Another Rowell returns
from Tibetan Adventures

This Buddha rock carving greets travelers on the road to Lhasa, Tibet. Photo © Tony Rowell

Son of famed, late
nature photographer
journeys to follow in
his father’s footsteps

By Barbara Ferrey-Laughon
Special to The Inyo Register

Tony Rowell’s eyes glisten with exuberance as he recounts his recent trip to Tibet. Carefully choosing his words, Rowell talks of his encounters with the people of Tibet, their lifestyle and their culture. A boyish grin crosses his face when asked about the countryside.

“It looks just like Bishop,” he says with a smile. “I mean the mountains and the rivers look just like the ones here. It’s so beautiful and so familiar.”

With the familiarity came some clarity for the son of the late world-renowned photographer Galen Rowell. Growing up in the Bay Area, Tony found himself immersed in his father’s work from an early age, traveling with him to wilderness areas in Alaska, Canada and the American West. As a teen, Tony was aware of his father’s deep passion for Tibet. He heard his father’s tales, saw his father’s photographs, and respected his father’s views. Yet, for young Tony, Tibet seemed so distant in so many ways.

Occupied by the Chinese government since the 1950s, Tibet was sealed off from foreign travel until 1980. Working on assignment for National Geographic magazine, Galen Rowell was among the first Americans granted access to Tibet’s mountain provinces. The trip was the beginning of a life-long love affair for Galen. In all, the elder Rowell visited the Himalayas more than 25 times during his lifetime, authored two books and numerous magazine articles about the region, and became an advocate for a free Tibet. Galen’s commitment to Tibet lives on today through The Rowell Fund for Tibet, which provides grants to Tibetans in the language and visual arts who can make significant contributions to society.

Following his father’s death in 2002, Tibet became a homing beacon for Tony Rowell. “It was just something I knew I had to experience,” he says. Armed with his father’s camera for luck, Tony signed on for a 17-day photography trip this past August with National Geographic Expeditions. He soon found himself at the scene of some of his father’s most memorable and famous photographs and expeditions.

Arriving in Bejing, China and then continuing on to Lhasa, Tibet, Tony retraced the route taken by his father on many of his trips through Tibet. “I really felt a connection to my Dad as I recognized the locations where he composed many of his photographs,” Tony says. “The emotion was particularly strong when our group arrived at the Potala Palace.”

The Potala Palace—the 13-story, 1,000-room former residence of Tibet’s now-exiled spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dali Lama—is the subject of what many say is Galen Rowell’s signature photograph. Made in 1981, Galen’s “Rainbow over Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet,” is among his most widely published and recognizable work. Authenticated and signed prints of the photograph are valued at several thousand dollars.

Tony found himself drawn to photographing the Tibetan people—everyone from the Buddhist monks and pilgrims to the shopkeepers and nomadic herdsmen. “Each face has a unique story to tell,” he explains. “I only hope I can do them justice.”

Tony also found himself photographing much of the landscape between Lhasa and Shigatse. “I have high hopes for the film I shot during a lightning storm, but we’ll see,” Tony says. “I also got some amazing sunrises and sunsets.”

In all, Tony shot more than 2,000 slides during his time in Tibet. He hopes to have some of the photographs from his trip available on his web site [gallery] within the next few weeks. The slide selection and editing process can take several weeks and only yield a few truly transcendent images. “I really like the idea that I’m new enough to this process that I can still learn something from almost every slide I make,” Tony says. “I hope to one day be as good as my Dad.”

He pauses as he plays that statement in his mind. It’s obviously one he’s thought about for some time now.

Again, the boyish grin crosses his face. “I know I have some big shoes to fill,” he says, “but I think I’m up for the challenge.”