National Geographic Launches 2010 Photo Contest

National Geographic has always been filled with amazing photos. In fact, it is one of the hallmarks of the magazine and one of the reasons we love it so much. To highlight some of the best photographs taken each year, Nat Geo hosts a photography contest, and the 2010 edition is now underway, allowing photographers to submit their images in a digital format directly from the website.

The entry process couldn't be more easy, you simply need to create (or using an existing) NatGeo website account to login to the submissions page. From there, you can upload your photographs directly, filling in the necessary information as you go. There are three category areas, People, Places, and Nature, and there is a $15 entry fee applied per photograph. The deadline for entry is November 30th of this year, so you'll want to start sifting through your images now to find the best ones for submission.

The winner of this year's contest will be rewarded handsomely. First place winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize and a trip to Washington DC in January to attend the 2011 National Geographic Photography Seminar. The winning photo will also be published in an upcoming issue of the magazine, which is reward enough for many amateur and professional photographers.

To give you an idea of what the judges like, take a look at last year's winners in this gallery and check out some of the other entries in this gallery. Beautiful stuff. I really need to work more on my photos.

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Mt. Kailash Trek and Photo Workshop For 2011

For the past couple of years, Jon Miller of The Rest of Everest fame and Chris Marquardt from Tips From The Top Floor have hosted high altitude treks that have combined visits to Mt. Everest with photo workshops. Participants on the trek had the opportunity to visit both the North and South sides of the mountain while gaining valuable insights into shooting photography and videography in one of the best locations on the planet.

Now, the pair have spun off those very successful excursions into a new venture, launching the website HimalayanWorkshops.com today to support their future expeditions into the region. With that launch they've also announced that the 2011 workshop will take place on Mt. Kailash, a 21,778-foot peak located in western Tibet, that is a spiritual crossroads for Buddhists and Hindus alike.

The trek will begin on Sunday, April 17th, 2011 in Kathmandu and run to May 3rd. In between, the team will hike and drive their way through the Mt. Kailash region, exploring this beautiful area, while conducting the "highest photography workshops in the world." Cost for the three week trip is $5999 with registration opening on Sunday, Oct. 17th.

To find out more about the trek, the trip leaders, the setting, and more, click here.

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Update On Great Bear Rainforest Expedition

A few days back I posted an interesting story about a group of nature photographers from the iLCP who were making an expedition through the Great Bear Rainforest in Canada in an attempt to raise awareness about the place and the threats posed to it from encroaching oil interests. Since I wrote that initial post, the team has returned to civilization and shared their thoughts, as well as a fantastic gallery of photos they took on the journey.

After spending two weeks exploring the rainforest, the group of photographers, who included the likes of Daniel Beltrá, Paul Nicklen, and Joe Riis, returned with some spectacular images, but more importantly they are sharing the message that a pipeline built through that wilderness could be potentially devastating for the animals that live there. Enbridge Inc. has proposed the creation of a 750-mile long twin pipeline to move oil from the Alberta tar sands to Kitimat along the coast. A move that would also introduce tankers to that pristine and remote coast for the first time. It should also be noted that Enbridge is the company that is responsible for the oil spill in Michigan as well.

As you can probably imagine, the expedition recommends against building a pipeline there, with iLCP founder and president Cristina Mittermeier saying “The ecosystems here are so interconnected that an oil spill would devastate not only the landscapes and seascapes but the communities that rely on them for their survival.” While the area is home to the second largest oil reserves in the world, the team feels that at this time there is no safe, and clean, way of tapping those reserves without destroying a natural landscape that is amongst the best on the planet.


The images that the team of photographers captured are some of the best ever from the GBR. They've posted an online gallery of more than 90 photos that you can check out for yourself by clicking here. After examining these beautiful shots, you'll understand why it is so important to protect this place. Not only do they inspire me to want to visit the rainforest myself, they also inspire me to want to be a better photographer. Amazing stuff.

[Photo by Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier]

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Learn To Shoot Like The Pros At The Outside Workshop

One of the hallmarks of Outside Magazine over the years has been its great photos, and now, thanks to their upcoming photography workshops, you can learn to shoot like the pros from the pros themselves. For four days, beginning October 19th, and running through the 23rd, lucky amateur and pro photographers, will descend on Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they'll have the opportunity to get great tips and training from some of the best photographers in the business today.

Three great professionals will be on hand to help teach their craft, and each of them has a very different speciality. For instance, Jimmy Chin is perhaps the best outdoor/adventure photographer in the world, while Kurt Markus is known for his cultural and fashion photography. They'll be joined by Robert Maxwell, who has earned a reputation for exceptional portraits that are virtually unmatched by any other photographer.

The four day workshop includes lectures, demonstrations and round table discussions, as well as assignments and field work to help attendees get the full "hands-on" experience. There will also be seminars that focus on the digital workflow, as well as visits to local Santa Fe photo galleries, portfolio reviews, and a whole lot more. Outside editors and photographers will also be on hand to lend their expertise as well.

The workshop is limited to just 45 seats and registration is open now. Click here to get in on the fun.

(As a side note, as someone who is working on becoming a better photographer, I'd love to attend a workshop like this one and have the chance to learn from Jimmy Chin!)

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Back From Montana and Yellowstone, Photos To Share!

After spending the better part of last week in Montana and Yellowstone National Park, I'm home again and ready to get back to work. I had an absolutely wonderful time traveling with five other travel writers while being hosted by some fantastic people.

You'll be hearing a lot more about that trip in the days ahead, but some of the things I did while I was there included riding the Beartooth Highway, kayaked on Lake Yellowstone with OARS, went wolf spotting in Yellowstone with the ranger in charge of the program, and trail riding at the Lazy E-L Ranch. In short, it was a very busy, but very fun week.

As you might expect, the scenery was spectacular in Montana and the park. The Beartooth Highway has been called the most beautiful drive in the country, and with good reason. The views are amazing and breathtaking, and every turn brings something new to be discovered, including snow capped peaks, rushing waterfalls, and clear blue mountain lakes. But beware. If you make the drive yourself, the weather can be a bit fickle. Even at the end of August, we witnessed heavy snow and whiteout conditions, on two consecutive days. That's life in the mountains I suppose!

If you'd like to see some photos from the trip, I've put together another gallery. You can take a peek by clicking here. Hope you enjoy!

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Photos From The Himalaya

Over the past few weeks, since getting back home from Nepal, I have slowly begun to get back to my routine and work through a backlog of work, writing, and so on. Anyone who has ever gone on a long trip like that one can probably relate, as the jet lag alone makes it challenging to get back to normal life.

Fortunately, I'm mostly recovered, and working my way through my "to do list" of things I need to accomplish, which included getting some photos online from the trip. I have created a web gallery of some of the shots I took while traveling in Nepal, and I thought that some of you might be interested in seeing them. The gallery can be found by clicking here.

Personally, I have to say that I'm not entirely happy with how the photos came out. There are a few that I actually like, but for the most part, I think I failed at capturing the beauty and the splendor of the place. Perhaps I feel this way because the scenery is so amazing that it is difficult to actually capture it properly on film. Still, these photos will give you an idea of what it is like in the Khumbu Valley, and what you can expect if you ever decide to go there yourself. It is a spectacular hike, and of course I highly recommend it.

As for stories about the trek, they are coming soon. I've been collecting my thoughts and generating an outline of what I'd like to post about, so no worries. I'll be sharing elements of the trek with everyone in the very near future. In the meantime, if you have questions about what it is like, feel free to drop me a note. I'm happy to answer anything you'd like to know. I can be reached at kungfujedi@gmail.com.

I hope you enjoy the photos!

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Adventure Photography Tips From Tyler Stableford

Tyler Stableford has been recognized as one of the top adventure photographers around. And in the video below he shares some tips of the trade with those of us who would like to steal his job. The video is a bit of a commercial for Adobe's Lightroom 3, which is in beta now, and is a popular tool amongst photographers. But from a workflow stand point it is interesting to see how Tyler works, and the video captures him out in the field shooting an ice climber in action too. One of these days I'll figure out how to shoot photos somewhere remotely as well at Tyler, but for now, I'll have to settle for picking up tips where I can.

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Leopard Seal Adopts NG Photographer in Antarctica

This video has been making the rounds the last couple of days, but it's definitely worth sharing. It features National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen telling about an amazing experience he had while taking shots in Antarctica. Paul was actually in the water, getting shots of penguins and seals, when one of the lion seals, a 12-foot long predator, seemingly mistook him as one of its own kind, and proceeded to attempt teach him how to hunt, and even showing him how to feed. The seal was so persistent, that it attempted these things for several days, and Paul managed to get some amazing photos of the event. Really interesting stuff. Check it out.

Thanks to The Goat, amongst others, for this one.

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Whoa!

Check out this amazing photo courtesy of the Wend Blog. You see that little black speck? Yep, that's someone going off the top of that mountain. Presumably he or she is wearing a parachute and is doing a little BASE jumping. If not, I don't want to hear about it.

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Banff Mountain Photography Winners Announced

The winners of this year's Banff Mountain Photography Competition have been announced, and as you'd expected, they are stunning. According to the site, they received more than 4000 entires this year, from 600 different photographers from 41 different countries. The jury for the awards consisted of: outdoor photographer Alec Pytlowany, award-winning photographer Andrew Querner, and photographer/designer/creative director of HighLine Magazine Kristy Davison.

One look at these photos, and I can't help but wish that I were as good as these folks. I have a nice camera. I capture decent shots. But these are so far ahead of me it isn't even funny. Really great, moving photos that shouldn't be missed. Check out a sample shot below.

Thanks to Rick at Best Hike for letting me know these were out!

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Clik Elite Giving Away Great Gear

Here's a contest that I wasn't sure I really wanted to share with anyone. As a bit of an amateur photographer myself, I always appreciate good gear, and especially something that helps me carry my DSLR's and lenses a bit easier, which is why the packs that Clik Elite offers are so intriguing to me. The company makes some great looking packs that are not only designed for use on the trail, but also for protecting your precious camera equipment while you're out there.

Next week is the start of the Summer Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, Utah. And to celebrate the event, Clik Elite has decided to give away some cool swag, and they've made it exceedingly easy for us to sign up for the contest. All you need to do to enter is sign up for their online newsletter, start following their twitter feed, or become a Clik Elite Fan on Facebook. Simple huh?

After that, all you have to do is sit back and collect the free stuff. Over the next three weeks, they'll pick a winner each week, and will be giving away two of their Compact Sport packs and one of the Medium Nature bags. They'll also be giving away t-shirts, accessory pouches and more.

If you're not familiar with the Click Elite packs, and you're into photography at all, I'd recommend checking them out. The packs offer space for carrying your gear, but also have designated compartments for your camera equipment, with extra padding to protect your DSLR, lenses, and other photography gear. The packs have all the other features you would expect as well, like hydration sleeves, water bottle holders, and a well designed harness system. They seem to be well designed for the outdoor enthusiast who doesn't leave home without his camera.

Good luck in the contest. If you win, at least thank me for sharing! ;)

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Everest Trek 2009: Off to Lukla

I've mentioned Everest Trek 2009 a number of times since it was first announced. Like most Everest BC treks, it will consist of a group of hikers heading up the Khumbu Valley, taking in the amazing sights there, passing through Nepali villages, and spending the nights in traditional tea houses. Unlike most Himalayan treks however, it'll also be the highest photography and videography workshops ever conducted.

Everest Trek 2009 is the pet project of Chris Marquardt and Jon Miller. Chris hosts the Tips From the Top Floor podcast. Chris is a professional photographer and conducts workshops all over the world. He is also a frequent guest on Leo Laporte's The Tech Guy podcast as well. And of course, regular readers know Jon Miller from The Rest of Everest video podcast, which is my persona favorite. Jon doesn't excellent job of shooting and editing video, and producing a show that is the most comprehensive look at climbing in the Himalaya that you'll find anywhere, bar none.

Late last week, Chris, Jon, and the ten lucky participants in the workshop set off for Nepal, and they all assembled in Kathmandu over the weekend. According to their itinerary, they were off to Lukla today to begin the trek, and they are posting updated information regularly on their Everest Trek Live page, which includes their twitter updates. In fact, it seems the whole team is happily tweeting away, and using the #everesttrek2009 hash search option.

From the sounds of things, it has been a good trip so far, although the trek is just now getting underway. The group has been learning a lot and spent the first days making a few cultural visits in Kathmandu. Now they'll be working a bit harder, and dealing with the altitude, and enjoying every minute of it I have no doubt.

This is my kind of photography workshop. I'm still learning a lot about taking photos, and I'm ready to upgrade my tools to a new, more functional DSLR, and combining a Himalaya trek with a workshop sounds like pure bliss. Yes, I'm jealous that I'm not there. I'll just have to console myself with a trip to Australia at the end of the month. ;)

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A View From The Summit of Everest

Check out this amazing panoramic photograph taken from summit of Everest found at Panoramas.dk. The stunning 360º photo rotates around giving us a great view in all directions from the top of the highest mountain on Earth, a view that few of us will ever have the opportunity to see in person.

I sat and watched this panoramic shot rotate around for quite awhile. It was fascinating to me to see just how far your view extends when you're at the top of the world on a clear day, and it was great to look back down the Khumbu Valley and see the ice falls far below. I also had no trouble identifying Everest's next door neighbor, Lhotse, but when I clicked on the "i" icon on the photo, it also identified Changtse, Makalu, and Nuptse as well. Also, you can score bonus points if you can spot the climber in the photo. You have to look pretty close, but he's there.

This is a perfect photo to start off your week with, and something to keep your mind occupied on a Monday morning, when you'd rather be outside yourself. Keep in mind, that at this very moment, there are hundreds of climbers in Kathmandu preparing to take on this mountain, and about six to eight weeks, this is the very view that they'll hopefully have the opportunity to experience.

Thanks to Richard for sending this my way!

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Hillary's Route Up Everest Mapped From Space

Another cool story today courtesy of The Adventure Life. This time it's about an amazing image, taken by NASA, of Mt. Everest from space. They've also overlaid the route that Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay used when the first went to the summit back in 1953.

The image was taken with the GeoEye's Ikonos satellite in 2001, and the route to the summit was later added. It begins just below the Khumbu Icefalls, and winds its way up the Western Cwm in the shadow of both Everest, and Lhotse, the fourth tallest mountain in the world, which is also clearly seen in the shot.

From there, the route turns up the South Col and towards the summit, in what has become the traditional route up the mountain. These days, dozens of climbers top out using this same route each year, so it's easy to forget that when Hillary and Norgay did it, it was still unexplored territory and there were sections that needed to be overcome. After all, they don't call it the Hillary Step for nothing!

You can read more about the image as well as grab a large 1 megabyte hi-res version, by clicking here. As of this writing, the link to the higher resolution version appears to be not working, but hopefully they'll replace soon. Very cool stuff!

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National Geographic's Top Images of Adventure

Yesterday it was wildlife photos, today we have the Top Images of Adventure from National Geographic Adventure.

This stunning gallery of shots from around the globe are definitely a welcome sight today. In total, there are nine photos to gawk at, along with a descriptive caption of each that gives the details on what is going on in each shot. It's also extremely hard to choose a favorite, as they are all amazing in their own way, although I'm a bit partial to the photo of climber Micah Dash acclimatizing in the Kashmir Range with a few bouldering problems (see below), although the shot from the Texas Water Safari canoe race is pretty cool as well, seeing as how it takes place in my backyard.

Once again, looking at these reminds me just how much I have to learn yet as a photographer.

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National Geographic Announces Best Wild Animal Photo Winners

I'm still catching up on a few posts from last week while I was away, and thankfully I have great fellow bloggers to keep me informed of what's going on. For example, Rick over at the Best Hike Blog, linked to this story over at NationalGeographic.com that announced the winners of a photo contest for the Best Wild Animal photos of 2009.

The contest was sponsored by the Natural History Museum of London and the BBC Wildlife Magazine. As you might expect, the seven winners are quite exceptional and it's difficult to choose a favorite, although I have to say that the one shown below is the probably the most striking to me. Just some amazing shots by some very skilled photographers. Enjoy.

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Taking Great Outdoor Photographs

Outside Online has some great tips on how to take better photographs on our adventures, from some of the top professional photographers in the business in Rob Haggart and Dave Hobby.

Rob and Dave dish out some great secrets on how to take good wildlife photos, landscapes, and more. They talk about how to use natural lighting properly and to effect, and how to get some great black and white shots as well. The mention some good equipment that you should have on hand, and even give specific recommendations on what to buy.

Of course, even with the best photography tips in the world, along with great camera gear, you still have to have a great subject to shoot. Whether that's an amazing landscape in the wilds of Africa, the stunning beauty of the mountains of the HImalaya, or simply catching a slice of life on the streets of some foreign city, these tips will help you get the most out of your opportunities. As someone who is still learning the true art of photography, I always enjoy tips like these to help me the next time I'm out and about somewhere.

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Photo of the Day: The Perils of Ice Climbing!

Now this is an amazing photo. It was shot by Hermann Erber, and Austrian photographer, who has many other great shots on his website. In this particular photo, we've got two ice climbers going up a frozen water fall, while not far off to their right you can see part of that same waterfall collapsing. Scary stuff. I'm not sure I'd be able to get down fast enough, and I'm also pretty sure that a change of undergarments may be required when I did get down.



Thanks to The Goat for this one!

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Adventure Racing Capture In Photography

Checkpoint Zero had a cool post yesterday spotlighting the photography of Peder Sundstrom, who has published a book entitled Endless: A portrait of Adventure Racing.

The book has some stunning images from my favorite endurance sport, that captures some of the best moments from adventure races all over the world, with some of it's top personalities writing essays. The site lists Robyn Benincasa, Richard Usher, John Jacoby, Nathan Fa'ave, Lisa De Speville, and others as contributing authors.

The site also offers a look at what you can expect inside the cover, and you can order your own copy as well. The samples look terrific, and I may have to track down a copy for myself. Excellent stuff.

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More Primal Quest Coverage and Photos

Craig Stein, a professional photographer and writer that I met last month in Montana at Primal Quest, has put together an excellent page of stories from the event, some of which were published on the PQ site during the race, and a great slideshow of some of his photos as well. You can check everything out at his website found here..

The main part of his page on PQ has blog style stories about the race and an interview wit Don Mann conducted shortly there after that discusses possible locations for next year. Craig also has an interview up with Tim Powell, who was directing the television coverage for Primal Quest, in which they talk about the complexities of shooting such an event, as well as Tim and his crew's experiences covering adventure sports. That article can be found on the main page, or by clicking here.

The highlight for me however, was Craig's awesome "Best of Primal Quest Montan" slideshow. Not only does he show off his great work as a photographer, he managed to catch the essence of the race so well too. If you like what you see there, be sure to head over to his home page to check out even more of his work.

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