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Tag Archives: Eastern Sierras
New Workshops / Tours Update! (dates approaching)
Field Photography Workshops / Tours
NEW- February 22-24 Yosemite Semi-Private Tour – SOLD OUT
I will only take 4 people, offering us amazing camaraderie and teamwork. The intention is to enable you to experience the type of photography experience often reserved for my close friends and fellow pros. This will be a budget friendly trip with total immersion into the photographic experience, day and night. We will share in decision making, scouting and shooting. Weather, as always, dictates our shooting choices. This is the right time of year to capture the famous “fire fall” (conditions permitting). While I will be shooting with you, my main focus is your learning experience! You come first. I get us there, get us set up and answer EVERY question. I am working for you:)
Call me for specifics and to reserve your spot 530-545-2896.
Cost: only $479
Grand Teton National Park Workshop / Tour Dates Set! (see flyer below)
Grand Tetons in the Spring, 2013:
June 20-23:
This will be a four day adventure focussing on iconic Teton landscape images, as well as wildlife photography (baby critters will be out and about). 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. This is not a physically demanding tour, but participants should be able to walk on uneven ground. You will be expected to rise early to start the day, and be considerate to the groups time requirements in order to ensure that we can meet our “magic light” timelines! Please call to discuss any details that may help you make your decision.
Dates: June 20-23, 2013
Cost: $975
jonpaul@jonpaulgallery.com
530-544-4269
NEW Private Workshop Days available in both Grand Teton and Yellowstone!
I have added the option of private, one-on-one workshops, both before and after the official Grand Teton dates. I will offer these private sessions at the same price as my local private sessions!
Call to arrange your custom dates 530-545-2896.
Cost: only $500/day
I have added the option of private, one-on-one workshops, both before and after the official Grand Teton dates. I will offer these private sessions at the same price as my local private sessions!
Call to arrange your custom dates 530-545-2896.
Cost: only $500/day
Winter in Lake Tahoe
I have left a large number of dates open and available for private one-on-one or small group workshops / tours here in Lake Tahoe (or wherever you would like). This is a beautiful time of year to photograph Lake Tahoe, aspen groves, rivers, waterfalls, ice patterns, mist, black & white, sunrises and sunsets. The sun is low in the sky, providing soft light and long shadows. We can generally shoot a little later in the morning, and earlier in the evening. Snow and ice provide a new look to the land, and very different opportunities for familiar subjects. Composition and metering, along with managing the cold and snowy conditions, however, become unfamiliar. Join me in the field and allow me to share my experience with you. Let’s create some unique images, while I help you gain confidence in the snow covered photographic world!
Cost: $750/day only $500/day
Spring in Lake Tahoe
Dates will be announced shortly! Private workshops / tours are still available!
This is the most popular time of year to photograph Lake Tahoe! A majority of my signature Lake Tahoe images were composed at this time of year.
Often the lake is calm, providing iconic clear water images, along with beautiful sunrise and sunset reflections. Waterfalls are rushing with snow melt, rivers are full, and there are still very few visitors. We have the place to ourselves! Honestly, this is the stuff photographers dreams are made of:) Please join me, as I share the most outstanding locations to photograph in this region, along with my knowledge and understanding of the art of landscape and wildlife photography. As one of the few successful gallery photographers in the country, I have a different approach to this art. I am not attempting to create huge volumes of work to fill magazine space. Nor am I attempting to produce “digital art” from mediocre images. I will share with you the simple steps and tools necessary to capture “the fine art of nature”, eliminating the intimidation factor of the digital world. All questions are answered, as we learn by doing. Let’s look through the lens together, create amazing images, and learn to become more successful photographers in the field.
Posted in California, death valley, digital photography, Eastern Sierras, fine art, Grand Tetons, impressionist, Jackson Hole, jon paul gallery, Landscape, large format, light painting, Moose, Mountains, National Parks, oxbow bend, Panorama, photo techniques, Photo Tip, photo tour, photo workshop, Salt Flat, spring, Sunrise, Sunset, Tutorial, Uncategorized, western, wildlife photography, Winter Photography, Wyoming, Yellowstone, Yosemite Also tagged art, black and white, California, clouds, death valley, digital, Grand Tetons, impressionist, Jackson Hole, jon paul gallery, Lake Tahoe, Landscape, large format landscape photograph, Mountain Photography, moving water, National Parks, Panorama, philosophy, Photo Seminar, photo tips, photo tour, photo workshop, Photography, reflection, spring, Sunrise, Sunset, teaching, technique, Tutorial, western, wildlife photography, Winter Photography, Yosemite Leave a comment
Making Our Artistic Choices at Capture, Not as an Afterthought
Joshua Trees & The High Sierras
After a few days creating images in Death Valley National Park, my friend (and fellow photographer) Christian Fleury, and I ventured out of the park and into the desert for one final photographic opportunity. I was enamored with the starkness of the desert and wanted to share the feeling of vastness. I knew black and white film was a natural choice for the mood I was trying to convey, and the amazing cloud display begged for a this classic look. I chose my 6x17cm film format for the wide view that accentuated the expanse of the desert. The widely spread Joshua trees growing in the sand redefined the traditional vision of “forest”. The wispy clouds danced overhead, celebrating the openness of this wild place. The mighty Sierra Nevada Mountains in the distance pulled the scene together. I truly felt the mood of this location, and reveled in the artistic process of choosing how to visually interpret, compose and capture this image. If I had taken a modern approach of shooting hundreds of frames in color, weeding through them on the computer, and finally deciding “how the image should look”, I would have lost the mood and message I wanted to convey. As an artist in nature, I enjoy taking the responsibility of choosing my final vision while in the field. It is very gratifying to have that vision come to fruition through that initial emotion, successful choices, and an individual capture. That is the art I enjoy. Enjoy the View!
Photo Tip:
Slow down and trust your feelings. In a fast digital world, it is easy to get caught up in the whole mindset of not wanting to miss anything. Note that this is a human nature & societal problem, not a digital problem. The issue becomes a lack of focus on what is moving us and drawing us to the subject we want to photograph. In a familiar location near home, try the old method of giving yourself just one sheet of film (or one last spot on the memory card:) ). Observe what you are drawn to and take the time to conceive of the expected light, choose the composition carefully, clean up those edges, refine the focal length, pick the optimal camera position, carefully select the exposure, use solid technique with your tripod, cable release, etc. Make this one exposure important relative to what it makes you feel, and what it might communicate to a viewer. Enjoy the process, and take control of your art. Don’t go home with hundreds, or even thousands of images wondering if you may hove gotten anything. This practice will build your confidence in your skills, refine your artistic eye, and enable you to create a higher percentage of “successful images” in the future.
Equipment used:
Canham 5×7 metal field camera, Canham 6x17cm roll film back, Caltar II-n (Rodenstock) 90mm lens, Gitzo 1325 Carbon Tripod, Really Right Stuff BH-55 Ball Head, Acros 100 black and white film, Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizer, Red Filter.
Posted in 617cm film, black and white, California, death valley, desert photography, digital photography, Eastern Sierras, jon paul gallery, joshua tree, Landscape, large format, Mountains, National Parks, Panorama, panorama film, photo techniques, Photo Tip, Uncategorized, western Also tagged art, black and white, California, clouds, death valley, Desert, digital, film photography, filters, jon paul gallery, joshua tree, Lake Tahoe, Landscape, large format landscape photograph, Lone Pine, Mountain Photography, National Parks, Panorama, philosophy, Photo Seminar, photo tips, Photography, teaching, technique, Tutorial, U2, western Leave a comment
Light “Selection”, Reflection and Beaver Pond
Beaver Pond, Spring Reflections
Many of you will remember my facebook posts from the scouting I did of this lovely beaver pond here in South Lake Tahoe. Along with a reasonable iphone image I shared, I posted a sweet portrait of my professional assistant, Toby (6), capturing his own rendition of the beaver pond and its inhabitants with a little digital camera. He always gets a great response, and ads huge joy to my excursions. Well, I returned the following morning to capture this beautiful moment.
I was drawn to this scene for its sheer tranquility. Seemingly every shade of green in the spectrum (very welcome after a never ending winter!), along with the beaver hut, all reflecting in the still waters of the calm morning. I loved the composition and the feeling, but I still had one very important decision to make; in which light should I expose my film? I was hoping to capture the scene with everything in shade and a glowing reflection of the mountains and trees above the background lit with warm morning light. Well, the light didn’t enter the scene evenly, so that wasn’t an option. Fortunately, I arrived early enough to be set up and created this exposure with ambient light softly illuminating the scene before me. After everything was lit by the sun, I felt the image lost its soft relaxing quality. Overall, this image conveys the mood I was after. From the green color, to the stillness of the leaves, the depth of its layers and the mirrored reflection, the natural perfection of the moment takes me to a place of serenity. This wasn’t exactly what I had pre-visualized, but stayed open to what Mother Nature had to offer, and let my feelings influence the final image. I love it!
Photo Tip: Light is the name of the game in photography. I prefer to use only one exposure, so I pay special attention to each phase of morning and evening light as they relate to my subject. This is important for proper exposure, but also for setting the mood of the image and how it conveys my feelings of the natural experience. For sunrise images like this one I like to arrive well before sunrise in order to experience the transition from night into a new day, and to give myself the opportunity to compose images with each phase of changing morning light. While there are many possibilities as the light changes, I like to be conscious of my feelings as the light transitions. My goal is always to share that moment in time, in that place, that makes me feel a special way. If done well, that moment in time can become eternal, and make the lives of its viewers that little bit better each time they view the image.
Details: KB Kanhan 5×7 metal field camera, 2 1/4 x 6 3/4 panoramic back, Gitzo 1325 carbon tripod, Really Right Stuff BH-55 Ball Head, Rodenstock 150mm APO Sironar S lens, Fuji RDPIII Provia transparency film, no filters.
Posted in aspen grove, beaver pond, California, forest, jon paul gallery, Lake Tahoe, Landscape, large format, Mountains, Panorama, photo techniques, Photo Tip, Pine Forest, reflection, spring, Sunrise, Uncategorized Also tagged art, aspen, beaver pond, California, forest, jon paul gallery, Lake Tahoe, Landscape, large format landscape photograph, light, Panorama, philosophy, Photo Seminar, photo tips, Photography, pine trees, reflection, spring, technique, trees Leave a comment
Impressionist “Painting” With Light!
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- Painted Aspen & Pine
In a departure from my methodical large format film process and tack sharp realistic imagery, I decided to experiment with photo-impressionism using my digital SLR. I was able to create this unique image as the fall colors were on the decline, but my desire to be outside creating images was not. My intention was to create a series of painterly images that depicted an other worldly view of the forests into which I escape. Using a long exposure and controlled linear motion with the camera I was able to create the feeling of a forest having been created in the imagination and brought to life with the stroke of a painters brush. Adding to the surreal feeling, I used the saturation function with selective colors in PhotoShop and punched up the colors to depart further from the usual.
This experience accentuated the fact that a solid understanding of the foundations of photographic technique enables us to experiment with alternative visions and produce successful photographic images. This is something I stress to my seminar and photo tour students that first become buried in (and overwhelmed by) the concepts of digital art while overlooking the the basic photographic techniques that enable them to create the imagery they wish to work with in the first place.
Feel free to follow me on my Jon Paul Gallery Facebook Page, and subscribe to my E-Newsletter for updated information on new images, seminars, tours, etc. You can also contact the Jon Paul Gallery directly to purchase original prints or receive information about any of Jon Paul’s offerings. I have uploaded a new Portfolio page on www.jonpaulgallery.com titled Impressionist, which currently has six new images, including the one I shared today.
Enjoy my images painted with light!
Posted in aspen grove, California, digital photography, Fall color, forest, impressionist, Lake Tahoe, Landscape, light painting, Mountains, photo techniques, photoshop, Pine Forest, Uncategorized, western Also tagged art, aspen, California, digital, Fall color, impressionist, Lake Tahoe, Landscape, Mountain Photography, Photo Seminar, Photography, technique, trees, Tutorial Leave a comment
November Blog Post
Lake Sabrina Sunset
- I composed this image on my first evening of a three day trip to the eastern sierras. I had never been to Lake Sabrina (located 19 miles east of Bishop, California at about 9,200 ft elevation), but was immediately taken with the drama and beauty of the area. This beautiful little lake is surrounded by towering granite peaks that plunge strait down into this pristine little reservoir. I spent two days scouting and becoming familiar with the area. I chose this vantage point, on a small peninsula jutting into the lake, as it offered a clear panoramic vista of the mountains towering above the lake to the west in the direction of the setting sun. The previous night offered no special light, as I sat in the rain waiting for the sky to break for just one moment. On the second evening I was rewarded for my perseverence. The clouds filled the sky most of the afternoon, but I commited to this evenings shoot. After setting up early and observing the conditions, the sky opened up and allowed the sun to paint the clouds with pinks and reds. My sleeping bag always feels more comfortable after an experience like this.
- The Details: K.B. Canham 5×7 Metal Field Camera with 4×5 reducing back, Rodenstock 150mm Sironar-S lens, Singh Ray 3-stop soft gradation split neutral density filter, BTZS dark cloth, Really Right Stuff BH-55 ball head, Gitzo 1325 carbon fiber tripod, Fuji Provia 100 4×5 film.
Private Field Seminars with Jon Paul
If you would like to improve the success you have with your photography, spend some time in the field with me looking through the lens! I offer private individual and small group field seminars here in Lake Tahoe, or anywhere in the world.
Find out how the pros capture those special images. I answer all of your specific questions as we discuss: natural light, exposure, composition, perspective, travel, planning, vision and proper technique with your format of camera. All field seminars are focussed toward your specific desires. All ability levels are welcome. Come shoot with a pro and learn to take the photographs you aspire toward!
Posted in California, Eastern Sierras, Landscape, Mountains, Sunset Also tagged bishop, California, lake sabrina, large format landscape photograph, Sunset Leave a comment
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