All Prints Going Offline – Going Dark

We are changing the way we handle prints here. In the past, we have done what everyone else does, which is dump a ton of prints into an online printing service. I’m not convinced that’s the best way thing for our customers. We are going to do something different and bold, and we are launching in a few days. I think it will be much more meaningful for fans, collectors, and everyone in between.

For now, we are taking all printing options offline. Stay tuned for Friday for the big announcement!

Photoblog Awards – Come Vote

Thanks for all the votes already!  There are just a few days left, so now is the perfect time to vote.  If you do enjoy the images here and think the world should know, then I would certainly appreciate it!

Daily Photo – Entering The Forest Alone

It’s not often I use a zoom lens to do landscape photography (this is 125mm), since the conditions have to be just right (at least, for me).  You do get this strange thing called “compression”, which will be a new concept for people that come here not familiar with photography techniques.  Maybe you have seen this in horror movies…  You know, someone gets some shocking news, and then the camera does this strange thing where it pulls out and the background flexes while the actor remains still.  Well, compression is kind like that, but not really.  But it can bring things in the far distance “forward” to appear bigger than they really are, as is the case with the distant blue forest in this shot from Yellowstone.

Believe it or not, I was so exhausted after I took this shot, I pulled over and slept for two hours in the backseat.  There is nothing worse than waking up, groggy in the backseat of a strange car, and a tripod jamming you in the small of the back.

Filed under the categories: Montana, Nikon D3X, Travel, Wyoming, Yellowstone

Poster design by the great Fabien Barral

I know I know… I always get comments I am not coming to YOUR city!  Sorry about that… believe me, I’d love to make it an around-the-world tour.  But for now, we are just doing three cities, Austin, New York, and Chicago.

The Austin one will also feature a Photowalk where the best photo wins $500 in Driskill gift cards.  Cool!  Also, I’ll be debuting the next Stuck In Motion video.  It’s going to be a 140-second job that I’m entering into the Nikon Festival.  It’s very cool, and I’ll be sharing it with everyone else the day after the party.  Get ready!

And no, you of course DO NOT need to buy a book to come to the party… It’s not a sales-thing at all… the book is just an excuse to have a little party!

I’ll be giving a short talk, signing books, meeting people, and giving more details on the photo contest.  After the event, everyone can share their work on the FB Event page, just like last time.

Filed under the categories: Austin, Texas

Photo-related Christmas Presents

What is everyone getting for Christmas presents this year that are photo-related?  I’m of course asking for a few lenses (started a discussion on the FB Fan page here) — what about you?

Also, I am thinking about ordering a bunch of these eStarling photo frames for my extended family.  They look cool because I can just email them photos and they show up right in their frames… same for movies and stuff.  It seems smart!  Maybe you all have heard of similar internet-enabled easy-to-use frames?

Daily Photo – The Solitary Lighthouse

Icelandic lighthouses are pretty rough places.  Well, I bet any Scandinavian lighthouse must be pretty tough…   and I bet the salty old characters that live in them are tough as nails.  You can see the high icy contrails in the extreme atmosphere… but it seemed like those same icy winds were whipping around at ground-level too.  Once again, I was reminded that I really need to get a good pair of gloves!

I don’t think living in a freezing lighthouse is for me.  Maybe if I had a slanket and high-speed internet, I could take it for a few weeks.  Speaking of slankets and snuggies and stuff…  I heard there was one you can get for air-travel and it has an inflatable neck-pillow inside if it.  I can’t imagine anything quite so pre-meditated… but actually it sounds kind of nice!

Filed under the categories: Iceland, Travel

New How-to Video coming within a week

I have a nice long video that I shot while at Yellowstone.  It discusses an interesting shoot of an awesome geothermal location and the trouble I went through to get it.

It will be available in the Videos section, along with all the others!

Daily Photo – Where the Impressionists Haunted the Streets

Montmartre, in the north of Paris, is a very artsy place and I would love to open a little photography studio there, even if it is a bit touristy now. I don’t think they had neon paint-palettes hanging in the streets when it was frequented by Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, and the whole cast of bohemian characters.

I’m halfway through a book now called “The Judgment of Paris”, about all these guys had to go through to get their paintings shown in the Salon. Old-school judges would only approve paintings that showed historical scenes and the moral teachings of antiquity. Consequently, dozens of today’s priceless paintings were stamped on the back with a big red “R” for “Refused”.

After the Impressionists’ paintings were refused by the selection committee, the artists would gather at cafes here, drinking wine that tasted of “mountwash and soot”, and lament about the state of the art, so to speak.

Filed under the categories: France, Paris, Travel

Austin Party in a few days!

Soon to be followed by Chicago and New York, I look forward to meeting you at the Austin Launch Party! The Austin one will be extra-great because there is a combined Photowalk where you can win $500 for the best photo of the Driskill at Christmas!

Remember, you don’t have to buy a book or anything… I look forward to meeting and talking whether or not you buy one… no problemo! It’s a typical low-key Austin artsy event… comon down!

Pre-orders for special packages end in a day – time is running out!

We are taking the special HDR Book preorders here on the site until Dec 6th at midnight. If you want the autographed copy or the one with the limited edition print, that is the only way. We will have to cut off special orders after that so that I can get everything signed and re-shipped out! Now, of course, you can still pre-order from Peachpit, Amazon, Borders, and Barnes and Noble — these are all other options for you if you simply want the book.

Your Home At Christmas? It could be!

The publisher was kind enough to send me an early copy that rolled off the printing press. Everything is gearing up! I know you guys wanted me to peel open the book and show you more of the fabulous insides, but you’ll just have to wait!

Yours truly, freezing in the desert

On Thursday morning, I woke up at 3:45 AM to go catch the sunrise in the high Nevada desert. One of my friends, Cameron Grant, picked me up at 4 AM to drive out into the wild part of Nevada, straight up a mountain, and into sub-freezing weather. We got out of the car, and I was almost instantly encased in carbonite!

While I was shooting and solidifying in 25 degree weather, Cameron was sneaky in the shadows behind me… he took this photo and then sent it to me, right before he is off to Luxor on an HDR adventure of his own. I wish him well!

Filed under the categories: Las Vegas, Nevada, Nikon D3X, Travel

Twitter Contest Winners

Thanks to everyone that participated in the Twitter Contest to win a free copy of theHDR Book, “A World in HDR”! I think Peachpit was completely overwhelmed with the results. I hope it gave you a chance to discover and share some great art on the web. Thanks to John P from OneMansBlog.com who was The Judge. Visit his website below and see the winners!

• Day 1 Winner – Theme:  Landscape
• Day 2 Winner – Theme:  Vehicle
• Day 3 Winner – Theme:  Architecture

Less than 24 hours left on eBay Auction!

The first in the Limited Edition Numbered Print for the book is on eBay.  It looks to be a hot item…  only for the true collectors out there.

Daily Photo – The Harleyfest on 6th Street

This is one of the best times in Austin for HDR Photography!  I really think it’s perfect perfect conditions to really show off what this style of photography can do.  Long exposures just don’t do the trick.  The wonderful thing about being there is that the human eye really can see all these colors and light levels at the same time.  At least… to those of us that see like this.  I’m convinced that after talking to countless groups that not everyone “sees” in the same way.  It’s not that one way is better than another – just different. What do you think?

Filed under the categories: Austin, Nikon D3X, Texas, Travel

HDR Spotting invites still going out

I understand invites are still going out on HDRspotting.com. This was started with the simple idea that we can all increase the amount of attention for other HDR Photographers and drive traffic to their respective sites. The site always has new content on it, and more improvements come every week. For some of the best, see the Editor’s Picks!

Jason St. Peter from www.fiftypercentchanceofrain.com sent in this nice testimonial:

“I think HDRspotting has been a tremendous success and I am lucky to be part of it. It’s so cool to see so many great hdr artist in one spot. Being affiliated with hdr spotting and the stuck in customs brand has also helped drive much more visibility to my own blog. HDR Spotting quickly became my top referring site behind google and my top 10 images have over 35,000 views on the HDRspotting site. This is awesome in such a short time.”

Fan Page on Facebook

We made a few updates to the Fan Page on Facebook.  A new landing page and more FBML stuff on the way.  If any of you are FBML experts, drop me a note – I’d like to add some cool stuff to it!

Daily Photo – Impressions of Paris

I had a nice conversation with a friend this evening about the Impressionists of Paris and all they had to go through to get their work seen. The old-guard painters than headed the selection committee for the Salon of the late 19th century had a distaste for the Impressionists, and their work was continually rejected. I feel lucky that we all live at a time where our own impressions of the world can freely be shared. I hope sites such as HDRspotting can help everyone get their work better exposed to the world.

Filed under the categories: France, Paris, Travel

First of Numbered Series on eBay

We are having an eBay auction for the First in the numbered series of prints. Just as with the books, a percentage of all profits goes to Kiva (click for the Charity page here). The auction only has 2 days left (Newsletter subscribers found out first), so, if you are a collector, this is a great opportunity!

The print is called “The Lonely Road to the Dinosaur Dig”. It was taken one evening in northern Montana near the Canadian border. I was on a dinosaur dig with Jack Horner and had taken an ATV out on a joy ride one night. It unceremoniously caught on fire, and left me stranded a long way from home with just my camera and the sunset.

Twitter Contest Winner

Day 2 of the Twitter Contest is just starting now! Congrats to Jean Loh who won the first day with her amazing submission. Remember, she didn’t even take the photo! It’s all about sharing on Twitter to find great art out there. Hop on over to OneMansBlog.com to see the winners and several other incredible submissions!

The Happy Book Winner! Jean Loh posted this photo by Scott Weber entitled “Lower Lewis River Falls”. For more information, visit The Judge’s Page! There are two more days to win! Visit the Twitter Contest page for details… and keep a search on the hashtag#hdrbook on Twiitter for a steady stream of great art from fantastic photographers from around the net.

New York Party Invitation

The great Fabien Barrel has come through again with a very nice design for our New York Book Party invitation. If you are in the area, I look forward to meeting you on the 14th of December! Stop on by, and come over to the Facebook Party Event and RSVP!

Filed under the categories: Travel

Win A Free Book!  Twitter Contest is Live!

We have a new Twitter contest to win some free copies of “A World in HDR”, hosted by the team at @Peachpit.  It goes for three days and will be a ton of fun.  Anyone can enter, and you can enter as many times as you like!  For full details, see the Twitter Contest Page!

Peachpit (the publisher) is giving away three copies to some of the best photos found on Twitter.  Submit as many and as often as you like.  Note that my photos are not eligible — let’s use this as a way to find other great new photos and artists out there!  Again, all the details and info on The Judge can be seen on the Twitter Contest Page!

Daily Photo – Finding Dinner in the Alleys of Kyoto

After exploring an area (and era!) of ancient temples in Kyoto, I was absolutely starving.  I tend to get in a “shooting mode” where I do not undertake basic human necessities like eating, sleeping, and making regular bathroom breaks.  In fact, Nikon makes this great set of diapers you should try.  They’re Japanese so there are little buttons that dispose of everything and leave you fresh as a daisy.

Anyway, after shooting, I headed down into the old part of Kyoto to find a traditional Japanese dinner.  I sat there for a long time, enjoying myself thoroughly.

Filed under the categories: Japan, Kyoto, Nikon D3X, Travel