Carl Galie

Carl Galie is a North Carolina photographer who left his home in the West Virginia coalfields in 1986 to follow a dream. For the last 15 years Carl has devoted his work to conservation issues. Working with organizations like Roanoke River Partners, The Roanoke River Basin Association, and The North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Carl’s photographs of the Roanoke River basin have helped protect and preserve that region since 1995.

He is currently documenting the vanishing beauty of coal country, focusing his attention on the devastating affect mountaintop removal of coal is having on our nation’s water resources. Carl was awarded the first Art For Conservation Grant in August 2010 for his work on mountaintop removal.

Carl’s photography career began in 1991 when he began doing nature photography on a part-time basis while staying home to raise his two youngest daughters. Photographing on weekends, he began to build his portfolio, and in October 1992, he was offered a contract by Picturesque, a stock agency located in Raleigh, N.C.

Through Picturesque, his photography has been used in advertising by Husqvarna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, The Southern Company, and RJR Nabisco, to name a few. In addition to advertising, Carl’s photography has appeared in Outdoor & Travel Photography Magazine, Woman's World Magazine, and National Geographic's Scenic Highways and Byways.

Through his own marketing efforts he has had his work published by the University of North Carolina Press, Outside Magazine, Ducks Unlimited magazine, and Backpacker magazine. Georgia Pacific Corporation used his photography in a national ad campaign to promote their Proterra line of recycled paper. The Sierra Club, Audubon, and BrownTrout Publishing have also used his images in their calendars.

In addition to his commercial and stock photography Carl’s fine art prints can be found in many private collections. In 1993 he became an exhibiting member of Associated Photographers of Winston-Salem and is currently an exhibiting member of Associated Artists of Winston-Salem. In 1993 Carl began exhibiting his work in national juried art shows in North Carolina. His work has also appeared in the Natural World Photographic Exhibit at The Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pa for the years 1994 through 1996. Carl’s work is represented by a number of commercial galleries including The Fiber Company, Hampton House Gallery, and the Hawthorne Gallery in Winston-Salem, NC, as well as the 2 Sister’s Gallery in Greensboro, NC. Carl has also done commissioned work for Taylor Hodges Gallery in Charlotte, NC and the Lee Hansley Gallery in Raleigh, NC.

In 1995 Carl received an Emerging Artist Grant from the Winston-Salem, Forsyth County Arts Council, and the North Carolina Arts Council to photograph the Roanoke River Basin for the purpose of publishing a book. “Vision Quest, A Visual Journey Through North Carolina's Lower Roanoke River Basin”, published by Red Maple Press is the result of that project. An exhibition of prints from the book opened in Winston-Salem at the Salem College Fine Art Center Gallery in August 1999. The traveling exhibit was shown in a number of colleges and private galleries across North Carolina until it was donated to The Nature Conservancy in 2002. Carl’s photography of the Roanoke River Basin has been used in publications produced by The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife In North Carolina, Orion Afield magazine, the North Carolina Aquarium, Roanoke Canal Museum, Roanoke River Partners, and by The National Park Service. Our State magazine recently featured Carl’s photography of the Roanoke River Basin in their April 2006 issue.

In 2007 Carl was awarded a Regional Artist grant from the Winston-Salem, Forsyth County Arts Council, and the North Carolina Arts Council for his second book project titled “175 Paces”, which was released November 1st, 2008 along with an exhibition of prints from the book at the Hawthorne Gallery in Winston-Salem, NC.

From 1998 through 1999 Carl taught a continuing education course in Nature photography at Rockingham Community College. From 2000 to 2002 he taught The Art of Nature Photography at the Sawtooth Center for Visual Art in Winston-Salem, NC. Carl is the past president of the board of directors of Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, and is also a featured artist for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and one of the founding members of The North American Nature Photography Association.