Blog entries

New Technique in a Familiar Place

Jeff Beck — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:31:04 +0100

Bells Canyon Waterfall

This HDR panorama was created with twelve images, four sets of three.

"Wasatch Impressions" - Red Butte Garden Aug 27th thru Sept 19th

Jeff Beck — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:33:37 +0100

Here's my "Wasatch Impressions" poster. Printed on double weight matte paper with archival ink, this poster measures 24x36 and sells for $40. Available at Red Butte Garden while supplies last or you can contact me.
I won't be at the farmers market tomorrow. Instead, please join me at Red Butte Garden for an open house (Saturday, August 28th from 3-6 pm).
By the way, 30% of all proceeds from the show go d...

New Angle on a Familiar Subject

Jeff Beck — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:00:00 +0100

Yellow Columbine, Albion Basin, Utah

I think this new image might become part of my portfolio. After more than a decade of capturing close-up images of Wasatch wildflowers, it takes something special, or at least something new, to get me excited about an image. One way to create new images is to photograph new subjects. When in the field, I usually don't want to spend my time photographing species o...

It's All About Timing

Jeff Beck — Fri, 28 May 2010 04:00:00 +0100

Yellow Beeplant at Sunrise near Factory Butte, Utah

HDR Comparison

Jeff Beck — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:00:00 +0100

Here's a side by side comparison between an HDR (high dynamic range) image and a single exposure.

The image on the left was created by combining three exposures using Photomatix Pro 3 software. Tone mapping was performed using the Photomatix tone compressor engine. I made adjustments for brightness, tonal range compression, and contrast adaptation. The image on the right is the best single exposur...

North Thunder Mountain Starscape

Jeff Beck — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

North Thunder Mountain, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Here's an image that was taken soon after I switched to digital capture. Taken about an hour after sunset, from the side of the road in Little Cottonwood Canyon, this 30 second exposure really shows off the Nikon D300 sensor's ability to gather light without noise. Light on the mountain is from the moon, out of the frame to the left...

Find Me On Facebook (and Should I Twitter?)

Jeff Beck — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Twilight Paintbrush, Mt. Timpanogos Wilderness, Utah

I have finally joined the world of social networking. You can now find a facebook page for Jeff Beck Photography. Check out my photo album "Best of 2009" to see my favorite images from last year. Leave a comment and let me know which is your favorite. You can also check out my first images of the new year.

This...

Happy New Year

Jeff Beck — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Sunburst, Bowman Fork, Mt. Olympus Wilderness, Utah

Here is my last photo of 2009, created December 27th. The use of a long telephoto lens and conversion to grayscale help to create a simple and powerful image from a busy and chaotic scene.

The Holiday Open House at Red Butte Garden

Jeff Beck — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Foothill Rainbow, Salt Lake City, Utah

Please visit my booth during the 8th Annual Holiday Open House at Red Butte Garden, Saturday & Sunday, December 5th & 6th, 2009 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. For two days enjoy free admission to Red Butte Garden as well as a juried art show featuring local artists offering original, handcrafted work for sale. 30% of all sales will go directly to Red Butte Garden...

Broads Fork Basin, November High Country

Jeff Beck — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0100

I read the November 2009 Outdoor Photographer feature article on Ian Plant with great interest. His images "Dreamscape" and "Alien Transmission" blew me away. It was fascinating to read how he deals with the issue of being original as an artist. Plant says directly, "too often, nature photographers rely on the drama of the scenery to make powerful images ...&quo...

Lake Blanche, Late October Storm

Jeff Beck — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Images take on a life of their own, after the moment is gone, and the experience of being there dims. Most just fade away. Some can become etched into your memory.

I'm getting into my blog. It gives me a venue to show new work. Images that in the past may not have been seen by anyone but me. I would ...

In Search of Expressive Autumn Details

Jeff Beck — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0100

When in the field photographing there's always a limited amount of time to work with. How am I going to spend it? What am I going to photograph?
While in Big Sur, I was so overwhelmed by the whole scene, almost all of my images show the wide view. I barely shot any close-up or detail images. Of the time I had to spend photographing, much of it was spent trying to get my own image of t...

Big Sur

Jeff Beck — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Here are three of my favorite images from a week spent in Carmel and Big Sur, California, during the end of September, 2009. Wow, what an incredible place. Had a glimpse at about 30 miles of coast over a week. Could easily spend a lifetime.
While in Big Sur, reread Brooks Jensen's "Letting Go of the Camera". Great collection of essays on photography as an expressive art form.

Archangel Cascades, Zion

Jeff Beck — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Zion National Park September 2009

This image was created by stitching three vertical images together. I'm excited by the wider angle of view I'm able to cover, as well as a larger file to use for printing. I liked this image so much I decided to use it as my home page hero image. Perhaps what I like best about this image is, it's the best of several attempts at photographing this Zio...

Timpanogos Wildflowers

Jeff Beck — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Timpanogos Basin Panorama

There's still time. If you missed peak wildflowers in Albion Basin, there's still time to see the best wildflower display in the state. This Timp Basin panorama was created less than a week ago. Of course, you can't just drive right up to these wildflowers, but anyone willing to make the ten mile round trip trek will be rewarded. It will take reasonably fit...

Evergreen Tree Conference Adjourns

Jeff Beck — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Sculpted Douglas Fir, Evergreen Ridge, Solitude, UT

Prayers were answered. Wishes were fulfilled. The ski season at Solitude ended with a bang. Right now I'm lamenting not being at Snowbird today to take advantage of the three feet of snow that's fallen in the last two days. To feel better I'll think about some of the great days I had this past season. Solitude closed at leas...

Solitude

Jeff Beck — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This was the scene Thursday, March 5th at Solitude. One foot of fresh, super low density, Wasatch powder. What a glorious day to be on the mountain. Weather alternating between mixed sun and clouds, and snow.
Top and bottom images were made from the sam...

Star Trails from Lava Point, Zion National Park, Utah

Jeff Beck — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100

This image is the result of a five hour long exposure. Captured on a cloudless, windless night, near the new moon, conditions were perfect for this type of photography. With the camera mounted on a tripod, I locked the shutter open after total darkness had descended. This was after an incomparable day spent in "the Subway".

Pfeifferhorn Sunrise, Lone Peak Wilderness, Utah

Jeff Beck — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:00:00 +0100

I spent the night on top of the Pfeifferhorn in order to take this image at sunrise. Not really a great place to camp, but I wanted to be able to stay put after a sunset photo session and just slide out of my bag to photograph the sunrise. This was the second time I spent the night on top of a mountain, at over 11,000 ft. elevation. The chance for unique photography is enha...

Gobbler's Knob Wildflowers

Jeff Beck — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:00:00 +0100

This image was taken near the summit of the Gobblers Knob, in the Wasatch Mountains, in July. The Gobblers Knob is on the ridge seperating Mill Creek Canyon and Big Cottonwood Canyon. The most direct route is from Mill Creek through picturesque Alexander Basin. This view is looking south into Big Cottonwood. Stormy conditions help create drama in the sky as we...