such talents as Galen and Barbara Rowell have disappeared because of a transportation failure. Many great photographs from unique perspectives and a few other strong photographers are here. I think I will disagree with those who say this place is expensive. I arrived here from Las Vegas where costs for photographic art make these in Bishop, California seem a bargain.

Great place to stop and check out some amazing photography. One day I will buy something, i swear!

Part gallery, part museum, and part shrine to Galen Rowell, absolutely worth a stop if you’re buzzing through Bishop. It’s always interesting to read exactly what went into capturing a beautiful image, and there are plenty of Galen’s notes accompanying various scenes. Plus, he and his wife were interesting people… pioneers in many ways.
Hang out, enjoy the stunning visuals, read up!

A special shout-​out to fellow Unilocaler, Lisa G., for recommending that I make a stop here during our trip to Mammoth. On our return home, we stopped in Bishop for lunch and then stopped at this gallery established by renowned photographers Galen and Barbara Rowell. This gallery was originally in the Bay area, and then moved to Bishop in 2001. Unfortunately, they were both killed in a horrific twin engine plane crash in 2002. This little gallery houses many of their photographs and prints for viewing and for sale.
Galen Rowell was also an avid mountain climber and the photos he captured are amazing. Both of their photos have been featured in National Geographic, Life Magazine, and much more. If you enjoy nature photography– you will definitely appreciate this little gallery. There are also comfy couches so that you can peruse through photography books. In addition, they feature the works of different photographers.
The prints run about $ 150-​$ 1000 depending on the size, but there are also posters, note cards, and books for sale as well. They also offer photography workshops taught by the leading outdoor photographers in the stunning Eastern Sierra landscape and at world-​class locations throughout the American West. I doubt I have the funds to sign up for one of those, but I have definitely been inspired. I just dusted off my camera!
*Yelp 100 Challenge: Review 54/​100*

Stopped through Bishop and thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors photos of the Sierras, rockclimbers, animals, Tibet, etc. Spent at least 30 minutes in the gallery. Though the photos were a bit pricey for me to buy, I seriously contemplated about buying a book, but it just didn’t look as good as the photos displayed on the wall. Maybe when I finally get my own place, I’ll buy a Galen Rowell photo to hang on my wall.

Really enjoyed visiting this gallery and learning about Galen Rowell and Photography in general. Awesome interior design and presentation of his works.

I grew up idolizing Galen Rowell, wait I was already grown up… let me rephrase that. I grew old idolizing Galen. His work and contribution to photography has always inspired me. With that said, whenever I’m in bishop I stop by the mountain light gallery and marvel at the prints and not just Galen’s work, other notable artists are also on display.
The prints might be a bit over-priced…but you’re paying for the legend as it should be. There are other wanna be artist in tow nowadays but there’s the only one who pioneered color photography… hat’s off and R.I.P. Galen… rock on dude.

By far one of the most amazing display’s of landscape photography you can visit. Huge amounts of Galen’s and other’s work. You don’t even have to be into photography to get blown away by the work that is in here. I like how they rotate the visiting photographers in an attempt some change. Prints cost a pretty penny but are worth it.

A must see when heading up North on the 395. Grab a cup of coffee at Spellbinder and head on in. Dogs are welcome too :)
I bought my first piece here when I finished college and wanted a reminder of how beautiful the Eastern side is. Even in the 20 years I have been hiking outside of Bishop do I ever see sights as beautiful as the ones Galen captured on film.

This is a great place to pass some time if the weather is foul or during a rest day from the crag/​boulders.
Spectacular alpine photography, and many great pictures from the Eastern Sierras. There is also a nice collection from Patagonia, which was really nice as I was just there a few months ago in Dec 09. In particular, the shot of Cerro Torre and its satellite peaks from the top of Fitz Roy is simply stunning.
They also stock all of Rowell’s books, which vary between instructional to pictorial collections.
If you’re a nature/​mountain photographer and you’re in the area, you must stop here and browse a bit.

I love this place and wouldn’t dream of being in the area without a visit to this gallery. This was my second visit and I did walk out with the picture I have been dreaming about since my first visit. I can’t wait to get home and get it on a wall (if I find one big enough!) I find the ambiance of the gallery relaxing and the staff very helpful. The day we visited, Galen Rowell’s son, Tony was there and he was very friendly and cordial and we enjoyed chatting with him. Galen’s pictures are so awe inspiring. They have such pop and pizazz. It seems to me that he worked very hard to share with others what he saw in the true wilderness of the world. RIP Galen and Barbara Rowell!

Beautiful photos… We were very tempted to buy a print.
And then we were inspired to take our own picture-​perfect photo.

If you enjoy nature photography its free admission and a lovely place to spend some time looking around. The photography shows an appreciation and love for the Eastern Sierra Bishop area and can give some great ideas of nature places to visit. The gallery is well displayed and the people working are friendly and helpful. You can buy prints of Rowell’s photographs that are displayed or cards for friends.

My husband is a photographer so I love seeing other artists work and seeing what their vision and drive are. Galen had an amazing vision and an eye for the life of the wild. His work is exciting and beautiful and you can see many of his images here. Some of his wife’s work is also displayed she had a great eye as well.
The museum is well laid out and they have a few couches where you can sit and pore over books of photos as well. They have some things from Galen’s life like his first camera and his favorite things that he got on his travels giving it a less sterile feel.
The prints are wildly expensive and are also available in a greeting card form if you don’t have thousands to drop on a framed piece of art.
I highly recommend this on any journey you have through this area, it is too bad he is gone too soon.

The comments below are great so I won’t bother repeating.
ONE GRIPE THOUGH ~ they display originals with Galen’s signature. They are priced reasonably.
When you go to buy one, you’ll quickly find out that the SIGNED copies are not for sale, and the copy you receive will have the stamped signature, not the original. There is a big difference in the value of such, obviously. When I asked about this they danced around the point.

I’ve never been much of a fan of Rowell’s work, but if you like that sort of thing — beautiful, rugged, out-​of-​the-​way landscapes, mostly — Mountain Light’s the place to see it, and Rowell was a master of the genre.
It’s a large space in an old bank building with a well-​selected set of prints (none of which are exactly cheap…) on display and for purchase. The staff are knowledgable, and the place is ground zero for a lot of pretty damn good photography courses (not my cup of tea, but I know people who’ve done them). The main complaint I have is that Rowell and his executors seem to want to push 35 mm printing beyond what I feel is appropriate, at least sizewise — some of the largest prints really don’t gain much from being so over-​enlarged and the loss of sharpness is very noticeable. I guess the LA set buys them large, though, and if it keeps Mountain Light going as a business, so be it…

I’ve been a fan of the photography work of Galen Rowell for many years, and I was pleased to discover Mountain Light Gallery in Bishop. Rowell lived in Bishop and this was his gallery for many years before his untimely death in a plane crash in 2002. The gallery also shows the work of his wife, Barbara Cushman Rowell, who also perished in the plane crash.
Nowadays, the gallery is run by his estate. There are large prints displayed on the wall and light boxes with copies of slides, along with copies of his photography books and assorted items for sale, such as t-​shirts, with his photographs printed on them. There is a small display case at the front of the store with Galen’s Nikon cameras and his old passports with many visa stamps on them, and brief narratives of his life and work. I found it very interesting.
On a personal note, I’m a photographer myself, and while I do work steadily, I often feel somewhat frustrated that I haven’t reached the level in my career that I would like to be at. Being a photographer is a difficult career that takes a lot of work and time to move up the ladder. When I visited Mountain Light, I read in Rowell’s biography that he got his first «National Geographic» cover when he was 32 years old — and he didn’t set out to be a photographer originally. He kind of just fell into it. Discovering that he «made it big» in his 30’s made me feel a little reassured; I’m 34, so that helped me reaffirm my faith in myself and hold on to the hope that I, too, will eventually «make it big» too.