We wanted to take some time to look at our 5th year of operations for Visual Wilderness and wish you all a very happy holidays. Here are some of the highlights from this past year.
More About Our Contributing Photographers
In spite of their best efforts to portray themselves as super heroes on social media, all our contributing landscape photographers are humans that have lives beyond photography. Some of them more than others. ;) Here are interesting tidbits from our contributors:
Joshua Snow – I built a camper van, spent 220+ nights on the road, was able to travel a few times internationally, and forgot how to take photos in the process.
Christine Hauber – I competed in the National Senior Olympics and I am not even old! A few years ago they dropped the “senior” age to 50. Although I did not win any of my swimming events, I was happy that I did not come in last.
Kate Silvia – I started learning to paint! I never knew I could do this and it’s kinda blowing me away. Just goes to show… try new things… all the time! You never know what you might be capable of!
Artwork by Landscape Photographer Kate Silvia
Pro Landscape Photographer Christine Hauber participating in National Senior Olympics
Landscape photographer’s ultimate transportation by Joshua Snow
Chrissy Donadi – I had a baby in January so this has been the first year of my adult life with absolutely no travel. I remained in the same state for 365 days and have been a stay-at-home parent. After more sleep deprivation than photographing in Iceland during the months of almost 24 hours daylight, my husband and I are considering our first year as parents of a mini human somewhat successful.
Varina Patel – In 2019, I discovered that I had MS… and named it Grover. Bad Grover!! Go away Grover. So I decided to add water colors to keep my fingers active and combat the effects of MS.
How MS effected Varina Patel – Click to Play
Gaurav Mittal – 2019 was very challenging for me health-wise. Facing a very serious cervical spondylosis issue, I have been through multiple surgeries and numerous nerve block procedures. While I did not do anything outside of photography this year, I did learn something new about myself… a steel-like determination to not give up.
Lace Andersen – I became a full time photographer, got laid off, and started photographing people, weddings, and families etc. Outside of photography… I have been avidly going to yoga 4-5 days a week in hopes of touching my toes one day soon. Until then, there will be no yoga selfies.
Jay Patel – This year I decided to stop running and take up long-distance biking. Why? So I can make sure my knees don’t need replacing when I grow up. Which by the way, I don’t plan on doing as soon as I figure out how to stop time.
Bear, the super-sidekick guard dog watching over Chrissy Donadi’d tripod & camera.
Landscape photographer Jay Patel testing out new Shimoda Bag in Iceland
Travel photography from Japan by Ugo Cei
Ugo Cei – This year I started shooting film again with a large format view camera and learned how to develop it at home. I also started studying Japanese and was able to use what I learned during my first trip to Japan. I will keep studying the language in preparation for my upcoming fall colors tour of 2020. Finally, I learned how to dance… no, really!!
Most Popular Blog Posts
Oh yes… and our contributing photographers continued to create some fantastic blog posts. Below are some of the most popular with landscape photographers from all over the world in 2019 (in no particular order).
This was the second full year of a landscape photography streaming service offering for our customers. We have an excellent subscriber retention rate and continue to provide new content throughout the year. In addition, we introduced several new nature photography video tutorials that were available for free for streaming subscribers. Here are is what the customers are saying about our video tutorials:
I highly recommend Visual Wilderness as training platform
Creative Still Life Photography with Alan Shapiro was very well done presentation. Students of all skill levels able to benefit and immediately improve their results in still life photography. I highly recommend Visual Wilderness as training
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Creative Still Life Photography with Alan Shapiro was very well done presentation. Students of all skill levels able to benefit and immediately improve their results in still life photography. I highly recommend Visual Wilderness as training platform and this instructor.
I just purchased Photoshop Layers and Masks tutorial (by Kate Silvia) and have watched the first three chapters. I had to stop watching and write to you. This is the most informative video I’ve seen explaining
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I just purchased Photoshop Layers and Masks tutorial (by Kate Silvia) and have watched the first three chapters. I had to stop watching and write to you. This is the most informative video I’ve seen explaining Layers & Masks…Your explanations have given me a much deeper understanding of not only the techniques, but the creative possibilities.
Passionate hobbyists should follow Jay and Varina Patel
Passionate hobbyists interested in learning the technical aspects of photography in a simple and understanding way should follow Jay and Varina Patel.
Jaikumar Menon
Mumbai, India
I feel like that I, too, can become creative
I am not particularly creative but after watching Kate Silvia‘s online class I feel like that I, too, can become creative. I enjoyed watching how she analyzed the scene to made creative decisions. Well done.
Alicia Hoegh
Broomfield, Colorado
Keep up the great work
I didn’t know Histograms could be so easily manipulated with such awesome results. I purchased this a few weeks, ago, and have viewed all the videos five or six times. Having been a public school teacher
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I didn’t know Histograms could be so easily manipulated with such awesome results. I purchased this a few weeks, ago, and have viewed all the videos five or six times. Having been a public school teacher for 40+ years before retiring, I know what makes excellent teaching, and you, two, are some of the best instructors I’ve seen in the field of photography. Keep up the great work, and keep adding new additions to your ebooks and videos collections.
Thank you Varina for explaining hyper focal distance
I am thrilled that this weekend I got to put to use what I have learned so far. Thank you Varina for explaining hyper focal distance, it even worked with my little Olympus OMD M5 with
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I am thrilled that this weekend I got to put to use what I have learned so far. Thank you Varina for explaining hyper focal distance, it even worked with my little Olympus OMD M5 with the kit 12-50mm lens. Thank you both for explaining how to use layers.
great content from a very knowledgeable instructor
In Sharp Focus Webinar contained great content from a very knowledgeable instructor.
Paul Peters
Cobble Hill, British Columbia, Canada
Every single case study was excellent
Great course! I am loving the narrower scope but more in-depth approach and both the “in the field” workflow and “the photo I didn’t take” explanations. Every single case study was excellent. (Behind the Lens Course)
Regina Velasquez
I loved Alan Shapiro’s class!
I loved Alan Shapiro‘s class! It was really helpful just to see the little tips and tricks he uses with his still life photography. While technical classes are incredibly helpful, I really enjoyed that he presented
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I loved Alan Shapiro‘s class! It was really helpful just to see the little tips and tricks he uses with his still life photography. While technical classes are incredibly helpful, I really enjoyed that he presented the artistic side and the simplified piece. The relaxed and interactive flow of the class was really great, much more like a conversation than a lecture which made it that much more fantastic!
Alan has always been a favorite of mine. Having him share his technique on Visual Wilderness has been fabulous. Alan, is a master of color & light, and a fabulous teacher.
In 2019, we expanded our video tutorial offering by becoming a multi-vendor marketplace for nature photographers. We now offer video courses from several contributing photographers on all aspects of landscape photography. Here are some of the most popular video courses from this past year...
Our latest video courses were based on fine-tuning your start-to-finish workflow for some of the most important aspects of photography. These video courses, with a razor-sharp focus on different aspects of landscape and nature photography and are sold in over 70 countries around the world.
Newsletter and Web App Notifications
We have over 46,000 subscribers for our InFocus newsletter and over 18,000 subscribers get educational content via notifications from Visual Wilderness on their mobile and desktop devices. Not surprisingly, both of these free resources have superb engagement and a worldwide audience. Here is what some of the readers have to say...
A wonderful inspiration and resource
InFocus Nature Photography Newsletter is a wonderful inspiration and resource for me, I’m on a limited budget live away from large towns, I am a carer and thoroughly enjoy photography. It is
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InFocus Nature Photography Newsletter is a wonderful inspiration and resource for me, I’m on a limited budget live away from large towns, I am a carer and thoroughly enjoy photography. It is truly a fantastic thing to be able to learn and be inspired by your InFocus Nature Photography Newsletter. All I can say is I love it and thank you.
Having Visual Wilderness Nature Photography Newsletter on my PC at my finger tips is a great help and if need be I can quickly check for tips whilst out in the field
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Having Visual Wilderness Nature Photography Newsletter on my PC at my finger tips is a great help and if need be I can quickly check for tips whilst out in the field shooting.
Appeals to both experienced photos as well as newbie
InFocus Newsletter is an exciting publication that appeals to both experienced photos as well as newbie… always clear and to the point.
Roy
Kentucky, USA
InFocus Newsletter provides great inspiration
InFocus Newsletter provides great inspiration, help and source of information in easy-to-understand language for beginners like me. You gave me that little push to always have my camera with me when I’m
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InFocus Newsletter provides great inspiration, help and source of information in easy-to-understand language for beginners like me. You gave me that little push to always have my camera with me when I’m out and about. Keep up the great work!
I have been following InFocus Nature Photography Newsletter for about five years and have learned many great tips and tricks and have been inspired by many of your images. You have always
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I have been following InFocus Nature Photography Newsletter for about five years and have learned many great tips and tricks and have been inspired by many of your images. You have always been an very good instructors when I attended your seminars.
My landscape photos have improved greatly from the help from InFocus Newsletter from Visual Wilderness.
Earl
Montgomery, Alabama
Excellent source of information and inspiration
InFocus Newsletter is an excellent source of information and inspiration, from two of my favorite photographers.
Alex
Walnut Creek, CA
InFocus Newsletter is keeping my skills sharp
I’ve been a photographer for a long time – more than 35 years. One might think that I have plenty of knowledge and I just need to apply that knowledge. With almost
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I’ve been a photographer for a long time – more than 35 years. One might think that I have plenty of knowledge and I just need to apply that knowledge. With almost every issue of InFocus Nature Photography Newsletter, I learn something new. Or at the very least, I’m reminded of something that I should have remembered but has been forgotten. InFocus Nature Photography Newsletter is keeping my skills sharp while increasing my knowledge and challenging me to seek out new photographic experiences.
InFocus Nature Photography Newsletter is inspirational in every way, jaw dropping photos, quality advice and its free!
Marshall
England
I use it to improve my photographic creativity
There’s always something included in InFocus Nature Photography Newsletter that I can use to improve my photographic creativity. There’s a lot to learn from reading your experiences, both good and bad. This
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There’s always something included in InFocus Nature Photography Newsletter that I can use to improve my photographic creativity. There’s a lot to learn from reading your experiences, both good and bad. This magazine comes to me in an ‘awkward’ format, but I still love the sharing which is written like as though it was made within a family structure.
Throughout this coming year, we plan to create more in-depth video courses on several aspects of landscape photography. In addition, producing more on-location video courses that feature workshop-style lessons is also part of our 2020 plan.
I could startoff like this – “Seeds of Jay Patel’s appreciation for beautiful places were planted early in his childhood….” but it would get boring really fast. I will just sum it up and say that I am a Landscape and Wilderness Photographer who loves to capture dramatic light. My photographs have been published in various magazines, calendars and advertising materials throughout the world. Patience is a virtue...unless you are chasing your dreams
Wonderful that you have put this personal touch out there. May your holidays be all you want them to be and may the new year bring healing for those in need and continued enthusiasm for all the great work you do.
keith fey says:
May all of you at Visual Wilderness continue capturing the light of our wonderful World for all of us to see and dream about. May you share your knowledge with an ever widening enthralled community of like minded photographers. May you inspire the next generation to carry photography’s colors, may you return everything you have in your power to do so… to the pool of life … these wide open spaces which become rare because of their beauty and wildness…. and may you.. one and all have a very special blessed Christmas and prosperous new year… Thank you for the year gone by… too fast.. Kind regards.. Keith Fey.
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Wonderful that you have put this personal touch out there. May your holidays be all you want them to be and may the new year bring healing for those in need and continued enthusiasm for all the great work you do.
May all of you at Visual Wilderness continue capturing the light of our wonderful World for all of us to see and dream about. May you share your knowledge with an ever widening enthralled community of like minded photographers. May you inspire the next generation to carry photography’s colors, may you return everything you have in your power to do so… to the pool of life … these wide open spaces which become rare because of their beauty and wildness…. and may you.. one and all have a very special blessed Christmas and prosperous new year… Thank you for the year gone by… too fast.. Kind regards.. Keith Fey.