A Photographer as Role Model research. Assessment for Photography lesson, Gabriel Stephanus Surija 13106 ANN3A Animation Course. Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore.

1. David Muench
Landscape Photographer
Gabriel StephanusSurija – 13106
ANN3A
Lecturer: C. S. Ling

2. Recognition
David Muench is most known for
portraying the American western
landscape. He is the primary
photographer for more than 50
books and his work appears in
many magazines, posters, and
private collections.
In 1975, David Muench was
commissioned 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.

3. Style
The subject matter of David Muench‟s Photographs hasn‟t changed over the course of his
career. He has been photographing nature with high composition techniques. Whether
landscapes, objects, or textures as the main focus, nature has always been his subject.

4. Style
Comparison of David Muench (left) and Ansel Adams (right)
Muench‟s work has often been compared to that of Ansel Adams with one main difference, his
work is done in color. He utilizes light in such a way that it paints a picture with the natural
landscape. Much of the beauty of his work is based on the fact that he pays close attention to
detail, highlighting even small elements such as the texture of stones.

5. Style
His predecessors, Ansel Adams
and Eliot Porter, did their work in
black and white which lasted much
longer. To help avoid this problem
Muench began to scan his images
into his computer and restoring
some of the images that have
faded over time. He is careful not
to manipulate the results beyond
the original color and quality of the
images he recorded. Muench has
stated, “It is important not to have
the images disappear faster than
the landscape does.”

6. Influences
David Muench was very influential to landscape photography today;
The now-cliche‟d use of prominent foreground elements leading the eye
through the frame to the background in the distance was a style that Muench
became known for back in the 50‟s and 60‟s.

7. Living
For living, David Muench publishes books, prints, and posters. He also opens workshops. All
of these are accessible through his website: http://www.muenchphotography.com/

8. Techniques
Muench accomplished most of his photos utilizing color slide film, but has
found over the years that slides often fade and the images do not remain
consistent over time. To help avoid this problem Muench began to scan his images into his
computer and restoring some of the images that have faded over time. He is careful not to
manipulate the results beyond the original color and quality of the images he recorded

9. Techniques
David Muench mostly uses the sun (natural lighting) as the main lighting source.
He rarely takes night time pictures. His pictures focus on the forms that are
defined by the strong light hitting the surfaces of the objects; rocks, cliffs, trees
or anything in the landscape, producing detailed highlights in the picture.

10. Features
Distinguishable
The uniqueness in David Muench pictures are in its Value and Color Compositions.
The great contrast in values (dark to light) gives the viewer a high definition of forms in the
picture, while the composition of complimentary colors (orange-blue, purple-yellow) or
harmonious colors (warm red-orange-yellow, cool green-turquoise-blue) gives the viewer a
pleasant pictorial quality. The high definition gives the similar feeling to modern „computer
graphics‟ landscapes, which sometimes looks too real to be real.

11. The reason I chose David Muench
was because I am really inspired by
the pictures with high contrast in the
lighting, values, or colors, resulting
images with high pictorial quality.
The photographs he took have the
similar compositional and aesthetic
values to modern day abstract
paintings and many conceptual digital
paintings.
Even in this picture, I don‟t need to
know what the picture is about, but it
still has the aesthetics applied; rule of
thirds, complimentary colors, light
and values.
It looks good from afar. And when
you look closer, the details make it
even better.

12. Rule of Thirds:
Horizon is on the first third.
The water covers the second
third.
The rocks beneath the water
covers the last third.
Color Composition:
Harmonious – Cool
Blue sky
Turquoise water
Green rocks
Value Composition:
About one third of the picture
has dark value, while the rest is
quite light.
The focus of this picture are the
horizon and the big rock.

13. Rule of Thirds:
Horizon is on the second third.
The crevice starts on the two
third grids.
Color Composition:
Harmonious – Warm
Orange rocks
Yellow highlights
Value Composition:
About one third of the picture
has light value, while the rest is
dark.
The focus of this picture is the
crevice illuminated by sunlight.

14. Rule of Thirds: Using complementary colors: Purple and Yellow.
Horizon is on the first third. Value Composition: One third has light value,
The trees are on the second third. The rest has dark value.
The focus are on the bright sky and dark tree silhouettes.

15. Rule of Thirds: Using complementary colors: Orange and Blue
Skies fill the first third. One third of the picture have a light value. The rest
Lighted Areas on the second third. have a dark value.
Dark Areas on the last third.
The focus of this picture is the mountain range.

16. Rule of Thirds: Using complementary colors: Orange and Blue
Skies fill the first third. One third of the picture have a light value. The
Highlighted mountain peaks on the first rest have a dark value.
third line.
The focus of this picture are the highlighted mountain peaks and their reflections.

17. This is the end of presentation.
Thank you!
All the images used in this presentation are taken by David Muench.
Source: http://www.muenchphotography.com/davids-gallery/