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A note about spamming.
I only send this newsletter to people that have signed up for it over the last 10 years either on my website, at a show, art faire, a gallery I was showing in or former workshop participates, collector or former client. Because of technical issues I've only recently started sending out this newsletter to my entire mailing list, so you may have been signed up a number of years ago but are just receiving your first or second newsletter. If you feel you're receiving this newsletter in error or simply no longer wish to receive it you can unsubscribe via the link at the bottom of the newsletter. Thank You, Edward Mendes.
Newsletter - May 2011
Greetings Everyone,
It's been a while since my last newsletter, December in fact, so this is the first one of 2011. I hope the first half of the year finds you well. For myself it's been a very busy five months filled traveling, leading workshop and creating new images.
As I know you're aware it's been a surprisingly strange year in terms of weather, something that's been experienced by much of the country. Rain, snow and cold weather has lingered through much of the calendar so far. In fact I was in Yosemite National Park just 10 days ago and was surprised to see a valley covered in snow. As a photographer I look at such oddities as opportunities and try to make the most of them, after all it's this unique weather and light that makes for great photographs.
Even though the weather hasn't been exactly normal it's been a great spring for dogwoods in Yosemite National Park, a bit later than usual but wonderful when they finally popped.
My wife Sarah and I are gearing up for our trip to Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park for my upcoming workshop. It's been a few years since I've been to Jackson Hole and I'm very excited to go back. It should be a wonderful workshop!
As the Memorial day weekend approaches I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks to the families that have lost a loved one while serving in the armed forces. It's you're sacrifice that has protected this country and is why we set aside a special day of remembrance. Thank You!
Warm Regards,
Edward Mendes
May 2011
New Release - Spring Tranquility, Yosemite NP
There really isn’t a better time to visit Yosemite National Park then during the spring. This special time of year brings together all things that make the park great, flowing waterfalls, blooming dogwoods, roaring rivers and so much more.
I was visiting Yosemite Valley for a private workshop I was leading; the day had been a very long one as I started my journey to the park at 2:30am to meet my clients for a sunrise shoot. I was accompanied by heavy rain as I made the drive to the park and as I entered the valley the rain turned to snow, I could tell the day may be an adventure.
While I have my fair share of big, grand landscapes with dramatic sunset light, the majority of my work features the smaller details of nature that are all around us. For this type of work the even light of an overcast day is perfect and that’s exactly what we had to work with.
I have a favorite stretch of river in Yosemite that I like to walk and look for compositions across the water. Spring is the best time to do this as the water in the Merced River is high and the beautiful dogwoods that line the banks are in bloom making for a lovely subject. I had noticed a fallen tree leaning against another while scouting the week before and took a few images that I was happy with however the dogwoods weren’t in full bloom just yet. When I returned this time however, BOOM, the banks of the river was covered with them and added that extra element to the image that was missing the week before.
I setup my tripod and camera on the only foundation I could find, a very unsteady fallen tree, and started to compose the image. I placed the shoreline of the river in the bottom of the frame and used the moving water of the river as a foreground subject. The use of threes in an image is always a good thing so I framed the image left to right keeping the three redwoods in the image and placing one in each third of the image using their vertical lines to carry the viewer’s eye through the image. I made a number of exposures as the patterns in the water changed with each.
I found a wonderful sense of peace while making this image, the cool temperatures, sound of the rushing river and beautiful forest in front of my lens brought a feeling of tranquility to myself that I hope translates in the image.
Spring Tranquility is available in sizes from 11×14 to 30×40 and would make the perfect compliment to any home or office decor. Purchasing information can be found here. Art consultant or Designer? Please contact me for a quote based on your project’s needs, 209-541-1815 or
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Image Information
Nikon D7000
Nikon 18-200 VRII Lens
Circular Polarizer
Special Pricing for Newsletter Subscribers.
As always my newsletter subscribers receive a 15% discount off any fine art prints and free shipping anywhere in the Continental US, just enter code "Newsletter" at checkout. Just click on the image above for purchasing info. If you're interested in more information regarding my fine art pieces please visit my information pages Fine Art Pricing, The Process or of course the Gallery to view my images.
Upcoming Grand Teton Workshop - Save $100
There are still a few openings available for my upcoming Grand Teton in Spring workshop. Grand Teton National Park is one of the most beautiful in the entire national park system and perhaps my favorite. The workshop is geared to coincided with the peak of wildflower season and will feature field sessions at the most stunning locations in the park during the best light.
In addition to the beautiful locations we'll be shooting, the middle of the days will be used for discussions, lessons, and print sharing in an informal classroom setting. You'll also have time to work on your images under my guidance, so bring your laptop. I keep the workshops very small, usually no more than 8 participates, so I can give personal attention to everyone.
As always, one of my goals for the workshops is to make them available for everyone and to fit everyone's budget. I truly believe these are the best workshops available.
Save $100 by entering coupon code "teton100" at check out!
Interested in other upcoming workshops? Please check out the workshop page of my website. There you can find both general information regarding the workshops or specific information on each.
Yosemite in Spring Workshop Recap
I've recently returned from my annual Yosemite in Spring workshop which took place the first weekend in May. Spring is one of the most beautiful times to visit Yosemite as the dogwoods are blooming, the waterfalls are flowing and everything is starting to come alive.
I had a fantastic group of photographers join me for the workshop, we had a wonderful time and made a ton of great images. As with all my workshops I like to write a short recap of the weekend on my blog. If you're interested in how one of my workshops run head on over and give it a read.
. Manfrotto is one of the industry's leading manufactures and distributors of tripods and professional photographic equipment. I've been using their equipment for many years and have always been happy with their wonderful line of tripods.
They've recently started the School of Xcellence blog and have brought together some of the top and most respected professional photographers working today from all fields, portraits, weddings, fine art, nature etc. I couldn't be more excited and honored to be included in such a wonderful endeavor and with such a talented group of photographers.
My column started running in March and will continue through at least January of 2012. If you would like to read the articles already published I've included links below. Please feel free to share the columns with your friends or comment on them. Thanks!
For all you photographers out there both Hasselblad and Sigma has announced new professional camera during the last few days. Sigma's new camera, the SD1 is going to be their new flagship professional camera. Featuring a 45 mega-pixel Foreon X3 sensor, which captures pixel information similarly to traditional film, the camera is a no frills options that simply gets the job done. Retail pricing with lens will be in the $8,500 range and no release date has been set.
Medium format manufacture Hasselblad has also announced the newest in their line of high resolution medium format options. Based on there wonderful HD4-50 camera which delivers 50 mega pixels, the new camera will gift it's users with a whopping 200 mega pixels! How will it do this you ask? With a moving sensor apparently. The camera will actually take a series of images during each exposure with the image sensor moving slightly in the process. The series of images will then be combined into a single 200 mega-pixel image. It's a very interesting idea however it's being said that each complete multi-image exposure takes at least 30 seconds to take and combine so using the camera for anything except photographing non-moving objects is out of the question. BTW, it's ringing in at a big $45,000.
It will be interesting to see the response to each of these new cameras as they're released over the coming months. Sigma's camera is a bare bones professional camera that can get the job done, but doesn't include things like 1080p video, dual memory card slots, SD memory capability and more for a price tag that is higher than it's Nikon and Canon counterparts...which do include these things.
The Hasselblad on the other hand is a great piece of technology but with serious limitations. With the extreme times to create a single image the camera is obviously geared toward commercial shooters working in the product and architectural fields. The question is however, are all these mega-pixels really necessary? Today's 16-24mega-pixel cameras are capable of making beautiful prints of 40 inches in length with careful processing. Higher pixel medium format camera that are already on the market, such as Hasselblads' 50 meg camera, can create stunning mural sized images. So, the question to me is what advantages, besides bragging rights, does a 200 maga-pixel camera bring to the table? Answer...I'm not sure.
On the Trail
I'll be on the road creating new images soon, here are a few places I'll be in the coming months. If you see me out on the the trail be sure to say "Hi!"
Grand Teton National Park..........June 4th through 11th
Mount Rainer NP.........................August or September (fingers crossed)
Yosemite High Country...............August or September I hope Mono Lake Area.........................October (Fall Colors Workshop and Scouting)
Big Sur Coast.............................Anytime!
Lets network
It seems like everyone is on social networks like Facebook and Twitter and guess what, I'm no different. If you'd like to keep up-to-the-second on what I'm doing check out my profile on some of the sites below, add me as a friend or follow my Twitter.
Copyright 2011 Edward Mendes Photography
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