Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

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

This coming Saturday I’m honored to be presenting in Utah at the Professional Outdoor Media Association conference on the topic of mobile applications publishing. If you’re a JMG-Galleries blog subscriber and will be there, do say hello. I look forward to meeting you.

After that if all goes well I’ll be aiming to re-explore Montana’s Glacier National Park during a very small window of time. Any chance I can get to visit Glacier I take. It’s one of the most amazing locations and a source of great inspiration.

I’ll blog as I can, but there is a good chance I’ll be off-line for much of next week.

The dunes of White Sands National Monument in New Mexico are an endless fascination of mine. The landscape here is full of paradoxes. The regularity of irregular patterns formed by the wind create incredibly photogenic sand patterns. The rolling dunes provide an infinite fabric to catch contrasty shadows in the sand patterns throughout the day making optimal lighting virtually an all day affair. Yet what I love most about this terrain is the ability to find simplicity amid the complexity.

Click to Enlarge

White Sands Textures I - White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

Photo Details:
(3) Three photo panoramic, Canon 1Ds Mark III, TS-E 90mm f/2.8

Technorati Tags: photography, fine art, nature, landscape, panoramic, New Mexico, white sands, national monument, stock photo

Some landscapes are so sweeping its an incredible challenge to portray them properly in a tightly constrained photo, no matter what the format or lens used. The South Dakota Badlands fall into that category. Standing at any one of numerous scenic lookouts one’s field of view is completely filled with this amazingly surreal landscape.

South Dakota Badlands Spring Panoramic – Badland National Park, South Dakota
Click to Enlarge

On this particular day the weather was turning for the worst, but the cloud cover provided nice even lighting to bring out the color in the eroded hillsides. Sporadic rain rejuvenated grass and flowers sprinkled through out the scene giving this otherwise desolate landscape vibrancy of color and life. Impossible to capture in entirety I opted to capture this scene in a panoramic format with a hint of  life revealing itself amidst an endless maze of canyons.

Photo Details:
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 90mm tilt-shift, 3-image horizontal panoramic

Technorati Tags: photography, South Dakota, badlands, landscape, panoramic, stock photo, fine art

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

Point Lobos State Reserve is truly one of the gems of the California State Park system.  I credit Art Wolfe with piquing my interest in this particular reserve. The rugged beauty of this area is a feast for the eyes and one of the premiere locations for nature photographers to visit. The trails are well kept, easy to hike and is one of the few areas where coastal wildlife is abundant. Before and/or shortly after my Sea Otter Photo Tours I often make time to visit this area as it’s too beautiful to resist

Cypress Cove, Point Lobos State Reserve

About This Photo:
This is a (3) image digital panoramic taken with a Canon 1Ds Mark III and 24mm tilt-shift lens. The resolution is equivalent to 33 megapixels.

Technorati Tags: Photography, Landscape, Point Lobos State Reserve, Panoramic, Nature, Stock Photo, Fine Art

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

A bad day at Glacier National Park is better than my best day in so many other locations. The landscape of Glacier is beyond description and even a panoramic photo such as this, of sunrise at Two Medicine Lake, can’t truly do it justice.

I woke up an hour too early to watch and photograph sunrise on this particular morning in Two Medicine. While clear to the west, the direction at which this photo was taken, clouds were forming behind me in the east creating patchy spotlights of light on the mountains. At one point the light was completely flat and I thought Mother Nature’s lightshow was over, but I was fortunate enough to catch her encore.

Sinopah Mountain Reflected in Two Medicine Lake at Sunrise

Technorati Tags: Photography, Landscape, Nature, Glacier National Park, Panoramic, Photo, Fine Art, Stock Photo