The Plunge 2 by ArturStanisz

Please view on black. Prints available at arturstanisz.com As I mentioned previously while commenting on some of my photos, my artistic approach is a dynamic process and it will likely last forever. I keep redefining my landscape photography vision simply because I constantly develop in the field and switch sources of inspiration. My way of landscape photography execution doesn’t involve going to places and shooting the first appealing composition. Instead I like to take risks and come up with new approaches. Before I start shooting, firstly I need to feel the place. And I mean in it in a holistic approach. Each of my photos is a combination of composition, technical skills and deeper connection with the photographed location. One doesn’t exist without the other. I would never go to the place just to take couple photos, but I frequently go to places and explore them even if I don’t shoot. This photo features Brandywine Falls in BC, near Whistler. Every time when I look at this waterfall I reassure myself that it looks more interesting from its very edge than from the bottom. It was a thrilling and adrenaline boosting experience to shoot there again. By the way, it is 70 metres of that plunge. via 500px http://bit.ly/1hW2XyF

Desert Fireworks by MAPhoto

In this shot under a powerful monsoonal storm cell in Arizona the landscape to me seemed it was only an audience there to take in the show. I feel like the variety of cactus add depth to the shot, but it is obviously more about the sky in this one. It was an incredible light show, taken right after the sun had sunk below the horizon and very nearly illuminated the clouds from underneath. To capture something like this I had to accept that I would follow the progress of the storm and take whatever foreground it offered me at the time the light was right, and fortunately I found the clearing you see here. While it may not flow as easily as my previous post, I still like this view for the power of the skies and sunset light. This image comes from multiple exposures all taken without moving the camera within the span of a minute or two. All exposures were at 1 second, ISO 100. Thanks for having a look! via 500px http://bit.ly/1PKHqnD

For Jeff by ArturStanisz

!Please view on black to appreciate the details! I took this photo one night near my campsite on Turner Glacier located on Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. The mountain visible on the photo remained unnamed for a long time as I had problems identifying it. Only recently, I was able to find out its name: Loki Mountain. From the moment that I stepped on the Turner Glacier this mountain caught my attention. At first I only saw its apex. Then, as I was hiking through the glacier, the mountain was growing slowly showing more and more of its shape. It took many hours before I could see its entire face. Even though on this photo it might appear small, in reality Loki Mountain is a granite pyramid that is almost 1000 metres high. I am not exactly sure why, but during these few days that I spent near it, a lot of good light was happening around this mountain. The night I took this photo was no exception. The aurora was dancing above the peak as if it had some sort of a magnetic power. The crack featured in the foreground is an actual crevasse. I also had a chance to explore and photograph it from the inside. While I was fighting with cold weather and strong winds on Baffin Island a fellow photographer, Jeff Swanson was battling the biggest fight. Unfortunately, he lost it. So here it is for you Jeff Swanson ((http://bit.ly/1Esn55O). For all willing to help/donate for the cause , please visit this site: Melanoma Research Foundation http://bit.ly/1hqNtlP via 500px http://bit.ly/1Q4C7zW

Fall by MAPhoto

After a 3-hour rock-hopping and steep brush-crawling effort in the dark to bring some friends up to this unique vantage point of Fitz Roy Peak on this morning we were treated to an even more unique event, which occurred in the first five minutes of sunrise: The glacier in the distance frequently avalanches into the lake, dropping roaring icefalls and bergs into the water more than 2000 feet below and such an event happened to come along on this morning right in the middle of our shoot, looking much like a waterfall cascading into the lake at anything short of the highest resolutions. The Icefall added an even more dreamlike quality to this spectacular landscape. After all the Patagonia shots these last few weeks following the fall colors down there, I was glad to have such an unusual capture. Admittedly there was more than a small amount of post-production to get the sky and atmosphere in back of this image, something I am generally more reserved with, but here I really felt the rare scene could benefit from a few extra touches, just to be forthcoming. Everything else in the scene comes from a single exposure at f/20. via 500px http://bit.ly/1PBThTP

For Eternity by MAPhoto

We have said, that as photographers, we are artists. But art is not simply about what is captured. Art is about what is spoken. What is spoken comes from within. It evokes a connection with an idea, or a subject, or even a mood. And in that connection somewhere there must be a bond that runs deeper than simply what is before us at that moment. It must be unique to us. I feel the best images, this art, must speak from what is inside ourselves first. This image is about what I want to believe in. Here I saw clarity and strength in times of turbulence and unknown. I wanted to make an image that captured this feeling. This is from Patagonia. Cerro Grande peak with lenticular wave clouds and blowing snow. A Condor rides the wind free from it all. via 500px http://500px.com/photo/106166591

The Valley of Thor by ArturStanisz

Note: This is a single exposure shot with Nikon D810. My next photo from the Baffin Island Photo Adventure 2014 aims to show a desolated beauty of the valley that leads to the legendary peak, Mt. Thor. During my stay in the Summit Lake area, I spent many hours hiking and scrambling, looking for the best views. I found this composition while wandering on the NW slopes of the valley. The size of the valley itself is immense. To give you a sense of perspective, the bottom of the valley sits at about 300 meters above the sea level and the surrounding peaks reach around 2000 meters. For example: two peaks visible on the right hand side of the photo are Mt. Northumbria (1911 meters) and Mt. Odin (2143m). It took me about 3 hours to hike from this point where I was shooting to the base of Mt. Thor. My goal while shooting this composition was to showcase the landscape in its changing season, from fall to winter. I found few patches of Arctic cotton; just below the snow level and it added a season changing feel to this composition. The photo was taken during the sunset. The soft, peach-hued light gives an impression of warm, golden-like fall weather conditions. But don’t be mistaken. The temperature was already below the freezing point. Note: Via this photo and some others presented here on 500px I invite all interested for the Baffin Island Photo Adventure with me that will happen in August 2015. For details, please email: arturstanisz@gmail.com via 500px http://bit.ly/1aeEj8w

Hidden Underworld by ArturStanisz

Baffin Island Photo Adventure with Artur Stanisz will take place between August 26-September 9, 2015. If you would like to participate in this photography workshop and Arctic adventure , please email me for details: arturstanisz@gmail.com Photo description: Glaciers tend to be abundant with hidden “treasures” that are usually hard, but not impossible to spot. This is not a particularly welcoming world, but if one finds it, the richness of its internal beauty can leave the spectator speechless. The Turner Glacier located on Baffin Island hosts many camouflaged spots where nature-made frozen processes take place. I discovered this icy chamber during one of the days that were cursed by absolutely clear sky. This is not my favourite type of weather and on days like that I tend to look for more interesting places. I crawled inside one of the holes in the glacier and explored it for couple of hours. What I saw there is hard to describe. Luckily, I had my camera with me so I was able to capture on this photo the unseen beauty of this desolated underworld. via 500px http://bit.ly/1F5Rpkj