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Tag Archives: 8×10 film
“Lake Tahoe Blue”
Lake Tahoe Blue
Spring is approaching, and I am looking forward to the time of year when Lake Tahoe shows us her finest attributes. This is the time of year when mornings are calm, skies are blue, the mountains hold that last bit of snow, and the photography is amazing! The image above, “Lake Tahoe Blue”, is a new release that depicts this time of year. Yes, I’m a little excited to experience spring in Lake Tahoe as a photographer.
I kept the composition very simple and used an elevated vantage point. This enabled me to maximize the angle necessary to capture the clarity of the water, as well as giving the inviting feeling to “jump right in”. The clear sky is where Tahoe gets its azure blue color, and this image is all about the blue.
I used my 8×10 inch film camera to capture this image. Not only do I enjoy the craft of using this type of monstrous gear, but it enables me to capture every tiny detail, and huge amounts of information. Being able to see the grains of sand and texture on the rocks, both above and below the water, brings this image to life. The snow covered peaks, also finely detailed, loom in the distance, adding drama and eluding to where this crystal clear water originates. A large gallery print of this image will absolutely invite the viewer into the waters of Lake Tahoe!
Please feel free to contact me if you would like to experience a private or group workshop here in Lake Tahoe this spring! April, May and June are the most spectacular months of the year to experience Lake Tahoe as a photographer. Clear water, raging waterfalls, beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I would love to share “my mountain backyard” with you this spring. Contact me directly through Jon Paul Gallery!
530-544-4269 jonpaul@jonpaulgallery.com www.jonpaulgallery.com
Let Emotions Lead You to Great Images
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"Winter Aspens and Pine"
This image is the product of emotions, a true connection with the natural landscape and patience. I had passed this location numerous times over the years in search of wildlife, but never “saw an image”. One Spring morning, while hiking through, this section of trees pulled me in. I didn’t see an image that day, but I didn’t ignore what I felt. I returned to this spot every season for several years. The feeling remained, but the conditions didn’t quite fit my emotions. Fall colors, new Spring green, snow covered. They all lacked…something. I stayed true to the emotions that kept bringing me back. Finally, it happened! This particular morning had just the right even light and brightness. It was snowing lightly, the wispy dormant aspens had a delicate, wispy lightness to them. The pines in the background showed there subtle detail and subdued, yet rich color, which set off every nuance of the aspen branches. This was the moment where my emotion matched the visual moment! The art happened. I was able to “bring the fine art of nature home”.
This process of “bringing the fine art of nature home” is something I have been basing my art around for years. It is also what I base my photo tour concepts on. I don’t want to create massive volumes of pictures. I want to do justice to those moment in time that make me feel…right. And I want to share that with the world in the finest print possible. That is my passion. For this image, I felt it was imperative to choose my medium carefully. With the fine detail and subtlety in this composition, I chose to use my 8×10 inch film camera, which I have adapted to also take 4×10 inch panoramic format images. This huge format not only records amazing detail, but also forces me to take full responsibility for every aspect of the final exposure and image. Along with it’s cumbersome nature and great cost to shoot, I find that I must shoot very deliberately and consciously to make sure my exposure and composition match my emotional vision. This has helped me grow as an artist, and enables me to express the emotion I feel in the natural world through my fine art prints.
Photo Tip:
Stop thinking technically (about all the functions on the camera and all of your software), and focus on that which brought you to the outdoors to begin with. Yes, we have to understand enough about exposure, light and composition to capture an image, but we need to have a feeling about the subject to compose a piece of art! Trust yourself and the emotions that draw you to a particular image, and use the technical aspects of photography as the final part of capture. Immerse yourself in your natural surrounding, enjoy the experience and let your art go beyond a two dimensional technical capture.
Equipment:
Canham 8×10 Metal Field Camera adapted to also Shoot 4×10 Panorama, Rodenstock 360 mm APO Sironar-S lens, Really Right Stuff BH-55 Ball Head, Gitzo Carbon Tripod, Fuji Provia RDP III 100 speed Transparency Film.
Posted in 4x10 film, 8x10 film, aspen grove, California, Fallen Leaf Lake, fine art, forest, jon paul gallery, Landscape, large format, Mountains, Panorama, panorama film, photo techniques, Photo Tip, Pine Forest, Snow Photography, Tutorial Also tagged 4x10 film, 8x10 film, art, aspen, California, forest, jon paul gallery, Lake Tahoe, Landscape, large format landscape photograph, Mountain Photography, Panorama, philosophy, Photo Seminar, photo tips, Photography, pine trees, teaching, technique, trees, Tutorial, Winter Photography Leave a comment
Fall Photographic Workshop in Grand Teton National Park!
A Fall Photographic Adventure in Grand Teton National Park
Grand Tetons in the Fall, 2012: September 27-30.
This will be a four day adventure focussing on iconic Teton landscape images, as well as wildlife photography. Along with putting us in the right place at the right time to capture our dream photos, I will be teaching about composition, exposure, light, perspective and proper technique. 100% of our time will be spent in the field, where we will learn while doing. While our days are long and tiring, they are also extremely rewarding both photographically and personally. Comeraderie is a huge part of our experience. We will have a great time in a world class wilderness environment and come away better photographers for it. This will be limited to a small number of participants so everyone has all the personal attention required to get the most out of the experience.Please call to discuss any details that may help you make your decision.Please call the gallery directly to inquire! 530-544-4269
Posted in 4x5 film, 617cm film, 8x10 film, aspen grove, Back Light, Barn, Bears, beaver pond, Bison, black and white, digital photography, Elk, Fall color, Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole, jon paul gallery, Landscape, large format, light painting, Moose, Mountains, National Parks, Panorama, panorama film, photo techniques, Photo Tip, Pine Forest, Ranch, reflection, Sunrise, Sunset, Twilight, Uncategorized, western, wildlife photography, Wyoming Also tagged 8x10 film, art, aspen, Barn, Bison, black and white, clouds, digital, digital photography, Elk, Fall color, forest, Grand Tetons, gros ventre, impressionist, Jackson Hole, jenny lake, jon paul gallery, Landscape, large format landscape photograph, Moose, oxbow bend, Photo Seminar, photo tips, Photography, photography tour, photography workshop, pine trees, ranching, reflection, Schwabacher's Landing, snake river overlook, Sunset, teaching, technique, trees, Tutorial, western, Wyoming 1 Comment
Look Beyond What You Expect To See!
Salt Polygons, Storm Clouds & Magic Light
With my time being valuable, and with experience on my side, many of my strongest landscape images are born of research, planning and multiple visits to a single location. That said, there are quite a few gems that have come from being open to whatever Mother Nature offers up. The image above is a great example of this scenario. I had waited for days while Mother Nature handed up flat grey sunrises and sunsets. On this particular morning, I was rewarded with exactly what I had hoped for. Just 20 minutes before this image was taken, I was treated to the pastel pink and orange sky I had hoped for, adding the perfect backdrop to my strong salt polygon foreground. It was quite tempting, after achieving the “goal image”, to pack up and head back to camp to rest. However, I was willing to receive multiple gifts, if Mother Nature wanted to be generous.
I was intrigued by the warm morning light on the salt polygons and the distant mountain line, contrasted against the dark clouds of the approaching storm. I put my 8×10 away, and set up my 5×7 field camera with a 6×17 cm panoramic film back. The panoramic format accentuated the long lines of the mountain range, dark sky, sandy brown salt and white salt in the foreground. I also feel that the panoramic format accentuates the feeling of vastness I was struck by, while eliminating too much empty sky or overdone foreground. The drama and mood of this image conveys the desolate beauty I experienced in this unique location. If I had closed my mind to anything other than the image I had pre-visualized, I would have missed an amazing opportunity. Remember, it is nice to compose an image we have created in our minds eye, but we don’t want to miss that hidden gem (or the experience that comes along with discovering it!).
Photo Tip:
This one is basic, but shouldn’t be overlooked. Always stay open and receptive to whatever Mother Nature may offer you. I actually find that this is often an issue for more experienced photographers. As we gain experience, we often become set in our ways, focused on “the job” of creating a perfect image, or just plain lazy. I have seen people discover magic light, learn how to plan around it, become adept at planning the ideal shot (all good things), and then forget about the experience of being in nature. Light changes, occurs in different ways and transforms a landscape. While the perfectly planned shot is great to achieve, we should stay open to something different (and perhaps better) that shows itself to us. If we go beyond what we expect, and tap into the emotion and intuition that made us want to preserve these natural moments through photography, we can maintain our love for the natural experience and create images that are truly moving.
This one is basic, but shouldn’t be overlooked. Always stay open and receptive to whatever Mother Nature may offer you. I actually find that this is often an issue for more experienced photographers. As we gain experience, we often become set in our ways, focused on “the job” of creating a perfect image, or just plain lazy. I have seen people discover magic light, learn how to plan around it, become adept at planning the ideal shot (all good things), and then forget about the experience of being in nature. Light changes, occurs in different ways and transforms a landscape. While the perfectly planned shot is great to achieve, we should stay open to something different (and perhaps better) that shows itself to us. If we go beyond what we expect, and tap into the emotion and intuition that made us want to preserve these natural moments through photography, we can maintain our love for the natural experience and create images that are truly moving.
Equipment:
Canham 5×7 Metal Field Camera, Canham 6×17 cm panoramic film back, Caltar (Rodenstock) 210mm lens, Really Right Stuff BH-55 Ball Head, Gitzo Carbon Tripod, Fuji Provia RDPIII 100 Transparency Film.
Canham 5×7 Metal Field Camera, Canham 6×17 cm panoramic film back, Caltar (Rodenstock) 210mm lens, Really Right Stuff BH-55 Ball Head, Gitzo Carbon Tripod, Fuji Provia RDPIII 100 Transparency Film.
Posted in 617cm film, 8x10 film, California, death valley, desert photography, digital photography, jon paul gallery, Landscape, large format, Mountains, National Parks, Panorama, panorama film, photo techniques, Photo Tip, Salt Flat, Sunrise, Uncategorized, western Also tagged 8x10 film, art, California, death valley, jon paul gallery, Landscape, large format landscape photograph, National Parks, Panorama, Photo Seminar, photo tips, Photography, Salt Flats, teaching, technique, Tutorial 1 Comment
Monterey, California in Black and White
Monterey Dusk
Using a large format film camera, like the 8×10 I used for this image, really slows my artistic process down and enables me to simplify my compositions and focus on the mood of the image. I took this picture about 10 minutes after sunset, as the light softened and the atmosphere became blue. The low light required an 8 minute exposure, which caused the waves to “dissapear” into an ethereal mist. The strong rock formations anchored the image, giving it strength and power. I chose black and white for both the classic, almost vintage look, as well as to simplify the final print. I believe this image evokes a mood of relaxation and mystery that can only be found on the coast.
Photo Tip: Be there when the natural conditions enable you to take the shot. This sounds simple enough, but many people I know have become lazy, and aren’t willing to do the work necessary to get the shot right to begin with. If you would like to take a long exposure and create a misty look with moving water, don’t expect your 8 stop ND filter to make things right in the middle of the day. Shoot before sunrise, after sunset or on a cloudy day. Part of the joy in photographing nature is earning the image by experiencing nature when the light is right. Get out there, enjoy the experience and be proud that you earned the shot in the best natural light possible.
Equipment Used: Canham 8×10 Metal Field Camera, Rodenstock 240mm Sironar-S lens, Really Right Stuff BH-55 Ball Head, Gitzo 1325 Carbon Tripod, Fuji 8×10 Film.
Posted in 8x10 film, Beach, black and white, California, dusk, jon paul gallery, Landscape, large format, monterey, photo techniques, Photo Tip, Sunset, time lapse, Twilight, Uncategorized, waves Also tagged 8x10 film, art, Asilomar State Park, black and white, California, coastal, jon paul gallery, Lake Tahoe, Landscape, large format landscape photograph, monterey, moving water, Photo Seminar, photo tips, Photography, Sunset, technique, time lapse, Tutorial, waves Leave a comment
Celebrating Spring in the Mountains with My 8×10 View Camera!
Dwarf Lupine and Pine Forest
This image is my first release shot with my 8×10 field camera. I had discovered this location while on a mountain bike ride. I kept pedaling, but took note of the location and decided to return the next evening. As I set up my 8×10 field camera, I decided to keep the camera just below eye level, giving the feeling that you can walk right into the picture. I also wanted to show the expansive degree to which the Lupine had blanketed the forest floor. I was also taken by the vibrant light green of the new needles on the young pines, especially the way they stood out against the dark bark of the larger trees. I waited until the moment the sun sank behind the mountains to the left of the frame to expose the film. This gave a nice even and rich light to the scene without the harsh contrast of direct light in the forest. As with most of my large format work, after standing back and feeling “invited” into the composition, the fine detail brings an intimate mood to the scene. Welcome to my home in the forest!
Photo Tip: As I mentioned above, I consciously chose the camera height for this photo. Many people I teach overlook the importance of camera height as a part of composing an image. Most people either set the tripod (if using one as you should) at eye level for the sake of comfort and ease, or get down extremely low with a wide angle lens for a dramatic view. Each image requires specific consideration relative to camera height. Choose your camera height carefully when composing and you will create unique images with the strongest angle and composition possible.
Details: Canham 8×10 Metal Field Camera, Rodenstock 240mm APO Sironar-S lens, Fuji Provia 100 8×10 Transparency Film, Gitzo 1325 carbon Tripod, Really Right Stuff BH-55 Ball Head.
This image is now available for purchase through the Jon Paul Gallery in several limited edition sizes. www.jonpaulgallery.com
Schedule a private field seminar and join me in the field!
Posted in 8x10 film, California, forest, jon paul gallery, Lake Tahoe, Landscape, large format, Mountains, photo techniques, Pine Forest, spring, Twilight, Uncategorized, wildflowers Also tagged 8x10 film, art, California, forest, jon paul gallery, Lake Tahoe, Landscape, large format landscape photograph, lupine, Mountain Photography, Photo Seminar, photo tips, Photography, pine trees, spring, technique, trees, wildflowers Leave a comment
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