Late Summer in Yosemite

Yosemite National Park is such a special place to photograph. It has something for everyone: enormous Sequoia trees, cascading waterfalls, beautiful meadows and of course those awe-inspiring iconic granite cliffs and rock formations including El Capitan and Half Dome (from which the North Face Logo is based)

I made a quick trip there last weekend in between some jobs to capture some landscape photos following the recent fires. It was so sad to see the massive devestation caused by the Ferguson fire which was especially noticeable when driving into the valley off the road from Wawona. However, fortunately much of the beauty and majesty of the park remains intact.

Below are a few of my favorite shots from the trip. I can’t wait to go back in a few weeks to photograph some fall color.

Fun fact…Yosemite has more granite formations than anywhere else on the planet!!

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Sunset at Mount Tam - San Francisco

A popular place I like to take groups on the photography workshops I run in San Francisco and the wider Bay Area is up to the top Mount Tam. You can't beat getting above the fog into the golden hills and watching the fog (affectionally known by locals as "Karl") mystically drift across the city, ocean and rolling landscape; it's definitely worth the drive. You can find more information on my San Francisco and Bay Area photography classes here. 

I was up there last night for one of the most stunning sunsets I've see in a while and positioned myself along with some other photographers facing due West overlooking Stinson Beach, the peak of Mount Tam and some gorgeous golden hills. Shooting into the sun can sometimes be challenging. However, with the right exposure and control of light you can get creative. I love introducing some really cool flare, sun rays and other effects into my photos. The burst of color as the sun dipped below the horizon lasted only about five minutes but was truly breathtaking. It won't be long until I'm back up there! 

Below are a few of my favorite shots.

Partnered With Magic Murals

I'm delighted to announce that a curated selection of my landscape work can now be purchased via Magic Murals, alongside work from collections from National Geographic and lots of other great imagery. 

They produce amazing murals in a variety of different finishes and have graced the walls of an array of clients ranging from Westin Hotels, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, HBO, MTV to the offices of Blue Cross Blue Shield, Hulu, Amazon and many more. It's a great small business that I'm proud to partner with along who produce a top notch product whether for business, commercial or personal and residential use.  I like how they utilizes state of the art technology and Eco-friendly inks and their QuickStik™ material allows you to remove the mural at anytime, take it to another location, and re-use it. Magic Murals also have the ability to create custom wall murals based on wall surface type and sizing of purposed wall space

Go ahead and check out my fine-art photography available with them by clicking here or on the image below. 

San Francisco Skyline Panorama

I've been waiting for the perfect late Spring storm to get some really cool cloud formations above the city. After visiting the same spot a few times before but conditions never quite being right for the picture that I wanted to create, I tried again late last week.... I was in luck!  Epic, booming clouds were forming over San Francisco after sunset which provided the perfect opportunity to create a stitched panorama of the whole Bay, stretching all the way from Twin Peaks to the Golden Gate Bridge and encompassing everything in between including the Bay Bridge, new Salesforce Tower (the tallest skyscraper on the West Coast) and the TransAmerica building. This is a stitch of 12 photographs and I love the eerie colors that the sunset caused with the beautiful purple and yellow hues. 

With Summer now starting, the bay will spend a significant amount of time shrouded in fog in the early mornings and evenings so I was happy to get this before "Karl" (the local name that San Franciscans give to the fog) sets in for the next few months; I'm excited though to capture some photos of this unique weather phenomena.

In the meantime though, here is the resultant San Francisco cityscape panorama of the skyline. Please enquire if you would like to license or purchase this image. 

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Changes To Our Privacy Policy - Keeping Your Data Safe

With the new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) rules coming into effect on May 25th, the data laws are changing for the better. We want to reassure you that we treat your details carefully and your data with the utmost respect and security.  So we've updated our Privacy Policy to reflect how we collect, protect and handle your personal information. This means that we can continue to keep you updated on gallery openings, workshops, gear reviews, Adam's adventures and of course, continue to share beautiful photographs. Anyone who is currently on our mailing list will have received an email regarding these changes but if you have any questions at any time you can contact us at info@adamjacobsphotography.com.

I'm a Black Rapid Ambassador

I'm delighted to announce that I've now a BlackRapid ambassador. I've used their camera straps for quite a while and even before my association with the company firmly believe that they are the best in the business.

When your’e out shooting long hours and carrying around heavy equipment, comfort is key and being able to take any kind of weight off your shoulders paramount. Feeling any additional strain on your back can cause problems in the long run and make life miserable as a photographer if they persist or worsen; you can check interesting tips on curing back aches at Livermore chiropractic.

The array of straps and other camera accessories that BlackRapid provides are therefore invaluable in taking strain of your back and shoulders, This will not only save you many a trip to the masseuse but also make every shoot more enjoyable whilst ensuring you can concentrate on creating the best images possible.

I'll be posting video reviews of some of their latest products in the months to come so keep an eye out. 

In the meantime, check out their site for the huge range of products available for all different types of shooter and below is a photo of me using their Double Breathe Strap to ensure my cameras were going nowhere whilst on a rooftop in San Diego last week. 

British Institute Of Professional Photography Award

I was delighted to receive news that one of my portfolios had been nominated and subsequently won the 2017 Best Licentiate Award by The British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP)

The BIPP Qualifications provide an internationally recognised benchmark in professional photography.  To successfully achieve a qualification, candidates submit a portfolio of images and accompanying supporting evidence to be assessed against exacting standards.  

Throughout the year, BIPP Assessors nominate portfolios that they feel are exceptional. These portfolios are then re-assessed for consideration for the annual Qualification Awards and presented every year at the Professional Photography Awards.  This year the awards lunch was held at the Ivy Restaurant in London and I was so honored for my work to be recognised by winning the Best Licentiate Award for 2017. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the awards lunch as I was on a shoot for the Pac-12 in Las Vegas. Nevertheless, it looked like a great event and I'm looking forward to attending future BIPP events in the future. 

I also now get to put the letters LBIPP next to my name if I choose...very fancy! 

Pac 12 Mens Basketball Tournament

It's always great going to Vegas to shoot and last week I was back there shooting the Pac-12 mens basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena. 

My primary focus was to create a series of commemorative panoramas but I was also briefed to shoot brand-specific creative shots for the Pac-12 along with action shots from the floor. 

Photographing basketball is fast, frantic and great fun! Sitting on the court you really get to appreciate the skill, speed and athleticism that is needed to play such a high-energy sport. You also have to constantly be on your toes ready to move out the way in case a 6'+ player comes hurdling towards you at full speed!!! 

As it was a tournament shooting four basketball games back to back can be pretty grueling. However, when you love sport and  have the best seat in the house I really can't complain!!

Below are some of my favorite shots from the week...

On a side note, as March Madness concludes, it's great to see the University of Michigan, my school who I photographed for many years, make the Final Four...Go Blue!! 

Adam Jacobs | Manfrotto Filter Videos and E-Book

I've spent a lot of the past year working on a project with Manfrotto to create educational material to coincide with the launch of their new filter products and Xume system. This materials are focused on helping one better understand how to use filters to improve your photography. This has culminated in the launch of a landing page on Manfrotto.com containing videos, an e-book and shorter pamphlets. These are all designed to teach you how to better understand how using different filters can help create better images.

In both the videos and book, I cover the three main filter types (UV, Circular Polarizers and Neutral Density) and explore what each one does, their advantages and in what situations each comes in useful. Below are the three videos.

Also, click here to download the entire e-book for free. Enjoy! 

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Click on the image above to view the landing page that I have created with Manfrotto which has a bunch of great material on learning to better use lens filters to improve your photography. 

Friday Feeling

It's the end of the week and we've all got smiles on our faces. This is a personal favorite portrait of mine from an assignment photographing the Dalai Lama, one of the jolliest men I've ever met. This was his right hand man (unfortunately I never got his name) but he was a larger than life personality. Although we could not speak the same language, we laughed and joked with each other as I snapped off a few frames. Shooting in black and white often draws the eye away from the distraction of color and really focuses us on the subject and expression - in this case unparelled joy! Have a good weekend everyone.