Results: Sharing the Image 2

April 17, 2017

“Winter Blanket, Lake Tahoe” has a dreamlike quality. A calm exists here, at this moment in time, that I envision for my art, but I seldom find in nature. The rare atmospheric conditions created a stillness that seamed to wrap the beauty of Lake Tahoe’s grandeur up in a blanket and present it to me. The monotone snow and cloud gently surrounded the rich color of Tahoe’s crystal clear waters, granite boulders and pines. The scale of this place is immense, but this scene creates an intimate feel. This idyllic cove was all that existed, with just our imaginations left to contemplate what beauty lies beyond the blanket of mist. Truly “The Fine Art of Nature”!

Results: Sharing the Image

March 31, 2017

The final image, Christmas Valley Blizzard Panorama, was taken in January 2017, just up the pass from my house (literally a 3 minute drive from home). I had visited this grouping of trees several times and knew I wanted to compose a soft image of them, using the the far side of the canyon to add depth. I waited for a heavy snow, which was easy given our record winter (200% of normal snowfall), and headed out the door. As the sun dropped behind the mountains, I was able to get a nice even light with minimal contrast for the mood I had envisioned. I chose the panoramic format to eliminate sky, further minimize contrast, and simplify the focus on the trees. Given the low light, slow speed film and small aperture required for focus, I ended up with a 2 minute long exposure. This eliminated the ability to see falling snowflakes, and added a bit of detail to the trees, but maintained that soft "foggy" look of the background, as a lot of snow was falling.

Lake Tahoe Inversion, Pre-Dawn Glow

March 14, 2017

This is an image I've wanted to compose for years, but Mother Nature just wouldn't cooperate with my schedule. Fortunately, as we hit the right weather pattern for an inversion effect here in Lake Tahoe this winter, I was able to make the time to be in the right place at the right time. The patience and effort paid off.

The reality of a professional landscape photographer...ALMOST. Not worthy.

NOT Taking a Photo at Sunrise

February 5, 2017

As a professional, and as an artist, I have set very high standards for my fine art landscape photography. Given the medium I have chosen, large format film, I put myself out there in the elements where special light is possible, but only expose film when the conditions are worthy of my vision. Simply, I only expose a sheet of film when I feel I have "THE Shot".

A happy photographer, Jon Paul, with his 8x10 film camera in Grand Teton National Park.

How I Used Change to Re-Affirm My Photographic Process

January 24, 2017

Often times, we look outside ourselves to find our path. As an accomplished professional of almost two decades, I occasionally look outside myself to see what I should be doing. How I should be doing it. Which path is being followed by others. It can appear as though everyone else is right. I often feel lost. The self doubt of an artist is difficult, but can be re-affirming.