David Muench
{{Short description|American photographer}}
David Muench (born June 25, 1936) is an American landscape and nature photographer known for portraying the American western landscape.{{cite web|url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/grte2/hrs18.htm |title=Grand Teton NP: A Place Called Jackson Hole (Chapter 18) |last=Goetzmann |first=William H. |year=2004 |publisher=National Park Service:Grand Teton Natural History Association |access-date=July 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023195131/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/grte2/hrs18.htm |archive-date=October 23, 2012 }} He is the primary photographer for more than 60 books and his work appears in many magazines, posters, and private collections.
Career
File:David Muench 2004, Alabama Hills.jpg
Muench was born on June 25, 1936, in Santa Barbara, California. Muench has been a freelance photographer since the 1950s with his formal schooling including the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, The University of California at Santa Barbara and the Art Center School of Design, Los Angeles.{{cite web|url=http://davidmuenchphotography.com/david_muench.htm|title=David Muench - Fine Art Photography|website=Davidmuenchphotography.com|access-date=December 15, 2017}}
His first Arizona Highways cover was published in January 1955 at the age of 18,Robert Stieve, Arizona Highways, Dec 2015, Vol. 91, No. 12 p 3,4 and he has continued to work with the magazine since then.{{cite web|url=https://www.arizonahighways.com/tags/david-muench|title=david muench - Arizona Highways|website=Arizona Highways|access-date=December 15, 2017|archive-date=December 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171220082631/https://www.arizonahighways.com/tags/david-muench|url-status=dead}} In December 2015, to celebrate seven decades of collaboration, Arizona Highways dedicated an entire issue of the magazine to Muench, the first time they had done so for a single person.Arizona Highways: "7 Decades of David Muench" Dec 2015 - Vol. 91 No.12
At the recommendation of Ansel Adams, more than 200 images by Muench are archived in the collection of the Center for Creative Photography.{{cite web|url=http://ccp-emuseum.catnet.arizona.edu/view/people/asitem/M/50?t:state:flow=cae911d9-1f6c-45d6-afa3-22e841e6af77|title=eMuseum|website=ccp-emuseum.catnet.arizona.edu|access-date=December 15, 2017|archive-date=December 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205194634/http://ccp-emuseum.catnet.arizona.edu/view/people/asitem/M/50?t:state:flow=cae911d9-1f6c-45d6-afa3-22e841e6af77|url-status=dead}} Although he has done a few exhibits,{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/124398981/|title=Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona on November 7, 1999 · Page 88|website=Newspapers.com|date=7 November 1999 |access-date=December 15, 2017}} Muench chose the coffee table book as the main vehicle for his photography. He is the author of more than 60 books.{{cite web|url=https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=david+muench&dblist=638&fq=ap:%22muench,+david%22&qt=facet_ap:#%2528x0%253Abook+x4%253Aprintbook%2529format|title=Results for 'david muench' > 'David Muench' [WorldCat.org]|website=Worldcat.org|access-date=December 15, 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://davidmuenchphotography.com/muench_exhibit_books.htm|title=David Muench - American Landscape Photography|website=Davidmuenchphotography.com|access-date=December 15, 2017}}
In 1975, Muench was commissioned by the National Park Service to photograph 33 large murals on the Lewis and Clark Expedition for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri, including 350 smaller photographs to accompany the murals.{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-lewis-and-clark-photo-albums-intro.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206150711/https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-lewis-and-clark-photo-albums-intro.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 6, 2017|title=The Lewis and Clark Photo Albums - Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)|website=Nps.gov|access-date=December 15, 2017}} In 2000, Muench received the National Parks Conservation Association's Robin W. Winks Award for Enhancing Public Understanding of National Parks.{{Cite web|url=https://www.npca.org/resources/3286-awards-and-recognition|title = Awards and Recognition}}
Style
Muench's classic work consists mostly of wild landscapes photographed with a 4×5 film camera. His signature compositional technique is the near-far wide-angle view where a carefully selected foreground ties in with the background.{{cite web|url=https://www.outdoorphotographer.com/on-location/featured-stories/tutored-by-nature/|title=Tutored By Nature - Outdoor Photographer|website=Outdoorphotographer.com|access-date=December 15, 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://davidmuenchphotography.com/portfolios/natural_connections.htm#.WjGcBBS4w64|title=Natural Connections - Near/Far by David Muench|website=Davidmuenchphotography.com|access-date=December 15, 2017}} He also paid particular attention to the "timeless moments", times of transition such as sunrise, sunsets, and the edge of storms.Ruth Rudner, Arizona Highways, Dec 2015, Vol. 91, No. 12 p 56{{cite web|url=http://davidmuenchphotography.com/portfolios/timeless_moments1.htm#.WjGczxS4w64|title=Timeless Moments by David Muench|website=Davidmuenchphotography.com|access-date=December 15, 2017}} Other innovations in landscape photography include the use of telephoto lenses, fill light and in-camera double exposures.Jeff Kida and Peter Ensenberger, Arizona Highways, Dec 2015, Vol. 91, No. 12 p 56
Personal life
Muench is the son of nature photographer Joseph Muench (born in Schweinfurt, Bavaria) who inspired him to become a nature photographer.[http://library.nau.edu/speccoll/exhibits/muench/muench_bio.htm] Josef Muench was born in Schweinfurt, Bavaria on February 8, 1904. Muench has two children. His son, Marc Muench, is a successful photographer in his own right, specializing in landscape and outdoor action photography. His daughter, Zandria, is a freelance photographer, specializing in animals, nature, and landscape. In 1997, the Muench family received NANPA's Lifetime Achievement in Nature Photography Award.{{cite web|url=http://www.nanpa.org/info/awards/|title=Awards|date=August 8, 2014|website=Nanpa.org|access-date=December 15, 2017}}
References
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External links
- [http://www.davidmuenchphotography.com David Muench American Landscape Photography]
- [http://www.muenchphotography.com/ Muench Photography Inc]
- {{cite web|author = Richard Wong|year = 2009|url= http://www.rwongphoto.com/blog/top-10-influential-nature-photographers-alltime/|title = Top 10 Most Influential Nature Photographers of All-Time|publisher = In the Field: Photo Blog|access-date = June 25, 2009}}
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Category:American people of German descent
Category:American nature photographers
Category:Rochester Institute of Technology alumni