Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

After witnessing this beautiful sunset at Lake Geneva near Montreux, Switzerland I felt as though I had been struck with inspiration in the same manner influential European painters like Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet had years earlier. This timeless moment exemplified a misty/smokey golden light that I had seen so many times before in classic paintings I’ve studied. Amazing how viewing the art work of another artists decades, if not centuries, later can seem both retrospective and prescient.

Lake Geneva Sunset, Switzerland

Technorati Tags: photography, landscape, travel, Switzerland, Montreux, Lake Geneva

This past week a few things have happened to help me put perspective in perspective.

1. My DSL connection stopped working which is always helpful in seeing the world strictly in an off-line fashion. It’s quite refreshing so make sure you reserve time to unplug and embrace the moments where perhaps that is forced upon you.
2. One of my dogs has been suffering from deteriorating health. Moe my 15 year old Jack Russell Terrier has always had some weird neurological issues, but nothing pressing. Lately he’s been experiencing atypical seizures at a frequency that has been nothing short of alarming. We’re hoping his new medications keep things in check and he can grace us with his very own brand of insanity for several more years to come.
3. I was recently a member of a jury deliberating a criminal case. To date I’ve never been on a jury and often tried my hardest to avoid being on a jury. My attitude about jury duty is quite different now. It was an amazing experience that really makes you appreciate the U.S. legal system. It may very well be flawed in some ways, but the process of being judged by a group of your peers rather than one individual under the precept of innocence is amazing. To come to any  conclusion all 12 jurors needed to be unanimous. To get 12 people to agree to the same thing is incredibly difficult and as a result finding a person guilty of a crime takes a lot of solid evidence and discussion.

How does this all piece together? This past week has left me feeling free to see the world beyond an LCD screen with fresh eyes. It’s been a reminder that many of the precious things under your nose require careful attention that shouldn’t be lost in distraction. It’s shown me that no one person sees the circumstances of every day life the same way. While I see each of these things individually as great reminders in how to live, photographically its also a reminder that what you see and document with your camera (even the most mundane of subjects) is an extension of your perspective on the world around you.

All these events made me rethink my perspective on perspective. Perspective isn’t just how you frame what you see, but how you interpret what you see, how you emphasize what you see, how you lead your viewers to interpret what you see and how you piece multiple things together to provide a perspective to something larger and more meaningful. Something to consider the next time you reach for your camera.

Bellevue des Alpes Hotel at Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland

Technorati Tags: photography, philosophy, travel, Switzerland, Kleine Scheidegg, tilt-shift, toy effect

Last year this time I was exploring Switzerland at the peak of fall color. No matter the location seeing nature transform during Autumn is a magical experience. What made my experience in this one location so special was being able to fill my senses with the scene. Hearing the water rush by, feeling the light rain against my face and smelling the crisp fresh air made exploring the scene with my camera all the more memorable. While I enjoy entertaining the sense of sight to those that view my photos, I selfishly enjoy the moments in the field to experience nature with all my senses. It is this immersion that puts me in tune with my surroundings and renews my being. If I’m lucky the photos I walk away with capture that moment and feeling for others to enjoy and find inspiration from.

Fall Color in Switzerland

This photo was taken at the time I posted Finding My Happy Place some time ago.

Technorati Tags: Switzerland, fall color, autumn, fall, fine art, stock, panoramic, photography, photos

While in Switzerland on my last trip there I found a quiet brook running through the alpine countryside and was in awe of the fall color. The brook itself was a beautiful turquoise (I’ll post a photo of that in the near future) and the ceiling of color provided above it by the trees was a real visual treat. The gray rock cliff behind seemed only to enhance the color to my eye. When the rain began to fall that is when the trees seemed to glow. Moments like this where you’re not rushing around and can witness a picturesque scene unfold before you is one of the magical moments of being a landscape and nature photographer.  

This photo was taken at the time I posted Finding My Happy Place some time ago.

Technorati Tags: Switzerland, fall color, autumn, fall, fine art, stock, panoramic, photography, photos

Mini Pinscher Taking A Closer Look - Lugano, Switzerland

If you’re looking for something new well this is it until I get back from my trip at the end of this week. I decided to be a little crafty and schedule this one in advance. I recommend you snoop around my blog as I snoop across the Northwest for new photo opportunities.

The following are my most read posts over the last 7 days and might make for some interesting reading:

• 5 Killer Twitter Tools
• Why Social Media Matters to Photographers
• 10 Tips When Using dSLRs in High Humidity
• Why I Hate HDR: Photo Technology Porn
• The Birds and the Bees of Social Media Connectivity
• Reader Question: What lens do you use for your Landscape photographs?
• My 10 Favorite Photos From 2007
• Best Photos of 2008 by JMG-Galleries Blog Reader’s
• 5 Tips to Get The Most Out of Twitter

As to this particular photograph… this Mini Pinscher was quite a curious fellow as I walked through Lugano’s farmers market early one morning. Fortunately my camera was spared a raised leg.

Technorati Tags: Travel, Photography, Lugano, Switzerland, Stock Photo, Mini Pinscher, Dog

Swiss Fall Color and Cliffs

 

I’m in pre-trip cramming mode and a Fall Color photo is what the doctor ordered. While I ramp up to photograph spring landscapes I like to remember how drastically the landscape can transform. This particular landscape was taken near Interlaken, Switzerland where the range of color in the forest during Autumn is simply amazing. With fall color in mind I look forward to escaping the new golden hills of Northern California and taking in some green scenery. Green… I can’t wait so see and photograph that color again before it disappears for good until next year.

Technorati Tags: Photography, Travel, Switzerland, Fall Color, Landscape, Nature

Matterhorn Cloud Cap & Reflection - Switzerland

 

Late morning in the Swiss Alps on this day last October was truly beauty defined. Yellow Larch trees (thank you Cynth Barnes) and an amazing turquoise Grindjesee Lake proved to be this color photographers dream subject. A little secret I can let you in on… I view photos from this location anytime I want to take a break from my hectic schedule and unwind. I lucked out witnessing this view when the lake was incredibly still. The only time the lake was disturbed was when a fish would snap at an insect on the waters surface. Calm and serene… definitely a moment cherished. On that note I hope each and everyone of you reading my blog have a great weekend and you too find your moment of serenity and beauty to photograph.

Technorati Tags: Switzerland, Matterhorn, travel, stock photo, photography, mountain, landscape, photo, fall color, Grindjesee Lake, beauty, serenity

I hope everyone here in the U.S. had a great 3-day weekend. No rest for the wicked. Rather than venture out I decided to catch up on photos and churned through another 300 new images from Switzerland. While I photographed a variety of subjects I can’t help but get a chuckle out of my cow portraits. These photos were a pet project of mine, while I was capturing a variety of landscape, nature and travel photos.

Taking A Closer Look - A curious cow wearing a large bell in Grindelwald, Switzerland

The interaction between man and domesticated animals seemed to be quite different in Switzerland than what I’m accustomed to seeing here in the U.S. Tough to say if that is truly the case. It could just be the difference of green pastures versus muddy fields. The cows were generally curious and friendly. Some were rather shy, but can you blame them. Most wanted to take a bite of my lens if not take a lick. The sound of the shutter was enough to make them look twice and/or take a step back.

Cow Encounter - A wide perspective of a curious cow in Grindelwald, Switzerland

What pitfalls were there in taking photos of cows in Switzerland you ask? Electric fences. I was lucky I never got zapped. I was often leaning over or under the electric fences with only an inch or so to spare. That’s just the price you have to pay to photograph cows with a fisheye lens. Numerous photos and zero electrical shocks… that spells success in my book.

If you’re curious be sure to check out more of my Switzerland Travel Photos.

Technorati Tags: Photography, Stock, Photo, Switzerland, Travel, Cow, portrait