"The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page."

Mantra of the modern travel photographer? No and yes. The words are those of religious philosopher St. Augustine, recorded in the fifth century. They're also a favorite inspiration for the husband-wife freelance photography team of Dave Houser and Jan Butchofsky-Houser.

The circumstances following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, have affected the lives of all travel photographers, and the Housers, based in Nogal, N.M., are representative of most. In the aftermath of this American tragedy, they've reflected on personal and professional reactions to the nation's tragedy and plan to continue traveling, albeit closer to home. Most importantly, with a steady hand on the wheel, they're steering their own courses into the future...

All photographers have been in tough spots: The camera misfires as the receiver catches the ball, or some idiot steps in front of you just as the president hugs the intern. It's the old story of the Shot That Got Away. Adventure travel photographers can trump those stories — in spades.

Picture yourself around a table with four accomplished—OK, famous—photographers. You're at one of those tropical open-air bars, buying rounds. It's late. Here come the stories.

A block north of Seattle's Pike Place Market, on the stairs behind the narrow glass door of a little-known hotel called Pensione Nichols, sits a world traveler Richard I'Anson. Wearing a V-neck sweater and a five-o'clock shadow, the photographer is sipping herbal tea, waiting patiently in the fading golden light that streams through floor-to-ceiling windows behind him.

I'Anson is nursing a case of laryngitis, caused by the 22 days of speeches he has just given...

Restlessness and patience may seem like conflicting traits, but for Nevada Wier they are driving forces behind a successful travel photography career.

"I travel to have experiences, and the photography aspect heightens that, because the camera forces me to come in closer, become involved and notice what people are doing," says Wier. "I'm trying to capture on celluloid one instant or feeling or action or moment in their lives that has to be fairly poignant."

From a 1978 Nepal trek to a 1999 river expedition on the remote Blue Nile in Ethiopia, Wier has been journeying to obscure places and soaking...