Glacier Lillies, Paradise, Mount Rainier N.P. © Jay Goodrich

It is almost time. A time when the snow covered meadows that surround Mount Rainier National Park begin to erupt into a summer splendor of pattern and color. It was almost a year to the day that I captured this image. It is a study of pattern and texture. There is no single subject for your eye to focus on yet the image keeps you looking for one. I love images like this one. They go beyond the standard wide angle landscape and yet still possess a strong compositional quality. There is a harmonious balance of white lilies and green grass and stems. Hopefully you can join me there in the next few weeks when the flowers begin to bloom all over Mount Rainier. Taken with a Canon 1Ds Mark III, 70-200 f2.8 AF IS lens, Gitzo tripod, and Kirk BH-1 ballhead. Mastered in Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS5.

Pacific Northwest Forest, Martha's Beach, WA © Jay Gooodrich

You can read part 2 of a 3 part interview I conducted with nature and cultural photographer Art Wolfe earlier this spring. To read more visit the Art Wolfe Blog and read the interview post.

Sunrise Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone, Yellowstone NP, © Jay Goodrich

I am not one to toot my own horn. I try to stay as modest as possible. I know as a small business owner I need to be a better marketer and since I am the only full-time employee I need to toot the horn more. So today, I am tooting on a personal level. Today is my birthday and it is not just any birthday, I am now 40, a milestone only in numbers, not life.

The cool thing is that the photo I am highlighting in today’s post was taken in Yellowstone last year on my birthday with my now 5 year old daughter. After which we sat down to a huge breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and eggs. It’s funny how you remember some things in your life so vividly and others you couldn’t pull out of the memory banks with the best recovery software. I guess the ones you remember the most are the ones that are the most important. I wonder what memories I will be creating while you are reading this? You might have to wait until next year to find out.

And since I am tooting, I am also proud to tell you that a different composition of this scene made into the finals of this year’s Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. And, seven others made it through the semi-final round. Hopefully next year I will have even more to announce.

Rock Formations, Bisti Wilderness Area, New Mexico © Jay Goodrich

I have navigated through Denali National Park for 10 days and maintained my whereabouts. I have flown multiple aircraft across most of the United States and arrived at my destination without fail. This past weekend was a different for some reason, maybe some weird star was misaligned in the universe. I managed to visit a place that has been on my list for over a decade. A place I have researched and read about since then. I listened to all of the warnings and all of the advice. I brought plenty of water, the map I found online, the directions I found online, and my Brother-in-Law’s GPS, which happens to be the same GPS that I own. And what happened, that’s right, I GOT LOST!

Now getting lost is a state of mind. Was I really lost? My personal definition of lost is finally getting found by search and rescue with little to no food and water after spending a few unprepared nights out in the cold. If I put it that way then I was not lost, but I still didn’t find what I was looking for, so yes, I guess I was lost. I am not sure if the map is a bit off, or my navigation skills a bit off, or the fact that this is a desert with rolling hills and what I was looking for could have been right there behind me like that Predator thing in the jungles of South America.

I looked and walked and looked and walked, but to no avail the Egg Factory that many others have seen in the Bisti Wilderness of Northern New Mexico managed to keep its place on my photography wish list. I did still photograph, there were formations all over the place, just not those eggs which to borrow from another movie look like they came from Aliens. This is all okay, I know I will return because I have family in Albuquerque. One thing that will definitely happen is that I will return in the fall or even the winter when it is a bit cooler than the balmy 100 degrees I got to walk around in. Oh, and I will bring a friend or my wife so we can argue about what direction we need to go. Then after an hour or so I will finally listen to what she has to say and then there will be those eggs right before us to photograph just in time to be eaten by an Alien.

We Are Never Alone, Moab, UT © Jay Goodrich

I stand in the middle of a valley surrounded by rock formations. I can not see any of them yet, but I know they are there. It is so dark that I can not even tell if there are any clouds lingering to add to the drama of photography this morning. Red earth all over my shoes, my clothes. It is in my hair, my nose, my ears, and even my eyes. It was a little windy yesterday. I look to where I think the horizon is but I see nothing but a big black void. There is not a soul around, it is completely silent. I am for once, early. I head to the back of my truck to grab my backpack and my tripod. The rear bumper is covered in a layer of red powder about an eighth of an inch thick. I write “wash me” in it. As I open the door the dust stirs into little tornados before it falls back to the earth. My pack and tripod have traces of the deep maroon powder all over them as well. I stumbled upon this place yesterday afternoon.

I am a bit tired. I spent the evening shooting star trails only to realize that morning was going to come way too soon. There is a crispness in the air, it tingles as it enters my nose. It reminds me of that sound you hear when a person bites into the perfect fall apple. A little pop, followed by a sweet aroma; I can just taste the explosion of flavor. Vapor crystals leave my nostrils and mouth and scatter as far as I can see. I hope that my mission is going to yield imagery that ties over my soul for awhile – this is my last day here.

I pull the Petzl lamp out of my pack and wrap it around my head. I turn it on, throw the pack onto my back, adjust the straps and buckles, sling the tripod onto my shoulder with one hand, and close the truck door with the other. More dust scatters. I start to walk into the belly of monuments and darkness. I am now the only light source.

As I stumble to my location, a calm comes before me. It was like I donned that old comfortable shoe that was completely molded to the contours of my sole. I began to run on auto pilot. The light was starting to fill the sky. At least, enough that I could see those rock formations. They were looking a little pink. This place is so magical. I knew that would change as the sun began its race to the other side of the planet. It always starts as pink, or tan, something very subtle and muted, pastel. And depending on the atmosphere, the day could become, gold, yellow, orange, red, crimson, maroon, or any variant there of, a perfect contrast to that deep blue fall desert sky. The formations – sharp and jagged to smooth and bulbous. Why this place over any other? The mountains are my home, but this place speaks to me like no other.

As the sun begins to come up there is a slight breeze. It is the souls of those rock formations coming alive, they are looking for warmth as am I. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end, like it does when I feel the gentle kiss of my wife. My pupils dilate. I feel the eye muscles tighten. The sun is showing her face ever so slightly. The warmth begins to bathe me and all of my surroundings. The crystals from my breath fall away closer to their origin. I quickly realize It is going to be a golden rise. Everything is covered in hues of yellow and orange. I look through my viewfinder one last time. God I love this place. And click.

Mt. Moran, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming © Jay Goodrich

The Teton Range rises abruptly over Jackson Hole. Dominated by the Grand Teton, they are the most dramatic escarpment in the lower 48.

There is much more than stunning scenery in the Jackson Hole area. The meadows and marshes are frequented by moose and elk, bears roam the woods, and deer abound. Ansel Adams captured one of his signature images above a bend in the Snake River with the backlit Tetons looming in the distance.

I will be teaching a photo workshop with premier nature photographer and television host Art Wolfe and associate instructors John Greengo, Gavriel Jecan in an intensive four day workshop in one of the world’s most beautiful locations. This workshop is designed for the serious amateur and semiprofessional photographer. Expect days of long, but enjoyable hours, photographing from early morning until sunset.

The workshop is limited to only 12 people so don’t delay. For more info visit my workshop page on the trip or visit the Art Wolfe Workshop Website. To sign up visit Art Wolfe’s online store.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico Too © Jay Goodrich

I can’t stop. You understand. Don’t you? As I wrote yesterday on the Outdoor Photographer blog site I am supposed to be on vacation, but the colors where I am staying here in Mexico are in the words of Seinfeld’s Kramer, “Outta Control!” It is a color palette so rich that the raw image files are beyond words. The family just stood behind me staring at the laptop in disbelief. This may be a vacation, but it is also a photographer’s dream come true.

For the last seven nights the sunsets have been so unbelievably colorful that I just have to share some of the images with you. And this ain’t the tequila talking either. Although I can say I am a bit buzzed right now–hey it’s 12 noon somewhere in the world. The colors are so saturated that they don’t even look real. This is just a teaser there will be more to come, I am sure of that. It’s time to sip some more Casa Noble.

Windmill Blowing in the Spring Winds, Alice, Texas, © Jay Goodrich

The spring in Washington has be really windy this year. Since this is my first year here, I am not really sure if it happens every year. It seems like every road bike ride is into the wind–both ways–for all of the miles. For this month’s photo I wanted something that would portray that wind. I have captured tons of abstract motion images of this, that and the other thing blowing, moving, and swaying in those winds. After the thousands of images, I have decided that one of my favorite images, is one that I captured a couple of years ago in a place that isn’t even near where I live.

The image is a bit trite, but a technical success nonetheless. I had to figure out a shutter speed to allow me to capture the moving vanes of the windmill while still allowing the viewer to read the manufacturer on the directional fin. It tells the complete story of how I feel almost every day that I head out to shoot, run, or ride recently.

Windmill, Alice, Texas, Canon 1D Mark III, 70-200 f2.8 AF IS lens, Gitzo tripod, Kirk BH-1 ballhead.

Terminator Sculpture, Venice Beach, CA © Jay Goodrich

iPhone you have been targeted for termination. Sorry but you are on your way out. I know you are all thinking that this is impossible, but it is true. I have decided to pitch the iPhone for…the new iPhone 4. Come on, you didn’t seriously think I would ever get rid of my iPhone did you.

I watched Steve Jobs’ keynote last night right about the time the new iPhone went on sale. Jobs started off joking about the whole gizmodo debacle by stating, “stop me if you have already seen this…believe me, you ain’t seen it…the precision of which this is made…its closet kin, is like a beautiful old Leica camera.” Seriously, you had me at,”Hello.” If you are a photographer and his opening doesn’t make you want to go out and buy this thing, I don’t know what will. I am so excited about the upcoming new feature set, that I am trying not to pee my pants. Particularly, when it comes to the camera side of the phone. Jobs discussed that Apple has updated the sensor to a backside illuminated sensor and what that immediately translates to is better pictures. The other key point of the brand new 5 megapixel camera is that they kept the individual pixel size the same and actually increased the size of the sensor. Usually when camera companies increase the amount of pixels, the size of the pixel shrinks, thus so does the quality of the recordable information. Translation: again, better photos. Apple decided to not stop there, and added full resolution HD video at 720p at 30 frames per second. Did I mention that I am drooling to get my hands on this thing.

I smell new iPhone projects. I have been working on a book idea utilizing the iPhone and this past year photographed a one-day, 12 hour project using only the iPhone, but now, the doors have been blown off and the Terminator is walking in. Books, films, web, prints, are all possible. Creative genius unleashed…there are no reasonable excuses. Man I am going to have to step up to the plate now.

As if the camera weren’t enough, they put the iPad processor in this thing. Yes, the A4 processor that is pushing all of those iPad apps is indeed controlling this little hand held device. I have a feeling it is going to scream with speed.

But wait, there’s more…Apple has dubbed the new display the “Retina Display” because of it’s ability to produce a resolution finer than the human retina can see beyond. As Jobs discussed, the human retina can only see 300 pixels per inch, as if that were a small number, so they made the new iPhone display 326 pixels per inch just to be safe. In a 3 1/2″ screen you now get 960 x 640 pixels and an 800:1 contrast ratio. Couple all this with improved battery life and the usual enviro-friendly manufacturing and, did I mention I was going to pee…I feel much better now.

So where do you head from here? Besides your local Apple store or the company’s website? Well with every positive there has to be some kind of negative right? In this write up it comes from AT&T. You are now going to pay more, again, to own this puppy. I can see that they are giving away the 3G plan for the iPad, so I guess it makes perfect sense that they need to make it up somewhere. And that somewhere is in ownership of this new phone. You have to subscribe to 3 separate plans now, one for service, one for data, and one for text messages. Looking at the bright side though, you can now use your brand new iPhone 4 for tethering to your l aptop when you have no Wi-Fi available. Life is about peaks and valleys and gives and takes…or something like that.

I am a little bummed though, because like that trademark of hair that resides on my chin, a white iPhone resides in my pocket and as of yet, I can’t order my phone. I guess I will need to wait some more?

P.S.-The image for this post was captured with my iPhone and processed using only Adobe’s brand new Lightroom 3. Which I will be talking about real soon.

The Thermal Waters of Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP, © Jay Goodrich

Continuing my exploration of Adobe’s new CS5 Master Collection from a recent first post of ours, I have discovered a newly reinvented friend in Photoshop CS5. The Spot Healing Brush Tool has, up until now, never been my favorite tool to fix and remove dust, branches, etc. from an image. It just never seemed to get it right, unless I was using it to clone dust out of a clear blue sky. Now Adobe has brought this tool back from the “Darkside” and in the process made my job of cloning things out of an image almost too easy. If you roll over the above image you will see what I am talking about. In the past cleaning up an image like the above one would have taken hours and the use of multiple tools and possibly layers to get everything right. This morning it was about a 15 minute project and the new image looks almost perfect.

The key to the Spot Healing Brush is in one of the dialogs at the tool’s top menu named Type. In this dialog, a new option has surfaced and it is aptly named Content-Aware. I have to tell you that it works like magic. I don’t know how those brainiac people at Adobe came up with this one, but it is truly amazing to work with on an image.

A simple click and drag is all it took to remove all of the unwanted items in the above photograph. The image above is about color, texture, and lines. With the Content-Aware option for the Spot Healing Brush Tool I was able to make the image solely about that and not about the sticks that have made their way into the waters over time. Soon I will discuss using another tool where this option exists and works just as amazingly–Content-Aware Fill. It allows you to fill any selection and it works like magic too!