We are constantly having this conversation about upgrading cameras. What is the newest neatest thing and how much is going to set me back? I don't know about you, but a camera is a major investment and I don't take that purchase lightly. Just upgrading the newest body isn't going to make you Ansel Adams, although a lot of people think so. I believe you should buy the best Digital SLR or mirror-less camera that you can afford, and keep it for a number of years. I have had my current camera for about 4 years. I am constantly learning new features and pushing it and myself [...]

We live in a time of rapidly advancing technology everywhere, especially when it comes to digital cameras. Long gone are the days of that infrequent film camera purchase, where the type of film you used determined so much. Not so in our digital world. The wear it out, get it repaired cameras seem to be gone, or so it would seem. Now you see new camera models from all leading camera manufacturers hitting the market faster than ever. Keeping digital cameras and passing them down to family members, or using them until they wear out by most consumers is a rare occurrence. Having a look at eBay [...]

Yosemite National Park is one our favorite places to hold our photography workshops and we offer both group and private workshops there. One of our most popular offerings is our private photography workshops in Yosemite. Here are some of the reasons why: Yosemite is Well Loved Yosemite is well loved by people from all over the world, and that’s not always a good thing. We take you to places in the park that the majority of the visitors don’t know about. These locations are not on the tourist bus routes and generally not an easy walk from a parking lot. But at the same time, there are some wonderful locations right [...]

Photographing the Aurora Borealis in Iceland can be an exciting and challenging experience for beginner and advanced photographers alike. Everyone has their own way of accomplishing this. The following steps reflect what you might already know if you’ve been exposed to the milky way or any type of night photography. Aurora Borealis Photography workshops in Iceland. First, the most important thing before you even touch your camera is to set up for the shot. Take a few moments to enjoy this wonder of mother nature. Experience the magic with your naked eye for a few minutes, as the colorful lights dance and whip around before you. This will [...]

Mark Jansen working with a client Beyond everything else, and I think you’ll agree, the greatest thing about landscape photography is that it is a passport to adventure. The camera has always been an excuse to explore nature’s wide open spaces and capture its beauty. The prize is to bring it home and perhaps print it and hang it above your fireplace mantle. Much like hunting and fishing throughout history, with photography (unlike in these pursuits), you will always come back with something hopefully nice. That is, once you’ve learned how to recognize what you’re seeing, conceive it, and capture a compelling image with a strong story. If you’re new to landscape photography, [...]

Have you considered a private photography workshop? Are you considering a private photography workshop? Here are some reasons to consider this option with Jansen Photo Expeditions. Private photography workshops give you flexibility and the ability to shoot where you want when you want. We are also able to offer these workshops mid-week when there are no crowds. This is especially nice in places like Yosemite, Big Sur, Iceland and the Eastern Sierra. Go to this link for more information. Join us for your next private photography workshop with JansenPhotoExpeditions.com Reasons to Take a Private Photography Workshop with Jansen Photo Expeditions from Jansen Photo Expeditions on Vimeo.   Other Articles about Private Photography [...]

With the new changes that have recently come out with the Adobe subscription plan, there are even more reasons to take a good look at your Lightroom plan and be familiar with all the features it offers. With your subscription to the Adobe Photographer’s plan, you receive free use of Lightroom Mobile. Lightroom mobile not only lets you carry your favorite images with you from your desktop version but also lets you create and edit RAW images with your cell phone. […]

Since winter is at our door, I’m sure you have been gearing up for the season and perhaps you’re even thinking about joining us for our upcoming Iceland photography workshop. I thought I would address how mist from all those amazing Icelandic waterfalls can cause frustration. During Iceland’s winter, seldom do these magnificent giant waterfalls freeze completely, so you’ll need to prepare to protect your camera in wet conditions. This blog is geared to the landscape photographer who shoots year-round and wants to learn to deal with wet conditions anywhere they go. Learn From Mark Jansen in This Video I know many of you have been out in the [...]

Yosemite National Park is one our favorite places to hold our photography workshops and we offer both group and private workshops there. One of our most popular offerings is our private photography workshops in Yosemite. Here are some of the reasons why: Yosemite is well loved by people from all over the world, and that's not always a good thing. We take you to places in the park that the majority of the visitors don't know about. These locations are not on the tourist bus routes and generally not an easy walk from a parking lot. But at the same time, there are some wonderful locations right in the heart of the valley, that many people don't know about. [...]

Anyone that lives in California knows that November is the prime month for great sunsets on the Central Coast. The sun is in just the right place in these rugged locations. It reflects on the beaches, as it dances off the Pacific in the late afternoon glow and fades to dark. In much the same way, Iceland offers the best opportunities for some of the rarest light on the planet.  This includes not only the Northern Lights of the Aurora but expansive waterfalls, geothermal formations, unusual morning light and much more! In today’s blog, we wanted to feature 2 of our most exciting workshops when it comes to great light opportunities. The California Central Coast and Iceland. [...]

"L" brackets for your camera are the cool cousin to the "always loosening up on you" single bottom plates.      View Mark's L Bracket Video The simple "L" bracket is for your camera's body and you need one if you're a landscape photographer. L brackets are very useful tools for your digital photography and they mount easily to your camera and give you the flexibility to shoot either in portrait or landscape mount while maintaining your composition. It will keep your composition plane of view level for a book cover or calendar. I will explain what it does and more. After seeing my video above, you won't want to take another landscape photograph without one! If not, I would suggest [...]

On almost every digital photography workshop we have held, one problem our clients seem to stress about is sensor dust cleaning. Many take their cameras to the local camera store if they can find one these days, to have this service done. Or, they end up sending directly to the manufacturer to have the camera sensor cleaning done for an exorbitant price. Learn camera sensor cleaning from Mark Jansen […]

  What are the best wildlife photography lenses and cameras that will work for you? We all like to travel, explore and record our world through the lens, but SmartPhones leave many wanting more when it comes to wildlife photography. It’s difficult to get in close and capture anything of quality you’ll want to keep or print. When it comes to this type of photography, a Digital DSLR or Mirrorless camera is best. […]

With all the new and improved digital and mirrorless camera gear available these days everybody’s out there shooting. That’s mostly what we see in the field, a lot of shooting going on. High capacity memory cards and high-end cameras have pushed information gathering to new limits. But, we are here to tell you, photography is learned and not purchased. Tunnel View: Yosemite Valley […]

Being primarily a landscape photographer, I am always trying to push my images to the next level of attention to create dynamic photography landscapes. Like most, I have this thought in the back of my mind anytime I head out for a shoot, hoping for some magic. Here’s my photographic process. We all spend some time flipping through photography magazines, or scanning through social media photographs until one stops us in our tracks. After a while, you’ll notice that a few of these images have common compositions that tend to pull your eye in and hold it for a moment. You’ll also notice certain patterns and visual references begin to appear. [...]

We are really excited about heading out on this season’s first astrophotography event in the Alabama Hills in the Eastern Sierra. Timing, location, and clear skies are what it’s all about when you plan one of these events. Don’t forget a bit of luck as well. Night sky photography is everywhere. Being in the landscape photography field for over 20 years I’ve seen many changes. Long gone are the days of using film and being happy about capturing long exposure star trails alone. These days, with the advent of high ISO digital cameras, we have the pleasure of spectacular photographs of the Milky Way and many more terrestrial bodies. From highly mysterious light painted [...]

Preparation, observation, persistence and patience and getting beyond the program modes are the key factors for getting your landscape photography on track! These are the 5 secrets for successful landscape photography. Getting great photos these days seems as simple as the point and click of your smartphone, but not if you want to create successful landscape photography. From the latest Digital SLR’s and Mirrorless cameras, everyone is shooting and posting photographs everywhere. Photography is no longer left to the professionals. Great looking imagery is just a pre-programmed green button away, or so it would seem. So many people turn to photography for one plain fact. The digital process has made it a very enjoyable [...]

Yosemite Photography is in my blood.  I’ve been there too many times to count, but my favorite time is winter. Yosemite in winter is the best time of year because it’s quiet. The crowds of summer are gone and just the hardy, adventurous types are there to experience nature at its finest.  On one particular trip,  just two days before Christmas, December 1964 — it was raining like crazy. We were spending the holidays in the Yosemite Valley, just like we did every year. The rain was coming down in buckets. We slept peacefully in our cozy housekeeping cabin at the Yosemite Lodge unaware that the Merced River was starting to [...]

The most common question asked by many people is “How come my photos are never sharp?” Their big concern is that the lens or lenses they already own are not good enough and they need to upgrade. Photography has always been a lens specific pursuit. So much of what we do as photographers are wrapped up in gear. Not surprising, once you enter the sales funnel of the photographic arts, you’ll most likely consume more gear than you ever imagined. When it comes to camera lenses we all have our favorites, getting the most out of them is another story… […]

Last weekend I attended a local art show here in beautiful Camarillo, California. Having spent quite a few years working the Fine Art circuit from Malibu to Santa Barbara, (now guiding workshops and teaching photography with Jansen Photo Expeditions), I have a lot of respect for artists who put their art out there in hopes of a sale or two over a weekend. For them, there is a complete creative circle with their photography or other art forms they pursue. Classic Aviation Photo Murals Located at the Waypoint Cafe, Camarillo California. This art event was a bit different from your regular art fair. This show was paired on [...]

Now that summer has officially kicked in, you are most likely considering quite a few locations for capturing some great imagery. One can certainly cruise the web, or flip through that stack of landscape magazines you’ve been collecting all year to pick a location and find some of those pretty places splashed on their pages. Or perhaps, you’ve opted into quite a few online newsletters, similar to what you’ve seen here and never signed up for a workshop to learn what it’s all about. Maybe you’re hoping to gather some hidden information by cruising the net. […]

Photography has been going through a rapid transformation. With the internet, it’s no longer resigned to the skilled professional. Democracy rules this craft more than ever. This statement has been bounced around for years. While true in some respects, in regards to post processing in Lightroom and Photoshop, it leaves unfilled potholes for many. These potholes are most apparent in the field for landscape photographers. This is where 1 on 1 interaction with an instructor in the field is so important, privately, or in a small group environment. First off, the landscape photography process is a physical activity, paired with the awareness of environmental changes. Mental acuity is required along with [...]

Are you spending a lot of time learning how to use your digital camera and getting the results you hoped for? Learning effective photo editing is easily the other half of creating amazing images with your digital camera. I have been using Adobe Photoshop for many years, but have recently converted to doing the bulk of my editing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Lightroom is a powerful program that offers you easy adjustments to push your editing and your photography from good to great. Advanced digital cameras have come a long way to getting you properly exposed images, but if you don’t know some simple editing techniques, you will be not be getting [...]

I’ve been in the business of teaching landscape and street photography for the last 15 years.  In the early days, the lion’s share of our business was fine art and commercial photography. But after countless requests, I’ve created a foolproof and simple to understand the curriculum. I started offering one on one mentoring to quite a few individuals. I was soon leading private landscape photography workshops and small group landscape photography workshops with my wife Holly. When I’m not leading small group photography Workshops in Yosemite or leading a private photography workshop in Big Sur, or an Iceland small group photography workshop. I teach one on one basic photography workshops in Ventura [...]

Yosemite Falls ©MarkJansenPhotography.com I really had time to think after returning from Yosemite Valley recently. I was struck by the similarities and quality in light of Yosemite Valley and Iceland. They both have great photographic light. We frequently hold photography workshops in both locations for one specific reason, the opportunities for great backdrops, paired with unsurpassed light. […]

After arriving in Big Sur at 10 pm, it was a bit of a challenge getting a place to park our camper for four days. You see most of Big Sur is only available to campers and is very popular especially in the early spring. We decided to just take our chances and arrive without a reservation, and we lucked out by finding a place to call home midway about the coast. We were going to one of our favorite places for a weekend of R and R to enjoy the spring and to look for some secret places to share with our photographic workshop clients at Jansen Photo Expeditions. My [...]

I’ve been gearing up and preparing for our upcoming winter and Yosemite Valley and Iceland winter landscape photography expeditions. The following tips will help you avoid some unpleasant surprises next time you venture into the cold and wet. If you’d like to learn more about preparing for our Iceland workshop, check out this blog. Camera Body: It’s always good to pack a few plastic sandwich bags of various sizes in your kit. If you can also find a few of those clear disposable shower caps you find in hotel rooms, they work great also. You can use them for covering your camera’s body as sits on your tripod in the wet, as [...]

There are so many reasons to photograph Iceland in Winter. The stark contrast between the volcanic black sand and the snow, the ice caves, the glaciers, and the aurora borealis to name just a few. You can only see these scenes in Iceland in winter. But the key to successful winter photography in Iceland starts with the basics. There are incredible views at every turn. Otherworldly landscapes only  seen in Iceland, and every time we go, it’s a little bit different. Iceland is spectacularly beautiful any time of year, but I find it especially compelling in the snow. […]

This amazing stretch of land along California’s central coast has been strangely hidden from view from so many driving up and down it for years. Except for of its widely published Bixby bridge and a few known public beaches, the real Big Sur is largely hidden from view. Big Sur and California’s Highway 1 have been a haunt for beat poets of the 50’s, followed by the hippies of the 60s and 70s. It’s now a known destination for the international tourist to explore by bicycle, car, or rented camper. And don’t forget your standard domestic traveler looking for a weekend stay at many of its numerous “New Age” resorts. […]

. If you’re a native Californian, it’s rare that this fabled coastline has never crossed your mind at one time or another. As a young kid, born in Southern California, I always dreaded car sickness each time we traveled Highway 1, heading North to Big Sur on family vacations. We were always bouncing around while looking out our overhead camper’s window, its winding path triggering my propensity to this affliction. We haunted this scenic Highway, stretching back to the early 1970s, from Morro Bay to Monterey and exploring every little nook and cranny in between. […]

Lobby in Sysco Foods This is a story of the photographic arts and where it could lead to anyone who follows their bliss as a landscape photographer. I used to say, all the photographs I would ever take are already created in me, they are just waiting to be expressed. Each image has a clear purpose, as yet to be revealed. This story started out as a personal photography project and grew into a large corporate installation. As my wife and fellow visionary photographer, Holly, were walking back to our Jeep in the parking lot of one of the largest corporate facilities located here in Ventura County. I looked at my [...]

Hero: Waypoint Cafe, Camarillo, CA I’m sure many people have heard this phrase before, especially when it comes to photography: “The Personal Photography Project”. When you’ve been in the photographic field for a number of years, you sometimes find yourself repeating similar creative patterns with success. While this is good, it sometimes walls you in. You can become complacent and cease to explore new ideas. Pursuing a personal photography project sometimes helps you chip away at those walls and opens new doors to something new and unexpected. This may also solidify a particular new stylistic direction you didn’t expect to travel. I went through this myself a few years back. [...]

Light in the late afternoon and morning often provides the sweetest glow in Yosemite, as it bounces off the towering granite spires at every turn. My wife and I have been traveling to Yosemite all of our lives from Southern California. It has become an essential pilgrimage for us, but only going during the “off” seasons. Being a native Californian, I’m always amazed how many natives have never taken the time to explore and photograph its breathtaking cliffs and majestic waterfalls. […]

How do you know if you're making good photographs? How is it possible to gauge your progress as a photographer without unbiased criticism from family and friends? I'm sure everyone's heard: " I love your pictures, you're such a good photographer." Additionally, social networks don't go much further than giving a thumbs up. Honestly, when was the last time you read anything really bad about a photograph posted on social media? In our millennium generation, image-conscious positive reinforcement world, nobody wants to be a source of negative feedback. So how does the developing photographer know they're actually producing quality work? In the early days, before our connected social media world, the art gallery and fine art [...]

  We arrived at our morning shooting location in Big Sur just as the first color of the morning light was disappearing. As the red light began to fade, the clouds in the distance started to have more definition and the contrast of the sun began to highlight the rock that the lighthouse was perched on. What did I see here and how can I be more intentional about my photography? […]

Finding your photographic vision is a great challenge for many photographers. Many people spend years honing their craft to understand the mechanics of aperture, exposure, and ISO, in addition to understanding their chosen camera’s form and function before heading out on a photo expedition. But many find difficulty constructing solid, engaging imagery once they arrive at a destination beyond the obvious. We live in a world of simple to capture, perfect digital exposures. They have amazing color and sharpness, paired with ever-expanding choices of post-capture image manipulation as well. […]

Are you looking to book a photography workshop or photography expedition?   You love to travel and you’re excited about your new camera and you want to learn to create some amazing landscape images. What a perfect opportunity to try out a photography workshop! I teach photo workshops with www.JansenPhotoExpeditions.com, and in this article, I will give you an idea what to look for when you are considering taking a photography workshop. What to Expect Photography workshops take you to the best places to shoot, and most importantly, an experienced guide will get you to the right place, at the right time, in the right light. In the best photography expedition, you will have [...]

When I approach an iconic landscape photographic location on our photography expeditions these days, I often see other photographers jockeying for position. Some have traveled great distances and most certainly planned for a particular composition. They might have seen it published, and have hopes of repeating it and putting their own twist on it but it is hard to find meaning in photography that way.  Replicating iconic photographs has always been a great way to learn. There comes a time, when one wants to move beyond copying another artist and express their own photographic vision and find their own formula. Most certainly, the original photographers of these iconic spots had some pre-visualization [...]

Captured on Ilford XP2 Super 400 The early dawn of digital photography promised endless quantities of free high resolution, simple to create images. That high tide has certainly been achieved, with the world’s photographic beaches now covered with unimaginable amounts of digitally created images. From iPhone, DSLR and high-end medium format, digital satisfaction is at an all-time high. People seldom mention film these days during our photography classes. […]

Do you know what it means to create depth in your landscape photography? Do your images carry the viewer into the scene and move you from one corner of the image to the other? Are there compelling foregrounds to activate interest?  What about the midpoints and distant views of your scene?  How do the light and shadows play into your composition?  These are all things you need to keep in mind when composing your landscape images. You need to have a clear subject and an intention for your image. […]

Astrophotography is emerging as a new experience for many photographers. The Milky Way is now open territory for all. Imagery with good stories is now being produced using it, pushing night photography to new heights! Camera sensors have become so sensitive to light, and there are great strides in noise reduction software that help create interesting and compelling images with your digital SLR. As amazing as this is, as, with any successful daylight landscape photograph, strong foregrounds and compositions are as critical as ever! The novelty and mystery of the Milky Way images alone are a common place online, just as much as static shots of our closest star, the sun, have been for years. [...]

Culling through an amazing amount of imagery after a long day of shooting can be a daunting task. Whether on a long weekend or on an extended trip, we all go through this in one form or another. You may have one image that you remember on a shoot, that was particularly eventful that sticks in your mind. You quickly go to that one shot as soon as you upload your images. You look at it and you’re not quite sure why it sings louder than the rest. […]

When using a DSLR on the streets and your subjects are human (not architecture), leave those multi-focus long telephoto lenses at home. Prime, single focus lenses 35 to 50 mm, 1.2, 1.4 or 1.8's rule on the streets! They're small and unobtrusive and focus fast when you don't want to make a fuss in some tight urban situations. Remember, fast aperture lenses provide great background blur and isolation, making your subjects pop when those amazing street moments with mankind happen! Get your camera ready for the action before it happens. I always like to take a few quick test shots at a random object to get my exposure and focus right, a light post or street sign will do at about the same [...]

Great landscape photos are captured when the light is optimum. This could be early morning or just as the sun sets and a bit after. Captures are also great on the edge of storms or immersed in them. Dramatic skies rule and will provide great outcomes for the most part. Don't fear stormy condition. Venture into them and explore. Mark, www.JansenPhotoExpeditions.com www.MarkJansenPhotography.com

Pre-Visualize your photo. Build an image in your mind, much like a fine art painter would do before putting paint on canvas. Then, think about the time of day, light, and composition for your image. Attempt to match it as closely as possible to what you see in your mind's eye before your photograph. Work your canvas before committing to your final capture.

Iceland is an impressive and beyond beautiful country. It’s nestled far out in the North Atlantic, 700 miles east of Greenland. It’s located directly where the North American and European tectonic plates collide, boasting one of the most active volcanic regions anywhere. Paired with the nutrient-rich Gulf Stream, as it skirts its dramatic shorelines. This also provides a haven for sea life for Iceland’s traditional commercial fishing industry, and now ecotourism. Its rare combination of elements makes it an amazing geological and natural paradise. It’s a place every serious landscape photographer should put on his or hers to go list at least once in their lifetime. Iceland’s remote backcountry is at the heart of a [...]

San Francisco's Chinatown is an amazing place to explore and photograph. Chinatown is nestled on Grant Street and Stockton Street in San Francisco. As as you explore the streets of San Francisco and approach this area, you're instantly transported into another time and space. Chinatown is just another reason I enjoy walking through and photographing San Francisco. It has a variety of culture and architecture simply accessed. From the echoes of the 60s in the Haight -Ashbury district to one of my favorites, Chinatown. You'll find many trades being practiced throughout Chinatown's narrow and intimate streets and alleys. It's fairly reminiscent of the way many turn of the century American cities operated. From its colorful open farmer's markets dotted [...]

When hitting the city streets for the first time, many newcomers to street photography feel a certain anxiety about photographing people on the streets.  There’s something they should know up front, that might help a bit. Anyone visible in a public space in the United States can be photographed with no consequence to the photographer. […]

The next time you’re planning to go on a shooting trip or you’re heading out on a photography workshop with one great shot in mind, you might also attempt to create a visual story through a series of strong images. Think about a themed project you would like to develop. […]

            Diamond Beach: 2016 Icelandic Tour Details Contrary to popular belief, Iceland is a very developed country at its core. Small and compact, with only 300,000 people. 200,000 of them living in the main capital of Reykjavik. This leaves the remaining population, 100,000 spread throughout it’s remote and sparsely populated countryside. When planning an Iceland Photography Tour, many photographers, have a chance of falling into a certain kind of tourist loop that is not optimal for the serious landscape photographer. That would be the “Golden Circle Blue Lagoon Tourist Route”: the most advertised tour promoted by travel agencies and large discount photo tour operators. […]

With so many images being produced these days, it becomes more important than ever to lock in an eye-catching story. Storytelling and purpose is the cornerstone of photography once you've mastered the fundamentals. Telling a good story is a task that many fall short on in photography. Some have an innate natural ability to do this, while others struggle. No worries, it can be mastered by a few conscious steps. In landscape photography, inserting yourself within the proper elements must be calculated, using structure and atmosphere and timing. For example, colorful sunsets alone will only get you so far in this era of non-stop images being produced. Building a great story around your sunset is [...]

Do you ever wonder how those amazing landscape shots are pulled off? Most likely, they're not created by the lucky opportunist, pulling off the highway during a mid-day road trip. They come about by someone who does careful research and planning. Conversely, if it's a quickly developing opportunity, they know what to do right away with focused attention. These photographers have the experience and gear selected for his or her creative pre-vision and can tap into it quickly. They know what lens to use and what aperture. They have a solid tripod adjusted and ready. They can quickly gather all the elements before them that are needed to create an amazing landscape shot. Proper equipment [...]

Whether you’re shooting a DSLR, mirrorless, or even film, all cameras do the same thing once you dig through the array of options packed within. They capture light onto a light-sensitive emulsion or sensor. Each camera comes with a complete array of adjustments to sculpture light as it passes through the lens. Understanding these basic adjustments takes some time, but once mastered will provide the photographer with an unending pallet of creativity and control. […]

We live in a world of amazing technology, everything is at your fingertips. iPhones are so simple to use and take great shots right of the box. Many are seduced by the quality of smartphone images, and capturing interesting images with them in classic photographic destinations. They are encouraged by family members that they have an ability not yet tapped and that they should move on to bigger fish, that being the digital SLR, or mirrorless camera. In the beginning, the big purchase camera has the security of those green program auto DSLR settings and in-camera Jpeg camera processing of images. That will only suit them for a while as [...]

We live in the days of constantly evolving technology. New techniques of photo enrichment, manipulation, and photographic stylings are flowing like water with every software developer screaming for our attention. When something new hits the net or social media social outlets, it’s immediately consumed copied and reproduced with slight variations by many! The new and the different stand apart for a time., but the magic soon fades. Remember overdone HDR? […]