Memorial Day

Sailors - Duluth, Minnesota 1990

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Turtle & Goose Parade*

Jim has just returned from an extended stay in Europe.  He made this image this morning and wanted to share it with you.  "It's nice to see nature in full bloom in North America, having it's own Memorial Day parade in my backyard."

*This is Jim's first image using the Nikon D800E

Happy Mother's Day

Desert Flowers Impressionism

If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden...     Claudia Ghandi

Earth Day

Sequoia Star Trails

There is hope if people will begin to awaken that spiritual part of themselves, that heartfelt knowledge that we are caretakers of this planet. ~Brooke Medicine Eagle

Vernal Equinox ~ First Day of Spring

Horned Lark Nest and Pasque Flowers on the Prairie

Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love! 

- Sitting Bull -

Exclusive Interview with Jim about the Nikon D800

Legendary National Geographic photographer Jim Brandenburg was given unique access to the Nikon D800 ahead of its launch.  In this exclusive interview with What Digital Camera,  he shares his first impressions of the new camera.

Selected extracts from the interview can be seen on YouTube.

Retrospective Exhibit Opens in Finland

Jim Brandenburg's retrospective exhibit has finished it's time in Germany and will be opening on March 17, 2012  at the Salo Art Museum in Salo, Finland.  The exhibit features 120 pieces from Brandenburg's extensive career from his days at the Worthington Daily Globe,  his National Geographic assignment work, his personal projects and his most recent work in Europe. The exhibit will be open to the public through May 27, 2012.

Seasonal Collector's Print #30 ~ Old Growth Oaks

The sweeping green boughs of Old Growth Oaks, Noirmoutier Island, France, our latest Seasonal Collector's Print, pulls us into the beautiful bends and curves of a captivatingly beautiful wood of mossy oaks.

Seasonal Collector's Print #30 ~ Old Growth Oaks, France

"Off the central Atlantic coast of France is the small island of Noirmoutier, known for its sandy beaches, dunes, salt marshes and woods. I've always been fascinated with Viking history and it is reported the first Viking raid on continental Europe was on this island in 799. I was on an assignment for Nikon to premier their new D800, a game-changing 36 mega pixel camera. I had been looking for the perfect landscape when I saw this group of old-growth Holm Oak trees. The branches seemed to reach out like the arthritic fingers of old Vikings trying to grasp the last glimmer of the soft afternoon light."

The Jim Brandenburg Collectors Series features four seasonal prints a year. Each season, we will feature a new image that has never been printed, and will be available only at the Brandenburg Gallery. The featured image will be a signed and titled, 8"x12" Giclee Fine Art Print on 100% cotton paper at a special price of $75 or framed for $230. Previous seasonal images can be purchased at any time for $125 or framed for $280. 

Old Growth Oaks hangs at Ravenwood.
This is a 180º stitched image with some curved distortion.

"I rarely hang photographs that I have made on the walls of my home. After seeing this image printed at 42 inches, I found it virtually hung itself!  I could not resist. Photographer friends that visit find it hard to believe it was made with a 35mm camera. It has the look of a print made from a large format camera. I now wonder what is left in the advance of camera technology."

Chased by the Light on Twin Cities Public TV

Chased by the Light, A Photographic Journey with Jim Brandenburg will play tonight on Twin Cities Public Television.  This Emmy-nominated documentary tells the inspiring story behind Jim's best-selling book Chased by the Light.  

Tune in tonight to see Jim live on the set with Don Shelby at 8pm CST on tpt 2.

If you aren't able to catch the program tonight, the show will replay on:

March 6, 9:00 PM on tpt 2
March 7, 3:00 PM on tpt Life
March 8, 8:00 PM on tpt Life
March 9, 3:00 AM on tpt 2
March 10, 10:00 PM and 12:00 AM on tpt Life
March 11, 3:00 PM on tpt Life

Nikon Professional Insights with Jim

Today, Nikon posted a wonderful movie about Jim as part of their Professional Insights section.  Jim has been back in the US for just a few days and has passed on more Nikon D800 images, which we have posted below.  Enjoy!

Mont St. Michel at Dusk

Mont. St. Michel in the Rain, France

Stone Beach, Etetrat, Normandy, France

Beach Rocks, Etretat, France

Flower, France

Purple Sand Plant

Tidal Sea Life

Butterfly, France

Caterpillar, France

Stone Arch, Etetrat, France

Jim and Soichi Hayashi/Nikon

Jim heading out to shoot

Jim and Nikon D800

More New Images

Horses, Mont. St. Michel, France

Etretat, Normandy, France

Noirmountier Island, France

Here are a few more images Jim made with the Nikon D800.  We will be posting more throughout the next few weeks including a video that Nikon should be releasing soon.  Enjoy!

Nikon D800 at 100%

Jim is very excited about Nikon's new D800. As we mentioned in our previous post, he was astounded by the image quality, and we wanted to show just how much detail the new camera produces. Below is Jim's French tree image and corresponding crops showing the image at 100%.

 This image was made using a Nikon D800 with Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens at f/8, 1/15sec and iso 100. The source of the crops are marked in red. ©Jim Brandenburg

100% crop from Nikon D800. Photo by Jim Brandenburg.

100% crop from Nikon D800. Photo by Jim Brandenburg.

You can find more full-resolution samples of Jim's and the other featured photographers on Nikon's website.

Preview of Jim's Work with the Nikon D800

Jim is extremely honored to be featured in today's highly anticipated launch of Nikon's new full-frame DSLR, the D800.  Jim was commissioned by Nikon to demonstrate the incredible new camera’s technology, spending a month shooting with the D800 and a Nikon film crew on the northern coast of France.

To me, cameras are more like paintbrushes than technology. The goal is not megapixels or technique but the image, and while camera models are important, they are not the be-all or end-all. But after a lifetime using countless cameras, I have found a new best friend. It was not love at first sight. The sharpness and detail were initially intimidating, exposing my flaws like never before. Subtle camera movements showed, and differences of acuity between aperture choices on various lenses were apparent. But now I am enthralled with this technology. Why? Because the images almost feel as though they were made with a 4x5 view camera! Special features like time-lapse photography and the improved HD video quality and flexibility also add tremendously to the camera's personality. After spending a month with the D800, I'll never be the same again. I will now think differently about the images I make, and perhaps that is the best compliment any photographer can make. 

Jim and Nikon crew

Jim and Soichi Hayashi

Jim with Nikon crew: Laurent Joffion, Soichi Hayashi and Philippe Chalouni

Jim shooting with the new D800. Photo by Soichi Hayashi

Nikon D800  on Vimeo.

Projects in Germany

Over the past week, Jim has been very busy with projects in Germany. 

We thought we would share with you some of what he's working on.

 Jim has been doing numerous interviews with the German media.  

In today's issue of the newspaper DerWesten,  Jim is shown juggling a wooden chair.  

DerWesten always photographs their subjects using the same props.

__________________________

Photographs of Jim by Marcus Hiersemann

Jim participated in a local animal shelter's adoption event by photographing 

a few of the available animals, shown above.

__________________________

The retrospective exhibit, A Pristine Vision, has finished it's tour in Germany.  

Jim gave a wonderful presentation on the final day of the exhibit.  

It will now be shipped to Finland, where it will open on 

March 17, 2012 at Salo Art Museum, Salo, Finland.

To read interviews with Jim while in Germany, please visit the link below.

http://www.derwesten.de/suche/?q=jim+brandenburg

Upcoming Events & Exhibits

We have several upcoming Jim Brandenburg exhibits and presentations to share with you.  All exhibits and events are listed under the Events & Exhibits page of this blog.

The Jim Brandenburg retrospective exhibit, A Pristine Vision, is on display in Iserlohn until January 29th at the Municipal Art Gallery Iserlohn, Germany. Jim will give a presentation in Iserlohn about his work and this exhibit on January 27th.

A Pristine Vision will open on March 17, 2012 to May 27, 2012 at Salo Art Museum, Salo, Finland.

Municipal Art Gallery ~ Iserlohn, Germany

Chased by the Light is on display at the Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota through May 13, 2012.

Touch the Sky is showing at The Anthropology Museum, Northern Illinois University through April 14, 2012.  Touch the Sky exhibit is the premiere exhibition in this beautiful new space.  Please note: The museum will be open for special tours and and by appointment only January 17 - February 11.

A Tribute to Nature is currently on display through February 19, 2012 in Tokyo, Japan at the Konica Minolta Plaza.

2012 Jim Brandenburg Calendar

We just received a very small supply of 2012 Jim Brandenburg wall calendars from a client.  The calendars were produced by our client and were not offered to the US public.  It is a 12-month calendar,  each month features a different Jim Brandenburg image from around the world.  The calendar is sized at 20.25" x 14.25".    Sorry, we do not have images of the inside pages.

We have only 10 calendars and we will not be offering them on our website, they will only be offered here.  Each calendar sells for $20.00 plus shipping and can be purchased by clicking the Buy Now button below.

The calendar is now sold out. Thank you!

50 Greatest Pictures

National Geographic 50 Greatest Pictures issue is now available in print and an iPad app.  This special edition includes Jim's well-known image of the leaping arctic wolf.   The image originally ran in the May 1987 issue of National Geographic magazine as part of Jim's story "At Home with the Arctic Wolf," documenting the arctic wolves of Ellesmere Island, Canada. 

Grouse in Winter

The northern forest of Minnesota has had a record breaking and extremely mild winter thus far with very little snow. As temperatures dropped today to below 0˙ F, this sleeping ruffed grouse rests on the ground since there has not been enough snow cover for its preferred roost under the snow in cold temps.

Ruffed grouse are able to use snow roosts when light and fluffy snow conditions reach 8" or more. The grouse dives into the powdery snow from a headlong flight. Once inside the snowpack, they burrow a few feet further looking for a comfortable, well-hidden roost like the accompanying photograph shows. Here a grouse had penetrated the show then burrowed and stuck its head out a couple times, then exited after a sleep.

In years of deep snow, the inside temperature of a snow roost can be as much as 50˙ F warmer than the outside temperatures. A snow roost gives the grouse an additional advantage of being hidden from view of predators such as hawks, owls, fox, wolves, coyotes and lynx. The metabolic energy they conserve allows them to spend less time foraging, further reducing their exposure to attack. In years like this with little snow and cold temps as we see now, the grouse population suffers.