Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

Happy Halloween from my photo assistants! This Halloween the dogs were in great form doing as good a job in front of the camera as they normally do behind the camera. Photographed below is Moe as Captain Hook, Curly as Tinkerbell and Zoe as Peter Pan. From my family to yours, stay forever young and have a safe Halloween. (see the videos after the jump)

Happy Halloween from the Photo Assistants III

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One of the more interesting places in Death Valley National Park is a place called the Racetrack. This dry lake bed is home to a fascinating phenomenon of large rocks that seem to inexplicably move and leave tracks in the dried mud of the playa. The current theory is that as the lake bed becomes wet from the rain and as strong winds blow through the valley the rocks slowly move. No matter how the tracks are made these rocks make for a great photographic subject. During my previous Death Valley photo tour  a few weeks ago I captured many traditional fine art photos of these rocks and tracks. Some of my favorite photos from this trip came from a late night light painting experiment. Below is one of my favorites.

Racetrack Light Lasso, Death Valley National Park

Technorati Tags: Photography, Death Valley, Night Photography, Light Painting, National Park, Racetrack

After a brief trip to New York for Photo Plus Expo I’m back and I couldn’t help, but publish another Zabriskie Point photo. This was taken earlier than my last Zabriskie Point Sunrise – Death Valley National Park. My recent workshop to Death Valley was well timed as lingering clouds from dissipating storms made the photogenic landscape even more photogenic. In addition sunset and sunrise colors were incredible, well beyond the normal for Death Valley. This trip was so successful I’m tempted to get out there again very soon. A return trip will have to wait though as I have another photo tour coming up. If you’re interested in joining me in the future check my photo tour schedule.

Zabriskie Point at Dawn – Death Valley National Park

Technorati Tags: Zabriskie Point,   Death Valley National Park,   California,   Landscape,   Photography,   Stock Photo,   Fine Art

Borrowlenses.com has been kind enough to make available yet another free week long lens rental (excluding super telephoto lenses) to be given away here on the JMG-Galleries blog.

In order to be eligible you need to:

• Contest open to only those in the US. Lens rentals cannot be shipped to other countries.
  
• The lucky winner will place the order online at BorrowLenses.com and they request a credit card number to cover the risk of a no-return. They will not charge your credit card. BorrowLenses.com is a reputable business but if you don’t feel comfortable with this condition, please don’t enter
  
• The offer excludes super telephoto lenses and pro camera bodies.

HOW TO ENTER

1. Peruse Borrowlenses.com to find something you’d be interested to rent. Feel free to let me know what catches your eye. I won’t hold you to this if you win. I’m just curious.
   Note: Available lenses are for Nikon and Canon cameras. Not a Nikon or Canon user consider their lighting and tripod equipment.
2. Add a comment to this post with the item you’d be most interested to rent.
3. Post the following on Twitter to get an additional entry to the contest:
   “Win a free BorrowLenses.com lens rental : Follow @jimgoldstein for a chance to win http://bit.ly/Vdohd Thanks @borrowlenses #jmggalleries”

Receive a bonus entry to the raffle by…

• Pointing me to a comment on your blog or Flickr photostream referencing this giveaway and Borrowlenses.com

Deadline: Sunday November 1st, 2009 at Midnight PST
The winner will be randomly chosen and announced no later than November 3rd.

Thanks for taking part and good luck!

Technorati Tags: photography, borrowlenses.com, borrowlenses, equipment, rental

This past weekend I was able to share an amazing sunrise with a client at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park. The scene as it unfolded was amazing to witness. Clouds formed unexpectedly in the extremely dry air and were illuminated with an unreal pink color. I couldn’t imagine a better morning to photograph this iconic location.  Mother Nature never fails to impress!

Zabriskie Point Sunrise - Death Valley National Park, California

Photo Info: Canon 1Ds Mark III, 24mm Tilt-Shift, (3) photo panoramic

Technorati Tags: Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California, Landscape, Photography, Stock Photo, Fine Art

Last year I kicked off the first year of the Buying Prints from Your Favorite Photographers blog project and was really happy with the participation, but even happier with the prints I purchased. In the hope of building upon last years effort I’m kicking off another blog project with the exact same goals. For details see below…

“It’s not a photo until its a print“

One of the unique aspects of digital photography is that we’re now able to enjoy photographic work with out viewing it in printed form. More so now than ever before supporting a photographer is shown almost exclusively online through photo forums, blogs, and other online communities. While viewing photographs online is easy and relatively inexpensive it is a hollow experience by comparison to holding an actual print from a photographer you respect and admire.

The goal of this project is to introduce fine art photography, photography books, print exchanges, and other photography related products to photography fans of all walks of life. It is also to spur photography fans to think in terms of financially supporting talented photographers so they can continue to do what they love.

What This Project Entails:

1. Find photographs from photographers that you respect and admire.
2. Purchase a photograph or photographs from these photographers. Spend within your means. Ideally try to purchase 1 to 3 photographs.
3. Write about the experience (buying, viewing, etc) on your web site, blog, Flickr page, etc.
4. Participants should then send me a link to their write up (see details below)
5. I’ll consolidate a list of links to the write ups of everyone that took part in early December on my blog and distribute it.

What You Can Do To Make This Project A Success

1. Contact photographers that you may or may not know.
2. Point them to this post and provide them background to your print request.
3. Even if you have little to spare inquire about a discount or an alternate product to purchase such as notecards, calendars, proof print, etc. Any participation is better than no participation. The goal is to obtain a physical copy of photographs you like.
4. Alternatively if you’re a photographer it is not uncommon to conduct print exchanges, where photographers exchange equivalent prints. Not every photographer may do this so don’t be offended if you approach someone who is not interested in such an exchange.
5. If you’re a photographer consider providing a discount to project participants.
   My discount: All 5 x 7 & 8 x 12 prints are $19.99 & $29.99 respectively.
   For every two people who buy prints and provide you as a reference I’ll give you a free 8 x 12 print of your choice. Search for you photo
6. Spread the word about this project.

The Deadline

Before the conclusion of this project on December 4th December 11th , 2009 write a blog post highlighting the photographs you’ve acquired and share thoughts of your experience in becoming a fine art print owner. Send me a link to your blog post and I’ll post the results the week of December 7th.

How to send in your link to your blog post:

1. Access my Contact page
   
2. In the subject line type “Favorite Photographer Prints”
3. In the message put the name of your site, web address, link to your “Favorite Photographer Print” blog entry.

PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR BLOG LINK AS A COMMENT TO THIS ENTRY.

I look forward to seeing your submission!

Technorati Tags: Photography, Fine Art, Prints, Photo Project

The work of Guy Tal is the fifth of five prints to highlight from my Buying Prints from Your Favorite Photographers blog project (see results here).

I’ve been long over due in posting the 5th installment of my print purchase highlight from last years blog project, but in this case I saved the best for last. Guy Tal is a photographer, author and friend whose work I’ve enjoyed for many years. He is one of the few photographers who is as skilled behind the keyboard as he is behind a camera. An eloquent writer and inspiring photographer I knew I had to purchase one of his prints.

Upon approaching Guy as part of this project he was generous enough to offer a print exchange and it took sometime to decide what to order. Guy has no shortage of great photographs to choose from. I ended up gravitating toward “Sheltered” and “Frozen Autumn”.  After an email correspondence or two we exchanged Sheltered for my photo Reflecting Art. What I got in the mail to my surprise was a limited edition print of Frozen Autumn. Seeing as in our email we had agreed to keep the exchange to open prints this was quite a surprise. I called Guy to thank him personally, but only got his voicemail. A week or two later I took my print to be framed and realized upon taking out the print from its clear bag he had also included “Sheltered”.

I was blown away by Guy’s generosity and it speaks volumes to the type of person he is. I have a special thank you lined up for Guy and when he least expects it I’ll spring it on him.

Frozen Autumn

Sheltered

Technorati Tags: Photography, Guy Tal

As part of Blog Action Day ‘09 (that’s today) I wanted to share 5 tips on how to leverage your passion for photography to document the impact of climate change and other environmental issues. One of the most powerful tools to make people aware of the change that is happening around us is to document our environment. Photographs are great motivators and in a world where Social Media has taken root it’s a great medium to share rapidly.

1. Turn Off Your Mental Filters
Most photographers who enjoy nature and landscape photography have there mind tuned into the ideal scene they want to photograph… the calendar or postcard shot with magical lighting. If you retune your focus to other items you look past in pursuit of such photos such as haze, litter, industrial structures (smokestacks, abandoned machinery, etc.) and other man made items you’ll quickly find new subjects that tell an environmental story. In many ways these stories are as important if not more important than that one magical moment because it explains why those postcard photos are so rare and special.

2. Photograph the Bad and the Good
When you find a beautiful scene keep your eyes open for things you’d normally avoid or ignore to include in the scene. On one recent trip through Utah at every stop I intentionally looked to see if litter was in the area to show the impact of man on the environment.  Whether its a used diaper in a meadow or an empty oil barrel in the tundra including “the bad” creates opportunities to tell an important story as it relates to our environment and culture.

3. Show Context
If you find man made items contrast them to the scene around you… perhaps the scene that first attracted you to the area. If you happen to be photographing a recently burned field and find cigarette butts consider composing a photo to contrast remnants of human activity (cigarette smoking) with the surrounding charred field. This can be done with most everything around us. It’s becoming harder and harder to find places where there is minimal presence of modern civilization. Embracing this fact and finding open space that is being encroached upon provides numerous contextual environmental photo opportunities.

4. Show Contrast
The greater the contrast between environment and man made items the more powerful the impact on those that view it. In many regards finding stark contrast is on par with the impact of photographing a landscape with that perfect lighting. Of course by contrast I’m speaking in terms of subject contrast and as such its important to be mindful of your subjects and how they interrelate. This not only will impact the visual design of your photograph, but it will shape how your image is perceived by a viewer.

5. Think Beyond A Single Photo
Don’t confine your thinking to one photo. A series of photos can amplify the visual and intellectual impact of what you photograph. A series opens opportunities to show the postcard photo in relation to “the bad” to highlight how environments are at risk. Think beyond what you see as individual subjects. Think in terms of relationships and portraying such relationships through multiple images. It is this inter-connectivity in subject and visual presentation that will tell an expanded story.

Making A Difference With Your Camera
As emphasis is placed on oil and carbon emission caps in relation to climate change you’ll find that numerous photo opportunities surround you. Using these tips try something new by exploring the less than ideal realities of our world and mapping it to the more pristine subjects you currently gravitate to. There are an infinite number of stories to tell in this regard. If one person is impacted by your photography and makes an effort to address climate change then your photography will have helped further a large and noble cause.

Technorati Tags: Blog Action Day, photography, climate change