Want to Work With Patagonia? Read This Interview; Fall Photo Contest Deadline Tomorrow

Rob Haggart of aPhotoEditor.com has access to some great people inside the outdoor adventure industry. This interview is no exception. As long a I can recall, working with and getting published by Patagonia was a highly sought after opportunity for outdoor photographers. Rob interviewed Patagonia photo editor Jenning Steger and asks some great questions and gets some great answers that will interest any outdoor shooter looking to work with Patagonia and any other outdoor equipment manufacturers. And of course, the interview features some stunning imagery.

Chasing the Light photo competition’s deadline is tomorrow for entering their Autumn Colors contest. If you read this post you will know that Chasing the Light markets the competition to photo buyers and photographers are seeing their images sell as a result. If you did any fall shooting of autumn colors you just might wish to enter this contest and see if you can make a sale.

And if you have any interest in becoming a National Geographic Explorer, read this article on how to do it over at the Wend Magazine blog.

‘Chasing The Light’ Photo Competition is Not Your Ordinary Contest

We all know about photo competitions. It seems there is one everywhere run by everybody. You pay your fee and maybe your image is chosen and the world can view it.

But Chasing the Light is a bit different. It is like others, a juried competition, but here they actually market the event to art directors and photo buyers.

The winners of the competition have their images marketed and photographers are making sales! Sales include National Geographic, Sierra Club Calendars, and publishers.

Here is a competition worth checking out. Their next competition is titled: Water, Water, Everywhere followed by Autumn-Transition to Color. … Continue Reading

The First Outdoor Photo Expo Held in Salt Lake City, August 4-5, 2011

Nielsen Expositions released official details and the schedule for seminars, special events, and the keynote presentation for its first annual Outdoor Photo Expo (OPE) in Salt Lake City August 4-5, 2011. During the two-day event, seminar attendees will receive an inspiring and well-rounded education in a variety of topics including the latest shooting techniques, self-promotion and marketing, copyright protection, lighting, multimedia, and shooting HD video with a DSLR, from some of the most respected and successful outdoor and adventure photographers in the world. … Continue Reading

Highlights from the Nature Photography Convention

The Nature Photography Summit sponsored by the North American Nature Photographers Association just wrapped up in McAllen, TX and once again, it was an event rich in inspiration, motivation, phenomenal photography, and wonderful photographers.

The convention center is packed with like minded people; those who share a passion for nature photography. And many have come from all over the world like: Australia, Mexico, Holland, and elsewhere.

There have been some fabulously enjoyable informative and educational breakout sessions covering a wide range of subjects covering more subjects and sadly for me, I could attend them all. But here is a list to give you an idea: … Continue Reading

Why I Never Miss a NANPA Summit

I try my best to never miss a NANPA Summit! That’s the photo convention sponsored by the North American Nature Photographers Association. There are so many reasons to attend. With all the great speakers, workshops, breakout sessions and the tradeshow, there are plenty of good things happening that make attending a wonderful experience.

I enjoy the speakers and seminars, learn a great deal, and go home highly inspired and motivated. Besides the events, one of the reasons I keep returning is the personal experience that the Summit provides. It’s the connections I make with other photographers who share the same passion for outdoor nature photography that I do.

I’ve been a professional photographer for a long time. 30 years to be exact. When I was a student in photography school way back, I wandered the California Sierras and desert with my fellow classmates photographing some of our school assignments.

Later, while my career was still young, I continued to travel with a small group of fellow photographers. We explored and photographed all over the West, camping in the middle of nowhere and sleeping in our trucks.

We bonded, we shared techniques and information, drank a beer or two, and created fabulous photographs! … Continue Reading

Nature Photography Convention March 9th – 12th, 2011

The North American Nature Photographers Association’s (NANPA) annual convention is scheduled for March 9 – 12, 2011 in McAllen, Texas. As is customary for NANPA, they have an all-star line up of speakers, workshops, and seminars.

Speakers include such well known names as nature photographer Jack Dykinga, conservation photographer Daniel Beltra, underwater photographer Michelle Westmorland, and nature photographer Kathy Adams Clark.

Some excellent wildlife photography field trips are planned including the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Estero Llano Grande State Park, and Javelina-Martin Refuge, and more.

An impressive offering of breakout sessions includes: Common Mistakes Photographers Make; Songbird Photography; Wildlife Filmmaking; The Ethics of Image Manipulation; Getting the most from RAW Files; Color management; Digital Workflow; Book Publishing; Social Media for Photographers; and much more.

And then the trade show with the latest and greatest in equipment, tour offerings, and books.

If you are serious about nature photography, there is no better concentration of like minded photographers all congregated in one place.You should register before the prices go up!

For more info, visit the NANPA website.

Nikon Small World Competition Now Open

Nikon announced that the Small World competition is now open.  Featuring some of the most stunning and other-worldly images of life seen through a microscope, this competition is open to all photographers (except employees of Nikon or those in the microscope business) who have used a light microscope to capture the image.

The Nikon Small World 2010 winners are featured on the website along with galleries of all winners dating back to 1977.  Jonas King is the 2010 winner with his image of a Mosquito’s heart….yes you read that correctly, a mosquito’s heart, photographed using fluorescence microscopy.

For some fun viewing and colorful imagery, check it out.

British Wildlife Photography Award Winners and New Book

The winners of the British Wildlife Photography Awards have been announced along with the book featuring many of the contest entries. The first place image by Steve Young shows a Gull about to be hit by a impressive ocean wave. Other unique images include a Mountain Hare hiding amongst snow drifts by Ben Hall and my favorite by Lynne Newton; tall grasses covered with Dragonfly’s covered in dew.

There are many stunning wildlife images from many other photographers and one category in the competition was to focus on species that are fighting for survival.  The BWPA specifically called for images of species that will not be here in the future without conservation efforts. Steve Young’s winning Seagull image is quite commonly seen, yet apparently seagull numbers are not once they once were.

For the first time a coffee table book has been published showcasing the entries and winners and you can order a copy here.

Backpacker Magazine Has an Opening for a Photography Intern

If you are an outdoor and nature photographer just getting started you may want to consider applying for the internship now available at Backpacker Magazine.

This could be a great opportunity to learn a lot in a short time.  You can read the post here and as they mention one thing the intern will do is work with contributing photographers. That there is an opportunity to meet top pros and who knows where that could go…an assisting job maybe?

They also mention you will work with the staff on photo layouts, studio shoots, and more. And when it ends you will have a solid foot in the door.

Sounds like a great op!

Black Hills Photo Shootout Announced

The first annual Black Hills Photo Shootout has been announced and yours truly has been invited as one of the lecturers. I will be joining legendary nature photographer; George Lepp, as well as Chad Coppess, the South Dakota Department of Tourism Senior Photographer.

Other noted workshop leaders are Les Voorhis, Steve Babbit, Dick Kettlemen, Jerry Rawlings,  and Paul Horstad.

I will be leading seminars on Mastering Digital Landscape Photography, Flash Photography: The Mystery Revealed, and Photoshop for Nature Photographers.

Other events include Ghost Towns, Mt. Rushmore, and Wildlife tours.

See ya there!