Horsetail Falls Moonset Light, Yosemite National Park

Much is said about light in landscape photography, especially golden hour, blue hour and moonlight. While most associate these lighting conditions with the end of the day it’s important to note they happen at the beginning of the day too and not just sourced from the sun. It’s a little bit rarer to see, as fewer photographers actually want to stay up or wake up to see golden moonlight. Case and point was my last visit to Yosemite National Park as I ran into 2 people photographing Horsetail Falls at 4am. I’m not complaining by any means as the view was spectacular and the golden moonlight was great. Granted the human eye can’t see the color of moonlight nearly as well due to human night vision being somewhat limited.  Something to consider the next time you’re sleeping in… what great moonlight are you missing?

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

Horsetail Falls Moonset Light, Yosemite National Park

The post Horsetail Falls Moonset Light, Yosemite National Park appeared first on JMG-Galleries - Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.

Last week was the conclusion of my Ultimate Time-Lapse Photography giveaway and today I’m happy to announce the winners.

A huge THANKS goes out to eMotimo and Dynamic Perception for donating the grand prize!  If you haven’t already please follow and thank eMotimo and Dynamic Perception on Facebook .  Thanks to BorrowLenses.com, GuraGear, and Lexar for providing great bonus prizes and most importantly everyone that took part.

By now I’m sure you’re itching to know who has won, so without further delay here are
the winners:

Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended - Thomas O’Brien

Adobe After Effects CS6 - Michael Brown

Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 - Marc Donahue

Apple iPad 3 Retina Display (16GB WiFi) - Brittany Chasteen

Lexar 16GB 1000X CF Card - Jack Fusco

Gura Gear Camera Bag - Mehmet Yesiltas

$100 BorrowLenses.com Gift Certificates
Jimmy Arcade
Felicia Cracchiolo
Sean Parker

Grand Prize
eMotimo TB3 Black & Dynamic Perception Stage 0 Dolly System with a Quick Change 8 RPM & 21 RPM with MX2/AT2 Controller
Tim Clark

Thanks again to everyone for taking part and congratulations to the Tim Clark the grand prize winners.

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

Ultimate Time-Lapse Photography Giveaway Results

The post Ultimate Time-Lapse Photography Giveaway Results appeared first on JMG-Galleries - Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.

Dogwoods Blooming in Yosemite National Park

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

Dogwoods Blooming in Yosemite National Park

The post Dogwoods Blooming in Yosemite National Park appeared first on JMG-Galleries - Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.

Today is the last day to enter to win some amazing photo gear and software in my Ultimate Time-Lapse Photography Giveaway.

Win an eMotimo TB3 Black & Dynamic Perception Stage 0 Dolly System
with a Quick Change 8 RPM & 21 RPM with MX2/AT2 Controller!
Enter Here: http://bit.ly/WGy7Jw

Additional bonus prizes, many worthy of grand prize status, are available from Adobe, Apple, GuraGear, BorrowLenses.com, and Lexar. Don’t miss your chance to enter to win amazing time-lapse photography gear. Good luck!

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

Last Day to Enter to Win the Ultimate Time-Lapse Photography Setup

The post Last Day to Enter to Win the Ultimate Time-Lapse Photography Setup appeared first on JMG-Galleries - Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.

If you’d like to support Aaron he’s selling What the Duck plush dolls of his most popular characters at incredibly reasonable prices with some being limited editions. I picked up one of each and gave an extra to my son. They came out great!

I highly recommend visiting WhatTheDuck.net daily now that he’s back and for old time sake here is the recording of my interview with Aaron in February of 2009.

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

My Favorite Photography Comic “What the Duck” is Back

The post My Favorite Photography Comic “What the Duck” is Back appeared first on JMG-Galleries - Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.

Pre-dawn light rises over the iconic Yosemite Valley granite formations of El Capitan and Half Dome

Yosemite Sunrise
I was revisiting some old film scans from several years ago thanks to a client request and rediscovered this photo. Slide film isn’t very forgiving in regard to dynamic range, but I always liked the contrasty nature of this photo. It was taken on a cold snowy winter morning well before sunrise. Taking a long exposure allowed for the faint color in the sky to register quite strongly which I always thought was quite striking.

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

Yosemite Sunrise (Revisited)

The post Yosemite Sunrise (Revisited) appeared first on JMG-Galleries - Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.

How it works is quite simple. Employing Bluetooth wireless technology the Photographer’s Social Media Mouse detects when a photographer has navigated to a web browser. With in 10 seconds of detecting activity on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Flickr, Instagram, 500px, MySpace, and Friendster a gentle yet firm 7,800,000 volt shock is applied to the finger of the user. The momentary sensation causes brief paralysis in the arm reminding the user that more important editing or business communications are the order of the day.

Additional Features

• Designed for travel – More comfortable than a touchpad, instant-on performance for maximum productivity on the road
• Smart power management – Long battery life, on & off switch, power-saving modes and a low-battery indicator light
• Precision optical performance – 1000-dpi optical sensor technology for incredibly smooth, precise tracking
• Convenient carrying case – Comes with pouch for easy storage.

Important product information: Batteries are not included, use of mouse is not recommended by left handed users to avoid direct current to the heart and avoid data loss by keeping mouse on an approved non-conductive mouse pad.

Your support is needed to make this a reality. To contribute visit my Kickstarter page.

Product Details
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 7 x 2.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.

Note: The Photographer’s Social Media Mouse is restricted and cannot be shipped to CT, IL, HI, MA, MI, NJ, NY, RI, and WI. They are also restricted in Annapolis, MD; Baltimore, MD; Baltimore County, MD; Chicago, IL; Dension/Crawford County, IA; Washington DC; and Philadelphia, PA. Any orders for these areas/states will be canceled.

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

My New Kickstarter Project: Photographer’s Social Media Mouse

The post My New Kickstarter Project: Photographer’s Social Media Mouse appeared first on JMG-Galleries - Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.

When you first enter Yosemite National Park it is impossible to miss El Capitan. Towering some 3,000 feet above the valley floor with a peak elevation of 7,573 feet its a feast for the eyes and an attractive challenge for several hardy rock climbers. The more I visit Yosemite the more I see visitors accept the walls of the valley as an unmoving constant, but if you stop to really watch the valley walls you’ll notice that the they’re alive with movement. It’s not just waterfalls that create dramatic scenery in the park, but fast moving air currents and rapidly changing cloud formations. The granite monoliths are only half the story as long as you open your eyes other subtleties of the environment.

Pictured are clouds flowing around El Capitan in the late morning. This long exposure helped highlight the cloud movement bringing El Capitan to life.

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

Windswept Clouds Over El Capitan, Yosemite

The post Windswept Clouds Over El Capitan, Yosemite appeared first on JMG-Galleries - Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.

I am happy to announce that I’ve teamed up with eMotimo and Dynamic Perception to giveaway the ultimate time-lapse photography setup. Visit the JMG-Galleries Facebook page to enter. In addition bonus prizes, many worthy of grand prize status, are available from Adobe, Apple, GuraGear, BorrowLenses.com, and Lexar. Don’t miss your chance to enter to win amazing timelapse photography gear.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

STEP 1: Like JMG-Galleries.com on Facebook
Visit facebook.com/jmggalleries and click on the “Giveaway” page under our profile photo.
If you are not yet a fan you’ll need to “Like” BorrowLenses.com to access the contest

STEP 2: Enter the drawing
To enter fill out the contest entry form with your name, email address, city, and state. Gain additional entries in the drawing by subscribing to our newsletter, and following our generous sponsors eMotimo and Dynamic Perception.

STEP 3: Share for extra entries to better your odds
After you enter the drawing you will be able to share this giveaway with your friends via Facebook, Twitter and email with a custom link. You will automatically receive an extra entry in the giveaway for each friend that you refer.  You can return to our contest page at any time to check on how many referrals you’ve received.

STEP 4: Bonus prizes
Once you’ve referred 10 of your friends to enter the giveaway, return to our contest page and you will be able to “UNLOCK” our bond prize drawings for 1 of dozens of great bonus prizes.

STEP 5: Win
On May 1st we will select our winners by random drawing. After selecting our winners we will contact our grand prize winner of the eMotimo TB3 Black & Dynamic Perception Stage 0 Dolly System with a Quick Change 8 RPM & 21 RPM with MX2/AT2 Controller.  We will also announce the winners on our Facebook wall, so be sure to check our page and your email inbox to see if you’ve won.

Visit Facebook.com/jmggalleries To Enter

• Contest Details

  Contest ends April 30, 2013 at 11:59PM PST. No purchase necessary. A purchase will not increase a contestant’s chance of winning. JMG-Galleries.com, a web site that is part of JMG Communications, LLC, is not responsible for entries that are lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, incomprehensible, illegible, damaged, undeliverable or delayed.

• Eligibility

  To enter, you must be at least 18 years of age. Employees of JMG-Galleries, JMG Communications, LLC, their advertising agencies, affiliates, contest sponsors, employees and immediate families of each are not eligible to win any contest. Immediate family includes the spouse, great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the employee and his/her spouse. This also includes individuals for whom the employee is current legal guardian

• Fraudulent Activity

  Fraudulent or abusive voting will be monitored and omitted through out the course of the giveaway. We reserve the right to disqualify users, without notice, and for any reason.

• Prizes

  We reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value in the event that the original promised prize becomes unavailable. eMotimo TB3 Black is valued at $885.00, 6′ DynamicPerception Stage Zero System with a Quick Change 8 RPM & 21 RPM with MX2/AT2 controller is valued at $1280 and the bonus prize packages range from $85-$999. The odds of winning will depend on the number of entries. Unless otherwise noted, all contests and giveaway prizes are awarded via random drawing. Winners automatically grant the use of their name and likeness in the promotion of this and other JMG-Galleries.com contests. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. Shipping is free for USA residents; winners outside of USA are responsible for shipping fees and your country taxes. All winners have 14 days to accept and coordinate shipping. If winner doesn’t respond within 14 days, prize is forfeited and replacement winner will be randomly selected from qualified contestants. BorrowLenses.com gift certificates are good for rentals only. Prizes are non-transferable and non-exchangeable.

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

Win the Ultimate Time-Lapse Photography Setup – Over $5000 in Prizes

The post Win the Ultimate Time-Lapse Photography Setup – Over $5000 in Prizes appeared first on JMG-Galleries - Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.

Alcatraz Seen Through the Golden Gate Bridge – San Francisco, California

San Francisco is no stranger to photography icons. As you drive across the Golden Gate Bridge it’s quite easy to see Alcatraz sitting in the middle of the entry to the San Francisco Bay, but its not as easy to see both Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge in clean alignment. One such low angle view does exist and its quite fun to see Alcatraz of all places behind bars… I mean the cables of the Golden Gate Bridge. Insert great sunset light, a sailboat and a pelican and it rounds the scene out to a rather fun photo.

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

San Francisco Behind Bars: Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset

The post San Francisco Behind Bars: Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset appeared first on JMG-Galleries - Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.

Foggy Treetops, Yosemite National Park

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

The Journey: It’s What You Can’t See That Will Thrill You

The post The Journey: It’s What You Can’t See That Will Thrill You appeared first on JMG-Galleries - Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.

Perigee Moon & California Oak near the Monterey coast, California

One of the more intriguing visual phenomenon is seeing a giant moon on the horizon. One might think that there is some physical explanation as to why the moon is larger when low on the horizon, but its actually a visual illusion where your brain is playing a trick on you. This illusion is aptly called the “Moon Illusion“. This illusion is incredibly well explained in the following video:

So how do people capture a super large moon in their photographs?
There are a few ways:
1) Use a large telephoto lens to photograph the moon so that it fills a larger portion of the frame
2) Add the moon to a scene using the in-camera technique of double-exposures
3) Use a Photoshop or other image editing software to composite two images together.

No one way is right or wrong as the end result pursued is at the creative discretion of the photographer. Still some people can get confused between real and altered photos to display large moonscapes. The photo at the top of this post was taken with  a 600mm lens and 1.4x teleconverter for a net focal length of 840mm. The photo below was taken with a 70-300mm lens employing my film cameras double-exposure functionality.

San Francisco Moonrise

Photoshop clearly can provide the fastest path to high impact photos, but not always the most natural rendition. A perfect example of this is comparing the two images of a moon above a Los Angeles skyscraper taken at 105mm. Moon photo composite made with Photoshop versus a straight 105mm photo of the moon. Clearly the first image has had some artistic license applied while the second is a straight representation of what a 105mm lens can capture.

Moon over LA Skyscraper at 105mm – Straight Shot

All in all photographing the moon can be incredibly challenging and fun. How you represent the scene you see with your naked eye is up to you, but take into account the “Moon Illusion” when creating your final photo. It might just explain why what you see in your photo doesn’t match up to your memory of the scene.

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

Seeing vs. Photographing the Moon: The Moon Illusion

The post Seeing vs. Photographing the Moon: The Moon Illusion appeared first on JMG-Galleries - Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.