JMG-Galleries - Jim M. Goldstein Photography

Cook’s Meadow Elm Behind A Veil of Snow, Yosemite

Jim — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:59:32 +0000

What does it look like when 11 inches of snow is falling in Yosemite Valley?

Well it looks something like this. In near white out conditions the iconic Cook’s Meadow Elm was virtually hidden behind a wall of falling snow. At the time this photo was taken, this was the most serene I’ve ever seen the meadow. Not a soul was stirring other than myself.

Yosemite Valley's iconic Cook's Meadow Elm tree in near white out conditions during a winter snow storm - Yosemite National Park, California

Technorati Tags: Yosemite, snow, landscape, photography, Cook’s Meadow, elm, tree, fine art, stock photo

Making My Own Tracks – Racetrack, Death Valley

Jim — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:57:21 +0000

There is one clear way of knowing that you’re approach to photography is wrong… when you realize you’re not having fun. I consider myself lucky, as soon as I look through the viewfinder of my camera everything else falls by the wayside. This ability to focus and free my mind of extraneous thoughts enables me to simultaneously focus on my subject, lighting, various conditions and most importantly gives me mental room to think creatively. Creative thought is by far the most liberating feeling I’ve experienced. Creative thought can be elusive, but if you’re lucky you’ll find a way to train yourself to constructively harness it. (continued below)

Making Tracks - Racetrack, Death Valley National Park

Years ago capturing creative ideas was random and about as easy as catching butterflies mid-flight with your bare hands. A few outings with friend and photographer Art Wolfe and I realized that having something as simple as a notebook to document your ideas as they come to mind can go a long way. These days I use my iPhone to make note of ideas as they happen if my notebook isn’t handy. Documenting ideas is a great way not to lose them and it’s a great way to think through & let your ideas mature.

Spontaneous creative thought is by far the most fun and rewarding. The moment the lightbulb goes off as a creative idea strikes me my adrenaline starts flowing. A mixture of intense focus, an eye toward problem solving and kid like excitement sums up my working disposition at that point. The feeling and process is the same whether I’ve created a photograph of something unique for a client or just for me.

Technorati Tags: photography, Racetrack, Death Valley, Death Valley National Park, landscape

Santa Barbara Mission Under A Blue Moon

Jim — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:00:00 +0000

The past several days I’ve been in Santa Barbara where I caught up both with family, as I attended my sister in-laws wedding, and on some long over due photography. It’s embarrassing to admit, but in the 8 years years I lived in Santa Barbara I never photographed the area. If you’ve never been, Santa Barbara is roughly 100 miles north of Los Angeles and is often called the American Riviera. Santa Barbara is among the most beautiful locations in California and is home to one of the most beautiful Spanish missions. I was very fortunate this weekend to not just photograph the mission, but to photograph the mission under a Blue Moon as it was setting. To say the least it was an awe inspiring experience to witness this moment… not to mention the happy union of my sister in-law with her new husband.

Santa Barbara Mission Under A Blue Moon

Technorati Tags: travel, photography, Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara Mission, blue moon, moon, stock photo

10 Tips to Managing Social Media Productivity

Jim — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:49:07 +0000

Over the past couple of months I’ve read a few blog posts and Facebook entries from acquaintances expressing concern about Social Media activity in relation to time burned and eventual payoff. I’ve been meaning to write something up on this topic for a while, but had to wait for the right time to squeeze it into my schedule (see tip #3). I am certainly pro-social media, but at the same time I’m quite the pragmatist in knowing that different folks will manage their social media activity differently based on their comfort level and business needs. Rather than reply here and there online as this concern is aired here is my consolidated list of 10 Tips to Manage Social Media Productivity:

1. Scanning versus Searching for Activity
If you’re not up for scanning for activity through out the day search for updates/topics/people at one set time through Twitter search or set up a listening post for terms relevant to you. A listening post will allow you to scan for activity on your schedule.

2. Activity on Your Terms
While it can certainly help to be active everyday for certain social media strategies, don’t feel you have to manage social media every day. Many social media web sites are a constant flow of data/messages/interactivity that can overwhelm even seasoned social media pros. If you miss something it’s not the end of the world. If you want to catch up see tip #1. You can’t take a sip of water from the bottom of Niagara Falls.

3. Prioritize
Prioritize online activity choices and match it to the time you can allocate to social media work. This tip is particularly true if you have a presence on multiple sites.

4. Fun versus Work
Keep in mind the difference between social media activity with a business purpose and social media activity with a personal/for fun activity. If you’re lucky you’ll have both blur together more times than not. Per tip #2 if you’re working focus on addressing work updates versus personal updates. Being disciplined in this area can save quite a bit of time.

5. Don’t Stretch Yourself Thin
Do what you can when you can. Set a schedule if it helps to have 30 min a day you’re active online or set a day/week that you check online regularly and another day/week you’re offline. Activity on social media sites should be done when convenient for you. You shouldn’t become a slave to it.

6. Don’t Be A Slave to Engagement
Adjust your marketing mindset and don’t get turned upside down. Social Media while about interaction/engagement is also about publishing. It’s ok to have a bit of old school one sided publishing in the mix. Not every online activity has to be interactive, but to be social you should have a decent of amount of it. Perhaps a 60/40 mix will work for your audience versus a gung-ho 90/10 social to publishing mix. To know what works best for you and your audience may require a bit of experimentation.

7. Responding to Followers & Fans
While its great form to respond to everyone that reaches out to you, as you increase your fan base/followers it becomes unrealistic to do so. Don’t feel beholden to respond to everyone. If you can you’re a rock star, if not its because you’re a working professional and there’s nothing wrong with that.

8. Know When to Scale Back If Necessary
If you’re not having fun being active in your social media marketing or its not adding to your productivity/opportunity… consider scaling back or even cutting out activity on less productive web sites. Social Media marketing is in its early stages and not all services are mature nor are all online marketing techniques optimized. A lot of this is still experimental so consider yourself an early adopter. This being said I would investigate methods of optimizing your activity before you completely pull the plug on taking part on certain web sites or with social media all together.

9. Consolidation & Connectivity
Look for opportunities to consolidate online activity to a central forum (your blog, Facebook, or Twitter) and set expectation with your audience. You don’t have to interact with people on the same post in 3 different locations. If you have yet to read my blog post The Birds and the Bees of Social Media Connectivity be sure to do so.

10. Know Who & What You Are
Remind yourself who you are and act accordingly. Are you a photographer, a blogger or social networking butterfly? (If you’re not a photographer replace it with whatever profession you are a member.) If you’re getting sucked into Social Media and finding your time is disappearing asking yourself this question is a quick way to get yourself back on track. This is one tip that has helped me stay on track over several years of social media activity.

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You’ve found my blog, but you’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg… follow me on Twitter, Facebook and FriendFeed. I also invite you to listen and subscribe to my podcast “EXIF and Beyond” featuring photographer interviews and the chronicles of creating some of my photography

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Technorati Tags: Social Media, Productivity, Tips, Best Practices

Golden Gate Bridge Sunset & Surf

Jim — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:01:27 +0000

Fresh off the heels of my Practical Review of the Canon 17mm TS-E f/4 lens I thought I’d post one of my many favorite photos taken with the lens. The areas surrounding the Golden Gate Bridge forever call me when I’m testing or learning new gear. In particular I love exploring between Baker Beach and the Golden Gate Bridge. It never hurts photographing this area when Mother Nature serves up an amazing sunset made up of great light, clouds and surf.

The photo below was taken after sunset when both the sky and beach turned an amazing purple color. What you see is what I saw… no filters were used on the lens (if you read the review you’ll understand why). I suppose the draw to ideal, yet rare, conditions like this are what keep me coming back to this area over and over again.

Golden Gate Bridge Sunset & Surf

Photo Info: Canon 1Ds Mark III, 17mm TS-E, f/18 at 1.6 sec.

Technorati Tags: San Francisco, California, photography, photo, stock photo, landscape, surf, beach

JMG-Galleries Community Update for January

Jim — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:01:30 +0000

Two quick updates to report I’ve added a new dimension to the JMG-Galleries experience by creating the JMG-Galleries Community Photos group on Flickr and the JMG-Galleries Fan Page on Facebook.

On Flickr I’ve created a discussion for you to submit your best photo in relation to the theme “Rain, Mist or Fog”. Check out what your peers are photographing and let the fun begin. With a little luck not only will you be able to see some great work, but you’ll have the opportunity to learn from the great community behind my blog.

On the JMG-Galleries Fan Page I’m adding additional content you might find of interest and some additional conversations are starting to sprout up. Check in and join the conversation.

A Practical Review: Canon TS-E 17mm f/4

Jim — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:33:34 +0000

Click to Enlarge

I’ve been itching to test out the Canon 17mm f/4 tilt-shift lens for a long time and thanks to BorrowLenses as a courtesy this lens was made available to me for testing. I am far from being a camera gear tech-head, so if you want to get MTF chart info and other technical minutia I have provided links below to other reviews of this lens that I think are great & include greater tech info. The purpose of my time with this lens was to write up a practical review… in other words share with you how this lens held up in real-world conditions.

Tilt – Expanded Depth of Field & Sharpness
One of the greatest benefits of a tilt-shift lens is being able to expend depth of field of the scene you’re photographing without sacrificing sharpness. The 17mm doesn’t disappoint on this feature. With tilt movement up to +/- 6.5 degrees there is a lot of room to maneuver at this wide focal length. As you’ll see below sharpness is maintained flawlessly at the focal point of my photo. The expanded depth of field to the background and extreme edge of the foreground are quite pronounced, as you’ll notice with the tilt the text of the plaque becomes much sharper in these regions.


Original Image – No Tilt at f/16	Original Image - Tilt at f/16
Click to Enlarge	Click to Enlarge


Point of Focus No Tilt at f/16	Point of Focus Tilt at f/16
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Foreground Bottom Right No Tilt at f/16	Foreground Bottom Right Tilt at f/16
Click to Enlarge	Click to Enlarge


Background at Bottom Left No Tilt at f/16	Background at Bottom Left Tilt at f/16
Click to Enlarge	Click to Enlarge
Note: All images displayed have not been sharpened and are 1:1 crops other than the first row

Shift – Minimizing Perspective Distortion
The other great benefit of a tilt-shift lens is being able to minimize perspective distortion that manifests itself as a lean in tall objects. This particular lens has movement of 12mm and with the wide focal length works quite effectively for even the tallest of subjects. What also sets this lens apart is that it is a member of the latest generation of Canon tilt-shift lenses where tilt and shift movement are no longer exclusively independent from each other. It’s now possible to make tilt and shift adjustments simultaneously.


No Shift at f/16	Shift at f/16
Click to Enlarge	Click to Enlarge

Sharpness
Being a prime lens you’d expect sharpness and being an L class lens you’d expect extreme sharpness particularly for the hefty $2,500 price tag. Again even at an extreme aperture to maximize depth of field, often where images soften notably in the corners for wide lenses, it held its own quite well. This was of particular interest to me for nature and landscape images. At f/22 the corners do become a tad soft but not nearly as soft as you’ll find with other wide zooms. Unless you’re a pixel peeper this lens produces impressive images with a great deal of sharpness.


Original Image – No Tilt at f/22	Bottom Left Corner - Tilt at f/22
Click to Enlarge	Click to Enlarge


Bottom Center - No Tilt at f/22	Bottom Right - No Tilt at f/22
Click to Enlarge	Click to Enlarge
Note: All images displayed are 1:1 crops other than the upper left image

Lens Flare & Relection
As you’ve probably noticed this lens has an extreme front element. The front element bulbs out a great deal and makes shielding the lens from other light sources difficult if not impossible. Due to the ultra wide field of view to support the tilt movement of the lens there is no clean way to protect the lens from picking up flare… well at least not with out growing extra arms and hands. There are two things you can do about lens flare with this lens…
1. Minimize shooting strait into or around closely oriented light sources
2. Embrace and learn to love lens flare.

To be hones I had minimal issue with this during daylight hours even when taking photos on the beach, but I had a great deal of problems with lens flare while taking photos in the evening.


Original Image – Shooting Into Light Sources Lens flare everywhere	Original Image – Shooting Up w/Light Sources Behind Reflected light posts/lamps in image
Click to Enlarge	Click to Enlarge


Close-up: Reflected light posts and lens flare	Closeup: Reflected light posts/lamps
Click to Enlarge	Click to Enlarge

Tactile Impressions
This is a solid lens both in context to construction and weight. Even with my heavy Canon 1Ds Mark III with RRS L-bracket there was no way for my camera to remain upright. The lens is heavier than most and does likely will take some getting used to if you’re accustomed to kit lenses. If you’ve used other L lenses before then you won’t be in for any huge surprise in managing this lens. The knobs/controls for adjusting tilt and shift are quite sturdy and benefit from a tension adjustment knob making it easier or harder to tilt or shift the lens. Because of the bulging front element it is not possible to use any filters that screw on or mount to the front of the lens. This is hardly a concern in the age of digital Graduated Neutral Density filters. As for use of a polarizer in most instances with ultra wide lenses it’s never a great idea to use them as they introduce drastic color gradients in subjects with varying light intensity (ex. sunny sky). Lastly the one thing to account for (other than getting amazing images) are the looks & questions of others that walk past you when you’re using the lens. I was stopped more using this lens than when I have a telephoto lens on my camera. The unusual bulging front element of the lens attracts more than attention, but also dust & mist. I found if there was any moisture in the air that it was often necessary to wipe down the lens to avoid even more lens flare. Unlike the 15mm fisheye the 17mm tilt-shift lens has a rock solid lens cap that does not fall off easily. In fact the lens cap is really well engineered.

Would I Buy This Lens?
The only thing keeping me from running out to add this lens to my collection is the steep price. I would not hesitate to own this lens and in fact it is at the top of my list for any future purchase. For now renting the lens through BorrowLenses is more than adequate.

Basic Tech Specs

Max Aperture: f/4
Min Aperture: f/22
Field of View: 104°
Closest Focal Distance: 0.82 feet (9.8 inches)
8 Blade Iris
Weight: 28.9 oz.
Diameter: 3.5 inches
Length: 4.2 inches

Other Great Reviews of the Canon TS-E 17mm f/4 & Resources

A first look at the Canon TS-E 17mm F/4 L (and a test vs the 17-40 L) – Mac Danzig Photography
TS-E 17mm Lens Review – Part 2 – Mac Danzig Photography
Canon TS-E 17mm f/4 L Tilt-Shift Lens Review – The-Digital-Picture.com
Using Tilt-Shift Lenses: Depth of Field – cambridgeincolour.com

Technorati Tags: Canon, Lens, Review, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4, Tilt-Shift

Glacier Moonset, Glacier National Park

Jim — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:21:08 +0000

Glacier National Park in Montana is a location I’ve always been able to travel to with a virtual guarantee of finding a quiet place to soak in Mother Nature’s very best. The incredible snow covered peaks and cliff walls of Glacier National Park are incredibly beautiful and awe inspiring. The light and wind constantly transform the view minute by minute. If you’re lucky, as I was on the morning I took this photograph, with a little patience you’ll also see the moon dance across the mountaintops teasing you with its presence.

Glacier Moonset - Glacier National Park, Montana

Photo Info: Canon 1Ds Mark III, 420mm (300mm f/2.8 + 1.4x), f/18 at 1/160 sec

If taking in the view of the mountains makes you feel closer to the top of the world, the moon has a way of reminding us all how inseparable we are from Earth… our oasis in space.

Technorati Tags: Landscape, Photography, Montana, Glacier National Park, Stock Photo

Become a JMG-Galleries Fan on Facebook

Jim — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:29:30 +0000

Last week wasn’t the greatest week by any stretch. In anticipation of “Baby G’s” arrival we’ve undertaken a bit of remodeling. Much to my surprise I developed back spasms as a result of moving items from one room to another. With a little extra time to sit still I took it upon myself to setup a Facebook fan page while resting. If you’re on Facebook become a fan and check in often. I’m looking to put up some exclusive content on the fan page and welcome your participation.

Become a JMG-Galleries Fan on Facebook

See you there!

Dawn at the Racetrack – Death Valley National Park

Jim — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 09:25:18 +0000

Both mentally and photographically the most enlightening times I find are in moments of transition. It’s at these moments that my creativity and my admiration of my subject peaks. As it relates to landscape photography “transition” is likely to be interpreted as the transition between light and dark. This is certainly an accurate interpretation, but it is also true of any subject I photograph or genre of photography I pursue. Photography captures but a split second of the world around us, but still photographs that resonate most are those that capture a moment fleeting and/or seldom unseen. Transition between order/chaos, emotions, light/dark, etc. are those that so clearly stick in our mind. So many of us take these moments for granted, yet they’re so rarely seen.

Dawn at the Racetrack - Death Valley National Park, California

Technorati Tags: photography, Death Valley, National Park, Racetrack, landscape, nature, stock photo, fine art

An Open Call for Contributors to the JMG-Galleries Blog

Jim — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:43:14 +0000

I’ve been tinkering with this idea for a while and there’s no time like the present to see if my idea has legs. I’d like to pursue taking the JMG-Galleries blog to the next level by including the writing of other great photographers. I’m on the fence as to whether participation of those that are interested should be of the order of “guest post” or “regular contributor”. I suppose this determination will depend on the level of interest I receive and qualifications of those who contact me.

If you’re interested in contributing articles here submit your qualifications/resume and/or article ideas through my contact form. Be sure that you title any submissions “Call for Contributors”.

I look forward to your ideas and submissions. Have a great weekend!

View the Beauty of Haitian People & Make A Donation For Earthquake Relief

Jim — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:12:21 +0000

Friend and photographer Lane Hartwell has done an amazing job of putting together in an extremely short time a great collection of photography highlighting the culture and beauty of the Haitian people prior to Tuesdays devestating 7.0 earthquake. This collection of photography titled “Onè Respe” has been compiled in a magazine format produced by MagCloud where all proceeds are being donated to the Red Cross.

The magazine features work from preeminent photographers and all proceeds will go directly to the International Red Cross to assist the people of Haiti. The issue is titled Onè Respe, after a traditional Haitian greeting meaning honor and respect.
Mary Ellen Mark, winner of three Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards and acclaimed photographers Peter Pereira, Chet Gordon, Lindsay Stark and Kari Hartmann donated their work for this important project.

More about this project can be found in today’s Onè Respe press release.

Donations/Orders for Onè Respe can be found at MagCloud

In addition to my donation directly to the Red Cross I’ve also placed an order for this great piece of photojournalism. I urge you to do the same.

Additional information can be found in Lane’s most recent blog post Haiti Onè Respe A Photographic Benefit for the Survivors of the Haiti Earthquake – ThePostAndReview.com

Technorati Tags: Onè Respe, Haiti, Earthquake, Red Cross, Donation, Lane Hartwell, Photojournalism