2011 Workshops............ Michael Gordon and Guy Tal

Folks,……. First just a bit of housekeeping. My website has been down for a few days and I hope its back up later today (Changing servers!)…..Please contact me via email with questions etc. jack@jackgrahamphoto.com .

Below is information on my 2011 workshop schedule, how to register and some great discounts. Again contact me with questions

Finally I would like to bring some attention to 2 great photographers and 2 good guys. I always learn from other photographers. Both Michael Gordon and Guy Tal are at the top of my list for inspiration. I know you will feel the same . Take a minute and see their work and visit their web sites. You will soon see why I feel the way I do about their work. Additionally, they are truly great human beings. It is an honor to call them my friends.

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PRINT of the MONTH

Sunrise on Mono Lake

This months special image is in fact very special to me. Next month I’ll be leading my 15th annual workshop to that those of us who love the area call “the East Side”, that being the Eastern Sierra’s of California. Even after numerous sunrises and sunsets at Mono Lake, I always have the same exhilaration upon arriving in the dark and usually cold conditions, just like the 1st time I visited.

This image was taken last year on a cold but beautiful morning. Note the fog lifting off the lake in the background.

To commemorate my 15th year on the “east side” I am offering a limited edition print, as shown above, signed, double-matted and mounted using museum quality materials, in a 16″ x 24″ white mat for the price of $150.00, including shipping within the 48 US states.

Normal pricing on this size would be $290.00. I will be printing only 50 prints of this image. Each print comes with a signed certificate of authenticity.
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2011 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE: After careful planning my 2010 workshop schedule is now available I have posted some updated information for these workshops on my website. You can access this information here:2011 Workshop Schedule.v3. General information regarding my workshops (FAQ’S) can be found here: #2 DW_GENERAL WORKSHOP QUESTIONS_FAQ’S INFORMATION

Registration FORMS: ( can be mailed or emailed back–deposit information included in reg form) REG MASTER 2011

New locations like Redwood National Park, NE Ohio (Cuyahoga NP and the area), Yellowstone, Teton and Yosemite National Parks, as well as 2 special workshops here in Oregon highlight the 2011 schedule. A very special overnight pack trip up to Hunt’s Mesa followed by a day in Mystery Valley ( within Monument Valley) will also be one to remember..

All workshop locations are those at I specialize in. I want tobe able to deliver the best workshop you’ve ever done and provide you the very best value and experience. If guides are required ( typically in Navajo country), I use t best available.

There are a few tentative workshops that are noted as of today. I am working to firm up these

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WORKSHOP DISCOUNTS 2011 ……………………… Here are a few ways to save.

1)FREQUENT FLYER DISCOUNT: If you are repeat attendee you are entitled to an ongoing 10% discount off future workshops

2) PRE REGISTER before Jan 1, 2011 and receive an additional 10% discount

3) ARE YOU A NANPA MEMBER? North American Nature photographers Association www.nanpa.org . If so, include your NANPA # and accept another 10% discount

4) BRING ANOTHER PHOTOGRAPHER. You’ll get discounts as applied and your friend ( must be a participating photographer) gets a 1/2 price discount on his or hers first workshop.

5) REFER a FRIEND . Refer a friend to a workshop ( you need not be there) and I’ll offer you either a $50.00 allowance off a future workshop or send you a check for $25.00 after your friend completed his or her workshops

6) BUY 4 get one FREE. Yes I have a few customers in the 3,4,5 workshop category… Simple… buy 4 get one free!

Restrictions: These offers DO NOT apply for workshops under $250.00 or for workshops outside the 48 stats of America. Offers DO NOT apply to workshops that are under the auspices of the Great American Photography Workshop or any other workshop company. Only the pre registration discount will apply to the tentative workshop in August with Mike Moats and Bill Fortney.

Please email me jack@jackgrahamphoto.com or call me 503-625-1430 directly for registration. I accept all major credit cards.

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MICHAEL GORDON www.michael-gordon.com

I’ve known Michael for a few years now. We used to kid around with each other regarding always running into each other in some pretty remote areas. It really got to be pretty strange that we always seemed to be in the same places as often as we were. We have spent a lot of time discussing photography from the business standpoint to the creative stand point. Last fall Michel and a few other photographers camped for a few nights up on Tioga pass, near Yosemite and the Eastern Sierra. It was a blast sitting around the fire and exchanging stories and information. We’re going to try to do it agin in a few weeks.

Michael photographs with a 4”x5” view camera and film and is a great lover and protector of nature and the wilderness. Michael’s focus in his work, is that of interpreting the intimate and overlooked landscapes, in black & white mostly in California.When you visit his website www.michael-gordon.com and see his images, you will notice the use of textures and forms both in the unusual and ephemeral. Through his work he as succeeded in portraying land and the gifts it’s given back to him.

Below are 3 images with Michael’s comments

Calligraphy ©Michael Gordon

Despite the plethora of moving rock tracks located on Death Valley NP’s Racetrack Playa, I had never quite seen any this graceful and downright artistic in their form. On this particular day, a couple of friends and I enjoyed the Racetrack to ourselves, reveling in the cosmic nature of the place and the remoteness and grandeur of the setting. On the walk back to the car, I spotted this arrangement, and I always know I’ve stumbled onto a good image when the endorphin-like excitement obscures my ability to think about little else besides making the photograph. Visions of this photograph excited and haunted me until the following day when I set up on it to expose a sheet of film. Although it doesn’t happen often, I conceived the title before I made the exposure.

Joshua Trees, Indian Summer Sky©Michael Gordon

As a southern California native who has seen and lived near Joshua trees his whole life, far too many years passed before I realized just how unique and photogenic they are. A few years ago I began photographing them in earnest, and my efforts resulted in a new series of images (seen on my website): The Joshua Tree

Untitled:

Many photographers limit their potential by blindly following “the rules” regarding what constitutes “good light” and good subjects. I made this particular photograph during mid-morning hazy overcast light. It was many hours after sunrise, and in theory, this photograph is essentially subject-less and composed only of light (presumably “bad light” given the time of day I made the photograph). This image does not convey well at web resolutions, but most who view it in print form are stopped cold by it. This photograph challenges the viewer to figure out what they are looking at (Western Grebe’s floating on a calm Salton Sea) and challenges the photographer to see beyond their normal limits of seeing

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GUY TAL www.scenicwild.com

I first came across Guy’s work on The Naturephotogrphers Network ( www.naturephotogrphers.net) probably about 10 years ago now. I was quickly attracted to his style and his creativity. We exchanges a print and to this day, it on the wall here in my office,right in front of me for inspiration. Like Michael, Guy is widely published and has numerous credits to his name in nature photography.

Not only a photographer, Guy is also a writer, and naturalist living and working in the Colorado Plateau, in Torrey, Utah. Utah is one of the most scenic and diverse desert regions in he world. This magical and endangered landscape is not only Guy’s home, but also his sanctuary and main source of inspiration.

To quote Guy’s bio on his website….
” I am often asked about the visual qualities of my work and how they relate to the elusive concept of “reality”. I strongly believe that photography is the most restrictive of the visual arts but at the same time also has the potential to make the most impact with the viewer for one simple reason: photographs have a binding connection with real events, real elements, real light, and real moments in time.”

“Any obvious departure from these realities will cause an image to be dismissed outright regardless of any other aesthetic qualities it may possess. The photographic artist’s tools are primarily well-crafted composition and careful adjustments of the captured image within very narrow margins.”

Badlands in Bloom

Recently Guy has opens up a gallery in Torrey Utah. I hope to get over there in 2011. As well guy has published his third E-Book, I finished reading it last night and highly recommend it. YOu can order it via download on Guy’s website www.scenicwild.com