Amazing Yosemite Climbing Videos and Photos - Jimmy Chin

Some AMAZING climbing photos by @jimmy chin ! I love the perspectives he captures in a fantastic place. I hope to capture a few like this one day (with a lot of ropes connected to me!) The video is also put together well and you can see behind the scenes what it takes to get just one shot. Awe-inspiring and a way to celebrate Earth Day! Jimmy let me know when I can come carry your bag on a shoot!

Garden Jawa does Yosemite!

These pics are TOO funny! Nothing like showing off this cute little guy in the perfect place. The Garden Jawa does Yosemite. This image is linked from the starwars.com website -- all Copyright, credits and attributes to Starwars.com.

http://www.starwars.com/shop/shopnews/gardenjawa_yosemite.html

Looks like you can pre-order these here!
http://shop.starwars.com/catalog/product.xml?topcatID=1300264;product_sku=SWLFLGGJW1

Yosemite and Bay Area Photo Fine Art Open House

Here is the postcard from my Yosemite and Bay Area Photography Open House in Sunnyvale from May. If you would like to be notified of upcoming openhouse or exhibits, drop me an email from my 'contact information' on my website at www.jharrisonphoto.com

"Reflections of El Capitan at Sunset" in Presigious Yosemite Gallery!

I am excited to announce that my "Reflections of El Capitan at Sunset" has been accepted into a prestigious gallery exhibit in Yosemite! No, not the Ansel Adams gallery (not yet!), but an exhibit called the "Yosemite Renaissance" This was one of my major goals this past year and I got in!

The sunlit El Capitan at sunset is reflected on the Merced. I shot this during my national contest winning trip last year (I won the Aperture Nature Photography contest) where I got to shoot with 4 professionals including Scott Bourne, Jennifer Wu, Steve Simon and Gary Hamburgh.

If you are in Yosemite in the next few months, stop in and visit the exhibit at the Yosemite Museum Gallery through May 2nd. There is also a reception this Friday, Feb 26th that I will be attending if you are close by!

If you would like one of these limited edition images, they are for sale.
(tax in CA and shipping additional) Send me a message or email to arrange to purchase. Framed images are also available. Reserve your early editions now!

The Yosemite Renaissance is in its 25th year and showcases different views capturing the spirit of Yosemite in different art mediums. This competition and juried exhibit is open to professional and amateur artists and they had a record number of entries this year. Only a few photographers were accepted. Some other famous Yosemite photographers that have exhibited there include Charlie Cramer, Michael Frye (both of whom I have studied under), William Neill and Elizabeth Carmel.

About the image:
Blue skies are normally not too interesting, so I looked around to find a smaller, more interesting composition. The reflected orange glow from El Cap just lit up the Merced and I found this soothing image (this is one of my favorite images!) The gold and blue are a natural combination that go together with the swirls and flows like an abstract painting. I print this large on canvas and most people can't tell if this is a painting or a photograph. This is part of my "Water, Light and Textures series" of images that can be seen via the link.

The Yosemite Museum Gallery is next to the main Yosemite Visitors center and is also close to the Ansel Adams Gallery.

I want to thank everyone for their support including my very supportive wife and children, my mentors, Scott Bourne for running the Aperture Nature Photography contest, Jennifer Wu who has coached me, and Michael Frye and Charlie Cramer who I also have studied under.

Back out to shooting and getting ready for the Yosemite this weekend!
thx
John

New Photo Exhibit! Planet Granite Indoor Climbing Gym in Sunnyvale

I am excited about a new fine art photography exhibit that I have at Planet Granite Indoor Climbing Gym in Sunnyvale, California! I have about 10 images up including quite a few from my Yosemite "Water, Light and Textures" series. I put up all Canvas Gallery-wrap Giclée images including the 40x60 inch waterfall from Uvas Canyon Creek! I love sharing my images where other people are as much (or more) outdoor and fitness enthusiants than I am. I am taking the family to get certified for belaying and Laura (6) and Henry (4) are REALLY excited about rock climbing (and also excited about seeing Daddy's prints there!) Looks like we will have to get a membership! The management and staff are really awesome folks there and everyone seems to have taken an interest in my work - quite a few nice comments from people walking by even as I was hanging the pieces!! It is really those kind words that also help drive me to get to another place to try to take some great images. Looks like Planet Granite will be one of those places I will be on a Friday afternoon.

My images will be on display there until June, 2010. Stop by to check them out or for a workout if you are in the area. Then head over to another rock themed place -- the Rok Bistro for some fondue and entrees served on a Hot Rock! My images are still on display there and are continuing to be changed out.

Also! Open House /Holiday Party at our house in Sunnyvale, December 5th. Send an email for more information/directions.
Back to printing and stretching more canvas!

Don't forget the holiday sale going on for all of my images.

Photography Workshop: Fall Colors in the Eastern Sierra this weekend

I am barely back from my travels to Sydney, Beijing, Chapel Hill NC and now I am off to assist in my first photography workshop in the Eastern Sierras near Bishop California. The target is Fall Colors in the Eastern Sierras near Bishop California and near Yosemite National Park. Jennifer Wu is the pro photographer that is leading the workshop. Jennifer was one of the pros that I got to work with when I won the Aperture Nature Photography Workshop (ANPW) contest and is also a Canon "Explorers Of Light" pro.

It should be fun and the weather is looking nice. There IS still a few spots left so let me know quickly if you want to go. Hopefully we will get some nice fall colors as it is cooling down this week here and especially in the higher elevations. Last year during this exact weekend I was shooting fall colors with Michael Frye. It started out at 90 degrees and we had 6" of SNOW by the weekend! The mountain passes closed and I had to take the long way home (an additional 4 hours!)

Here is some additional information about the workshop.

Oct 2-4 Bishop, Ca Majestic Peak Photo Workshop
Fall Colors in the Eastern Sierra Nevadas

California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains offer beautiful locations
to photograph a variety of subjects. Fall colors, the White Mountains,
Mount Whitney and natural arches are just a few. These locations
require being at the right place at the right time of day and year.
This workshop will get you to those locations!

This workshop will get you to those locations! Most our time will be spent photographing and
less on lectures. Informal lectures will be held during the day in the hotel lobby.
We will show you new ways to see and photograph and it will be an invigorating experience!

http://www.jenniferwuphotography.com/-/jenniferwuphotography/wildcard.asp

Jennifer's Bio can be found here.
http://www.jenniferwuphotography.com/-/jenniferwuphotography/about.asp

Earthshots.org Photo of the Day! Summer Sunset from Glacier Point

While I was on vacation, I found out that I was the winner of the Photo of the Day on Earthshots.org! Lots of great images are posted there, and my Summer Sunset at Glacier Point that I shot this summer in Yosemite was a winner. I am excited to be included there. I am ready to head back....Yosemite anyone?!

Back from another trip to Yosemite - Fern Springs Photo of the Day

I just got back from Yosemite last weekend (escaped before it REALLY got hot). I managed to escape from the crowds by staying out on the trails along Glacier Point. I spent one sunset on Sentinel Dome with only a handful of people up there.

One of the highlights of my trip was going to Fern Springs. This is one of Yosemite's smallest waterfalls. I, like many people, have passed by it one the way into Yosemite Valley. It is just over the Pohono Bridge on the right hand side. Just a little pool and spring fed waterfall. I used a wide-angle lens for this image of the falls. Just one of Yosemite's amazing waterfalls.

Yosemite - Past and Present. Don't feed the bears!

This Yosemite video from the 40's has been circulating and I wanted to share. It is incredible how similar things are, yet how different. Guests feeding the bears doesn't happen much unless you are not smart and leave your cooler in your car. Every time I visit I think how magical a place Yosemite is... I forget that it has been enjoyed for years.

Another great video from Yosemite

This video is from twitter user @cinespeed. Really nice music and images. He shot it with a Red 4K commercial HD camera. Just makes you want to be there! Enjoy. John

Yosemite Mix RED 4K from CineSpeed on Vimeo.

Vernal Falls Mist Trail, Yosemite HD video

I found this video posted on the Yosemite News Web site. Great HD video showing the massive amounts of water and mist that come pouring over this fall! Pretty amazing. I think I need to get up to Yosemite again to capture some of the spring water falls! I might have to extend my "Water, Light and Texture" series to include some new ones!



(I did NOT capture this video. Credit to Yosemite News. Posted on Vimeo

California Wildflower are blooming!

I never thought I would be excited about wildflowers! Photography has definitely opened up my horizons! Not only do I appreciate them, but I continue to learn and am eager to chase opportunities to see them. I like the vibrant colors. My ideal photo? Orange poppies and purple Lupines! I haven't found them yet.

We were up in Yosemite a few weeks ago and the poppies were absolutely amazing! Pure carpets of orange from the river to the surrounding peaks. Some of the locals have mentioned it was the best wildflower showing in 10 or 20 years. I stopped and got a few shots! I just printed this one as a 20x30 on canvas. It looks good!

Video of me learning to use the Nikon 24mm PC-E during the ANPW in Yosemite

Here is some great video of me learning to use the Nikon 24mm PC-E during the Aperture Nature Photography Workshop contest in Yosemite. Jennifer Wu provided some fantastic instruction on how to use this lens (even though She is a Canon person!) The tilt-shift, or as Nikon calls them, Perspective Control lenses offer some powerful abilities to change and shift perspectives to get maximum depth or field as those large format photographers do. I am pictured there with another legendary photographer, Steve Simon!

If you haven't entered yet, you should!!! The cost to enter is perfect... free! You have no excuse. The hardest part is figuring out which image to select (you can only submit one)


Aperture Nature Photography Workshop @ Yosemite Tilt/Shift Lens Tutorial from Scott Bourne on Vimeo.

Mike Osborne's Water, Granite and Light book on Yosemite Waterfalls

Legendary photographer and retired Yosemite park Ranger, Mike Osborne, is set to release an updated version of his book on Yosemite waterfalls entitled "Granite, Water and Light: The Waterfalls of Yosemite Valley" set to release in April. The book is already available for pre-order and should be on every Yosemite photographers list of books to have. I purchased a copy of the original book that I found used on Amazon.

I had the pleasure of shooting with Mike Osborne while on Michael Frye's workshop shooting fall colors in Yosemite and Mono Lake. Just an incredible man - and he likes abstract rock images similar to mine! He told some amazing stories of being about and around in Yosemite.

Cheers,
John

Received a Think Tank Photo Rotation 360 Camera Bag from the ANPW contest

I received my next prize from the Aperture Nature Photography Workshop Contest sponsors last week - a Think Tank Photo Rotation 360 Camera bag! It looks like this (this isn't me, just a hotlink to the Think Tank Photo website images. I had heard about this bag before but haven't seen one. It is smaller than I imagined. Nice size for being out in the field. I haven't loaded it up yet - that will take some work to do. I really like the idea of the rotation fanny pack for putting the body in. I normally shoot with a lowepro top loading waistpack and it has gotten pretty snug after moving to the Nikon D300 with an L-bracket. There is no place for a laptop. There are lots of compartments. I will have to read the manual and figure out everything I need to do with the bag!!

It has been cold and raining in the bay area lately. Last week we had snow in the local foothills -- my translation of this is .... SNOW IN YOSEMITE!!!! At least there is a good base now. Should be nice! I am looking forward to it. Just a few weeks to go!

Enjoy
John

Last Day for Voting in the Aperture Nature Photography Workshop Contest

Thanks SO much for those of you who have taken the time to vote for my image in the Aperture Nature Photography Workshop. There are over 1200 images that have been submitted and I am excited to see that I am in the top 5 of the images!!! This is a judged competition so it will be up to the judges and NOT from vote spamming like some of the images have. I encourage you to view many of the other images and only vote for mine if you feel it is worthy of your vote!

To see all of the photos, you can click here and then there is a drop down menu in the top right corner (it says MOST RECENT) and change it to "MOST POPULAR." The "Nature's Firefall" image is in the top 5 depending on the voting!

Thanks again for your support and encouragement for my passion of photography!

Email me to find out about my first SOLO EXHIBIT at the Rok Bistro Restaurant which is featuring two new series of photographs!

Cheers,
John

Yosemite and Mono Lake Fall colors

Just wanted to share a few images from my recent trip to Mono Lake and Yosemite in early October. It was 90 degrees the first few days and then an early snow dropped 6 inches of snow! The fall colors together with a fresh snow was a nice surprise!

I am partial to water, sunsets, moons and reflections and will go out of my way to chase these.

The "Painterly Aspens in Snow" was a new technique that a friend of mine uses quite often and I thought I would try - free hand panning (one of those few times the camera is off of the tripod!). I have quite a few images that DIDN'T turn out - this will take some time to perfect. I am VERY eager to see this printed on canvas.

The "Storm over Mono Lake" image was captured on a day with 1-2 foot waves that created this salt-brine foam around the edge of the lake - the 20-30 mph winds and sub-30 degree weather presented some challenges for this shot. I opted for a long exposure (4 second) to smooth out the waves to give a really mystical and different look of Mono Lake.

Critique, Comments and feedback are appreciated. Let me know which images you like the best!

Thanks,
John

"Reflections in the Eastern Sierra"

"Sunset at Tenaya Lake", Yosemite National Park - Tioga Pass

"Early Snow and Fall Colors in Yosemite"

"Painterly Fall Aspens in Snow" Yosemite National Park

"Storm at Sunset over Mono Lake"

__________________
www.jharrisonphoto.com jharrison.smugmug.com

Vote for my Nature's Firefalls for the Aperture Nature Workshop Contest

I have entered my Nature's Firefall photo in the Aperture Nature Workshop Contest again at Photrade. This is a NEW contest with a possible opportunity to go shoot with pro's in Yellowstone National Park. I haven't been there but would LOVE to go. Please vote for my photo if you like it. Thanks for your support. I promise to share all the stories and photos with you should I win! You will need to create and account to vote, but that should be easy to do! Thanks! John

Vote for my photo!vote

(edit - It turns out it is actually to go to YOSEMITE!! yay!)

Back from Yosemite and Mono Lake in Fall

I just spent 5 days shooting up in Yosemite and Mono Lake looking for Fall Colors. I will post pictures shortly! The fall colors are running a little lake this year. On top of that, it was 90 degrees when I left Sunnyvale and a cold front came through dumping 6 inches of snow in the mono lake area and drove temperatures down to a high of 30! It was a little cold. Why was I up there? I was talking a workshop from Michael Frye through the Ansel Adams gallery in Yosemite. It was a fantastic course with both shooting and lightroom/photoshop instruction. I picked up quite a few new things and really appreciated the 1-1 instruction from Michael and his two other assistants, Robert and retired park ranger Mike Osbourne. More stories from that later after I get the pictures posted!

Enjoy!
John

Final week photo exhibit at Filoli and the "S Gallery"

Looks like two great showings will be coming to an end soon. Next Sunday will be the last days for showings for the exhibit at Filoli and also the "S Gallery" in downtown Palo Alto. I will miss them both!

Not to worry... I have a few pieces that will be shown at the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto, including my "Nature's Firefall" (you know, the one that looks like the old Yosemite Fire Fall where they push a burning fire off of Glacier point). Look for that for the month of July.

Enjoy!
John