VISIONS by JAK WONDERLY

The Real Tree of Life

SiteOwner — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:37:46 +0000

I don’t keep a written journal, and my calendar is a mess. My photographs, however, are neatly organized and I can stroll through my life almost a day at a time by reading the names of the folders on my hard drive and skimming their contents.

04 28 2010 Arbol del Tule – Santa Maria Mexico

As I view the photos I remember what the light was like there, the sounds of the birds and children, and then more personal details like what was going on in my life and with my loved ones on that day. While adjusting the exposure, color, and sharpness in Lightroom my vision of that moment becomes clear. This tree is not just an extraordinary slice of nature, it stands as a powerful symbol in my psyche.

When we have the opportunity to photograph anything around us in any way we choose, the images may become messengers.

I’m fortunate to have old-growth redwoods nearby, and walking among those trees I always sense that everything we have ever needed as a species is right there in the forest.

If you love trees, take a look at this wonderful series of tree portraits by noted photographer Beth Moon.

Árbol del Tule, located deep in southern Mexico, has the stoutest trunk of any tree in the world. It measures nearly 120′ around, and is believed to be at least 1,400 years old.

practice practice practice

SiteOwner — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:45:15 +0000

We are not always going to be in a moment of incredible subject, background, and light. We may often get one of the three, or even two, but to have them all come together at the same time isn’t that common. Once I understood that this was often the difference between a decent photo and a great one, a level of frustration set in. Why bother creating most of these images? I would look at the scene before me and just say “not bad, but it won’t be a portfolio piece, so… eh.”

Take the photos anyway. Squeeze every juicy ounce of light and inspiration out of the scene. You’ll learn much more taking the photos than if you simply pack up and going home.

Do you think a major-leage ballplayer doesn’t swing the bat unless he is in a big game with 30,000 people watching?

The more I practice my photography, the more prepared I am to masterfully capture split-second miracles in a photograph when those moments do present themselves.

These images were taken in harsh light. I worked them anyway. These are all with the old Rolleiflex on Kodak film; the funky manual camera is my version of cross-training.

Catching Beauty

SiteOwner — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:27:05 +0000

Over Easter weekend I was remembering my time photographing Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Mexico. The whole-hearted involvement of the community was inspiring to watch. As spring arrives and the area is increasingly busy with festivals, parades, and outdoor activities, I’ll be looking for opportunities to get out and document life.

My favorite photos are ones that are not staged or manipulated, but rather simply caught life from a beautiful perspective.

Candid street photo of religious procession at dusk: San Miguel de Allende, GTO, Mexico

More images from Semana Santa in Mexico

The Prophet in macro

SiteOwner — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:36:37 +0000

E-books are great but old, beat-up leather books are better. This one is practically falling apart, but it has great texture, fits in my back pocket, and has been around much longer than I have.

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

On Beauty…

And beauty is not a need but an ecstasy.

It is not a mouth thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth,

But rather a heart enflamed and a soul enchanted.

It is not the image you would see nor the song you would hear,

But rather an image you see though you close your eyes and a song you hear though you shut your ears.

Canon 5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50mm 1.4, Canon 25mm Extension Tube

Celebrity Portraits and Photoshop

SiteOwner — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:17:18 +0000

What retouchers can do with Photoshop never ceases to amaze me. How far the advertising industry goes to manipulate our perception of the world and our fellow humans – well, that I often find troubling.

This photo gallery of before and after Photoshop treatment of celebrities showed up on Mashable and has been making the rounds on social media. We’ve seen this type of thing before. Digging a little deeper, I find the examples shown are part of a paper discussing a possible metric for labeling exactly how far images used in advertising have been manipulated. Several countries have considered passing legislation making such labels mandatory.

So how much is too much? What do you think?

I usually only do human portraits when they are part of a larger body of work for a client, or of friends and family. This photo gallery reminded me of one portrait assignment I did take on – of accomplished folk guitarist Nina Gerber for The Press Democrat. In strict editorial work, any photo manipulation is prohibited. So here is my version of a completely unedited celebrity portrait.

*Article on Nina Gerber in The Press Democrat, written by Laurie Weed

Canon 5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50mm 1.4 lens, cropped and white balance adjusted in Adobe Lightroom

p.s. I had a great time on this one because Nina just played the guitar, as only she can, the whole time I was with her.

Horse Play

SiteOwner — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:22:59 +0000

Model Sarah Hallas with friend at the Rockin H Ranch in Petaluma

Photography in reverse

SiteOwner — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:50:52 +0000

The best way to photograph white-water rafting is perhaps from the rapids. I had so much fun on this trip with Rogue Wilderness Adventures. The “camera boat” would go into the rapids first, and I would hang out the back of the boat, photographing the “model boat” as they made the run.

Wet? The guides are excellent and know every part of the river, and tipped me off to when we were really going to get soaked. I’d set my gear in a Pelican case and close the water-tight lid for those sections of the river. We lashed the case to the boat to keep it from flying out. I also made sure I had very good insurance in case everything took a swim. In 4 days of photography my equipment stayed dry (enough).

Brad Niva runs an excellent operation that consistently wins excellent reviews from top travel editors; check out his website for a wide variety of exciting trips through pristine wilderness. And you’ll see more of my work throughout the site.

Always looking

SiteOwner — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:34:21 +0000

Like many other photographers, I just can’t help it. I can’t not take photos. This image was made while getting ready to do riding and conformation photos of a stallion. The trainers were busy grooming the horse, and I spent that time looking for small artistic details; hose, hoofs, shampoo bubbles, wet mane.

Anderson, CA – November 2011

Equestrian Family

SiteOwner — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:09:04 +0000

Mother and daughter after a sunset horse (and pony) ride

Sebastopol, CA – September 2011

Yellow Brick Road

SiteOwner — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:29:18 +0000

Centuries-old cobblestone street in San Miguel de Allende, GTO, Mexico, photographed by streetlight

March 2010