Renowned photographer Art Wolfe in Tieton for presentation

By KIM NOWACKI

YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

For Art Wolfe, it was the sense of adventure that came first -- the camera was just a way of capturing that, says the internationally known photographer. He's scaled mountains, traversed jungles, witnessed countless cultural celebrations and frozen all those moments in time through stunning photographs.

On Saturday, Wolfe will visit a place just slightly less off the beaten path when he comes to Tieton to present "Between Heaven and Earth," a multimedia presentation that focuses on his 25-year odyssey through the Himalayas -- deemed his most personal statement to date.

Using video, stills and narration, Wolfe will not only show dramatic landscapes of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Tibet and China, and intimate portraits of the regions' peoples, but he will speak about his concern for the planet and its inhabitants.

"Each generation needs to pick up the baton," says the 57-year-old photographer, who became an impassioned environmentalist about 15 years ago. "Activism should be embraced by everyone."

And what Wolfe found is that through his work he can make his mission more real.

"Photographs strike a chord," he says. "One single compelling photo really affects people."

With a background as a painter and bachelor's degrees in fine art and art education from the University of Washington, Wolfe's work is a mix of documentary style shot with an artist's eye -- and touch. Wolfe is part artist, part journalist, part naturalist and part cultural anthropologist.

"He doesn't fit any molds," says longtime friend Ed Marquand, who's opening up his Mighty Tieton Warehouse for Wolfe's talk.

During his career, Wolfe -- who grew up in Seattle gazing at the majestic Mount Rainier and honed his talents in the Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge -- has published more than 60 books, and his images have appeared in magazines all over the world, including National Geographic.

He's also made the foray into television and is currently host of the public television series "Art Wolfe's Travels to the Edge," which shows him hauling his camera gear from one side of the world to the other.

All that trekking with a tripod is worth it, notes Wolfe, who receives fan letters from all over the world.

"It really shows the Earth," he says, "and how we're more connected then disconnected."

If you go

WHO: Photographer Art Wolfe.

WHAT: "Between Heaven and Earth," a multimedia presentation that focuses on the Himalayas and Wolfe's evolution as a photographer.

WHEN: 5 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

WHERE: Mighty Tieton Warehouse, 608 Wisconsin Ave. in Tieton.

HOW MUCH: Advance tickets cost $15 for adults and $8 for ages 12 and younger, and are available through www.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 800-838-3006. Admission at the door costs $20 for adults and $10 for kids.

INFO: www.mightytieton.com.

GET SOME GEAR: A free recreational gear swap will precede the talk from 3-5 p.m. Saturday in the Mighty Tieton Warehouse.