Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

A little over a week ago I was working with a great client in the Owens Valley on a private workshop at Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve. Our session was timed perfectly after a large storm passed through the area and we were treated to great star trail photography conditions. At the time the moon was at 20% visibility which provided just enough light to give the tufas some needed side lighting and made them a great foreground element. . Utilizing the star trail photography techniques discussed in my recent ebook we walked away in the dark dodging sagebrush with the images needed to make this final photo. Cold, a little smellier thanks to the sagebrush and picking up a few minor scratches here and I’d say the effort of was well worth it.

Mono Lake Star Trails - Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, California

Photo Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 16mm, ISO 3200, f/3.2, 66 minutes [(132) 30 second images, stacked]

Technorati Tags: photography, star trails, fine art, night, mono lake, Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, California, photoshop, ebook, photo art

Fitting quote for the week as we wrap up a week here in the United States commemorating the life of Martin Luther King Jr.:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Break in the Storm, White Sands National Monument - New Mexico

If you ever show up to a location you’ve had your heart set on to photograph only to find that the weather isn’t up to your expectation this photo is a reminder to clear your mind of preconceived ideas and start fresh. Mother Nature always has a way of revealing a facet of her beauty, you just have to be open minded enough to see it.

Technorati Tags: landscape, nature, photography, New Mexico, White Sands National Monument

2011 was a fun year to be behind the camera. I was very lucky to witness some breathtaking moments and round out some projects that made their way into my eBook. As was the case in 2010 it is impossible to rank my best photos like I had been in years past (best photos of 2010, best photos of 2009, best photos of 2008 and best photos of 2007).  So in no particular order here are my 10 favorite photos taken in 2011. Enjoy and feel free to let me know if you have a favorite!

Portrait of Blake
Technically this is my 11th selection, consider it an honorable mention. I had to include a picture of Blake with a big smile for reasons you’ll later understand as you scroll down.

Portrait of Blake

Ecliptic Star Trails – Nature and Landscape Photography by Jim M. Goldstein
I took several star trail photos in Death Valley National Park this year, but this is one that really stood out for me. Being able to photograph the curvature of the stars as they approach both poles was a real highlight of my October Death Valley Photo Tour. I’m looking forward to sharing the incredible night skies here with those in my February Death Valley Photo Tour. I still have room if you want to join me..

Ecliptic Star Trails

Road to the Sun View, Glacier National Park
Being atop the northern Rocky mountain range always yields dramatic views. Wafting clouds through a glacially carved valley made this view extra special from the Road to the Sun in Glacier National Park.

Road to the Sun View, Glacier National Park

Lunar Rainbow (Moonbow) at Lower Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park
Water levels were at record levels during my visit to Yosemite in June. As a result the waterfalls were flowing at a greater capacity than I’ve ever seen before. This made photographing moonbows a lot easier. In this instance I was being drenched from the mist, but it was so worth it. In April and June I return to hunt for Yosemite moonbows during two phototours.

Lunar Rainbow (Moonbow) at Lower Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park

Racetrack Star Trails
The Racetrack in Death Valley is dramatic enough, but adding star trails takes it to a new level. This was a 4 hour exposure resulting in nearly 60 degrees of rotation in the sky.

Racetrack Star Trails

Trying Moments
Remember that smiling photo of Blake at the beginning of the post. I didn’t want you to think he’s unhappy all the time. He’s a super happy kid. That being said even happy kids have their unhappy moments. I thought this moment was very telling of how challenging it is to be a parent sometimes.

Trying Moments

Stormy Sunrise, Glacier National Park
This fiery sunrise developed as quickly as it vanished. This fleeting moment was magical, but fear not I also took a time-lapse of it (see below).

Stormy Sunrise, Glacier National Park

With a bonus time-lapse:

Sunrise at Wild Goose Island Lookout from Jim Goldstein on Vimeo.

Rendezvous – Racetrack, Death Valley National Park
The mystery of the moving rocks on the Racetrack always fascinate people. Seeing two rocks paths on the verge of intersecting was particularly cool as it left me wondering how long it would be before they meet.

Rendezvous - Racetrack, Death Valley National Park

360° View of Star Trails Above the Racetrack
Ever wonder what the entire visible night sky would look like as a star trail photo? So did I so I made this photo with a Canon 8-15m lens that Borrowlenses.com (the best online lens rental store) made available to me for my trip. At the top of the circle is the eastern mountains that skirt the Racetrack playa. At the bottom of the screen are the western mountains that skirt the Racetrack playa. The small version of this image doesn’t do it justice so be sure to click the image to see a slightly larger version.

360 Degree View of Star Trails Above the Racetrack, Death Valley National Park

Under the Rainbow, Maui
In mid-December we took a family vacation to Maui. This was one of the more magical moments. I couldn’t believe how gigantic this rainbow was.

Under the Rainbow, Maui

Milky Way Over Death Valley (180° Panoramic)
This is a 70 megapixel 180° panoramic photo of the Milky Way stretching from horizon to horizon above the Racetrack Playa. There is nothing more humbling than seeing an infinite number of stars in the sky. Again this has to be seen large so you may want to check in on my Google+ stream to see it.

Milky Way Over Death Valley (180° Panoramic)

Technorati Tags: best photos, best of 2011, photography, pictures, fine art, stock photo, White Sands National Monument, Glacier National Park, Death Valley, landscape, nature

It seems like only yesterday, but it back in October I had the privilege of taking some great folks out to the Racetrack in Death Valley National Park. We had a blast even considering temperatures were unseasonably low, dipping well below freezing. The trip was timed to take advantage of the new moon in order to get in some great night photography. Those who joined me took full advantage of the dark skies to take some amazing star trail, Milky Way and light painting photos. Below you’ll find 3 photos from each participant.

If Death Valley is on your list of locations to visit and photograph join me on my next Death Valley Photo Tour (February 18-21, 2012). Space is still available.

From left to right: Rebecca R. Jackrel, Glenn Maslen, Maurice Moore, David Sharp, Tom Keenan, Russell Brown and Jim M. Goldstein

Russell Brown

Tom Keenan

Glenn Maslen

Maurice Moore

David Sharp

Click to Enlarge

Rebecca R. Jackrel (Co-Lead)

Click to Enlarge

Technorati Tags: photography, photo tour, Death Valley, National Park

Earlier in the year I blogged about originality and the trend of taking photos of heavily photographed iconic subjects in Originality – A Matter of Perspective. I was reminded of this post when I saw a brief YouTube video titled “Out of Control Bridge” (see below). For some this scene induces a panic to head in the opposite direction, while for others it’s merely a reminder to get your spot early.

With so many people interested in photography I’m not surprised to see this mass flood of people on the bridge at Zion National Park. It’s a common sight in numerous parks in fact. I can’t fault anyone for wanting to get their version of a popular scenic vista, but I also can’t help but remind other photographers not to be blinded in the pursuit of the icons. Landscape and nature photography holds so much more potential than just these select vantage points.

That being said it would be interesting to see how similar or different the images turned out by all these photographers on this particular evening. With all the post-processing options available these days I bet there might still be a decent amount of variation, but you never know.

Technorati Tags: photography, time-lapse, Zion National Park, Zion, National Park, originality

The surreal scenery of Death Valley offers some great photo opportunities, but no more so than at night. During a new moon the skies above Death Valley unveil every star in the sky. It’s really breathtaking to see how many stars can be seen less any light pollution. The sky lights up so much from the stars in fact my clients on this night kept asking me if I was sure that there were no other light sources. Truly an awe inspiring scene and one that translates well in star trails photos. I’m looking forward to returning here in February on my next Death Valley photo tour with a new group. I still have openings so consider yourself invited to join the fun.

Technical Details
Canon 5D Mark II, 16 mm, f/9, 4 hours, ISO 3200

Racetrack Star Trails, Death Valley National Park

If you enjoyed this photo be sure to check out my new eBook Photographing the 4th Dimension – Time where its featured with other great photos and photography technique discussions.

Technorati Tags: photography, star trails, Death Valley National Park, national park, Death Valley, landscape, nature

This past month I had a great time out on the Racetrack in Death Valley. I took a group of clients out for some night photography under a pitch black sky… oh and of course to take classic photos of the Racetrack as well. (Highlight photos to be shared this week so stay tuned.) Being in a star trails kind of mood I didn’t make it long into my drive to Death Valley from San Francisco without the itch to pull over and get in some early photos of star trails. Being one to take in the scenic route I took Tioga Pass through Yosemite National Park over to Highway 395. Before exiting Yosemite I decided to take a 4 hour pitstop at Olmstead Point to get this and a couple other photos in. Note the boulder in the foreground is the size of a car and the small tree just to the right of it is the size of a medium Christmas tree.

The fun highlight of this pitstop was crossing paths with one other photographer who was as enthralled with the night sky as I was. The only difference being that he was smart enough to bring a pizza to eat from Yosemite valley. Unfortunately for him his pizza got cold pretty quick. Temperatures were in the low 20’s.

Seeing that Tioga Pass will be closed when I head to Death Valley in February for my next Racetrack photo tour I’ll have to find a new spot to stop for some star trails assuming the weather cooperates.

Olmstead Point Star Trails, Yosemite National Park

Photo details:
Canon 5D Mark II, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, f/3.2, 90 minutes (stacked photos) at ISO 3200.

And before I forget…
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Technorati Tags: photography, star trails, Olmstead Point, Yosemite, Yosemite National Park, stock photo

One of the greatest features of digital photography is the automatic recording of exposure information in the EXIF data of each photo. Unfortunately back in the day film photographers lacked this luxury and had to meticulously record exposure information for any and all photos they wanted to take note of. If you weren’t a good note taker then your exposure information was lost or left to your fading memory. This could be particularly problematic for star trail photos where exposure times might be quite long and easy to forget. After all a late night of star trail photography is an easy way to fatigue one’s memory if you were actively running around photographing other nature subjects.

If you happen to have star trail photos that you lost track of the exposure information then here is a quick tip to recalculate your exposure times using Photoshop.

Case and point my photo of star trails above a camp site in Arches National Park. I let this exposure run while I was resting in my tent. It’s very likely that the next day I had an inclination as to what the exposure time was, but 7 years later I’ve forgot.
What to do?

First we have a well known piece of information to help us  recalculate the exposure time:

Stars rotate in the night sky 2.5 degrees every 10 minutes

Campsite Star Trails, Arches Valley National Park

Now all we need to do is measure the angle the stars have moved. Luckily Photoshop has a handy and fairly obscure feature to do just that. In the Tools window select the Ruler tool and draw a line from a circumpolar start (Eg. North Star or Southern Cross) to the end of one star trail streak. Then hold down the Option Key (Mac) or Alt Key (PC) and draw another line from the circumpolar star to the other end of your chosen star trail.

Campsite Star Trails with Photoshop Angle Marquee, Arches Valley National Park

Photoshop will then measure and display the angle the stars have moved.

Campsite Star Trails with Photoshop Angle Calculated, Arches Valley National Park

With our angle determined we can quickly calculate a fairly accurate exposure time.

To get your exposure time divide your angle measurement by 2.5 and multiply that value by 10 minutes. The result will be your exposure in minutes.

In this instance (7.3/2.5) x 10 minutes = 29 minutes and 12 seconds

With this feature at your fingertips it might just be time to revisit those old star trail photos to update your exposure information.

Technorati Tags: photography, Photoshop, tip, trick, star trail, Utah, Arches National Park