Jim Patterson Photography's photostream  

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I know when I first got excited about photography, it was when I first invested in a serious underwater rig. I was using film and had no clue what I was doing. If I got a well exposed slide with a half way decent composition, I was ecstatic and I showed it to everyone I could. I printed 8x10s on my old Canon printer of a lot of mediocre images.

Fast forward seven years and I started my foray into landscape photography. Same thing. If I came home with some streaking water around a rock with a halfway decent sky that I tamed with my squeaky clean filters, I was stoked!

But time moves on. Skills improve, and the critical eye refines itself. Images that would have made me jump for joy a few years ago would now leave me feeling disappointed that I didn't create my *next* portfolio image.

While it is good to be self critical and always be striving for improvement, my words of advice are not to get too caught up in the "results" of your photographic endeavors. Instead focus on the journey, the "process" of photography. This means enjoying the drive or hike to get to your destination. Enjoy the company you keep or the solitude you seek. Soak in the sights, sounds, smells, and tactile sensations of your surroundings. Let all your senses experience the moment instead of letting the quality of the final images dictate your enjoyment.

Nikon D7000
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 14mm
1/13 sec, f9, ISO 200
Singh-Ray 3-stop reverse and LEE .9 Hard GNDs

Processed 90% in Lightroom 4 Beta and finished off in CS5. Loving LR4! It could change how I edit single exposure images such as this one.

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Ice patterns fracture the surface in frozen Tenaya Lake in Yosemite's high country. Glad I got to see it. The sounds the lake made in the early morning were really something special. Sunrise on New Year's morning was somewhat of a bust, but January 2nd more than made up for it. 1/2/12 was the good stuff whereas last year it was 1/1/11.

Nikon D7000
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 14mm
3 exposure blend at f10, ISO 100

Workshops, prints, and more information in my profile.

New blog post up with this image (and more) for my 2011: Year in Review

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"You can't always get want you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need" - The Rolling Stones

I very much wanted a blazing color image of clouds igniting with fiery skies above Convict Lake on my recent trip. But as the blazing skies laughed at me from everywhere BUT above the lake, I was getting a bit disappointed.

But one of my resolutions for this year and every year is to expect less and be happy with what I am given. Instead of having preconceived notions of what I want, only to be disappointed if things don't turn out my way, I want to live more in the experience, and less in the photographic results.

Nikon D7000
Nikkor 12-24mm @14mm
180 sec, f9, ISO 200
B+W Polarizer
Lee Big Stopper
Lee .9 Soft GND Filter

Workshops, prints, and more information in my profile.

New blog post up with this image (and more) for my 2011: Year in Review

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Frozen Tenaya Lake off Yosemite's Tioga Pass was definitely one of the highlights of my recent travels. The sounds the lake made as the ice stress was relieved were really trippy!

This was a hastily composed image as I had been photographing a scene with a rock emerging from the ice about 30 feet away. But the ice offered very little reflection. I noticed a thin section of ice that had more water content and was reflecting the golden glow, so I quickly changed my plans for a few frames. The sky had been overcast all day, but within minutes, this light appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

Nikon D7000
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
1.3 seconds, f11, IS0100
Lee. 9 Hard and .6 Soft GND Filters

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It's been just a few days since I returned from eight days in the eastern Sierras (mostly Mono Lake and a pit stop at Convict Lake) and Yosemite. Tioga Pass was still open and Dr. Kendra Karr (just finished her PhD in marine conservation and ecology...know anyone who needs a highly qualified biologist?) and I took full advantage of it. We saw some amazing sunrises and sunsets as well as a few duds, but the entire experience was incredible.

This image is from the South Tufa area of Mono Lake. Sunset on the first night was nice with a gradient glow, but this sunset from the second night blew up in almost all directions. These structures form from mixing of fresh spring water rich in calcium and the carbonates in the saline lake water (yes, Mono Lake is saltier than the ocean). These form into a calcium-carbonate limestone. When the Los Angeles area started draining water for human consumption, these structures came into view. Now the lake is being restored and every year, the water level rises.

Nikon D7000
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 22mm
2 sec, f11, ISO 100
Lee .9 and .6 Soft GND Filters