#jonhope.com

One of my aerial shots of San francisco made it into the final 200 photos for the 2012 World Open of Photography. 

I took this shot on a crystal clear morning over the Sunset district of San Francisco. Despite the hopeful name, this is a neighborhood that is usually covered in fog. So when I saw the opportunity to shoot these long straight streets, I grabbed it. I really love that red siding on the house in the middle. My eye is drawn directly there. Then I start seeing all of the other houses around it. 

Playoff Time !

Here's a Tilt-Shift of ATT park, Home of the San Francisco Giants.

When I saw the 3D map in Apple's latest iOS 6 features video I thought it was funny to see they show off this new feature by flying around the Transamerica Pyramid. It's a view I know pretty well!

I can see how the 3D feature could be handy for scouting out aerial locations to shoot from ahead of time, but you don't get the sense of perspective that you get from using different lenses. It's a little whacked.

Here's a comparison between what I can see in the new Maps App on my iPad and what I actually shot from almost the same position. In my aerial shot the Transamerica Pyramid seems to be shooting out of the ground and is far more dramatic. Needless to say, I still like my shot better.

The top picture is a rendered view of the Transamerica Pyramid from iOS 6 Maps 3D.

And this second one is my shot taken from a Hughes 500c helicopter, with a Canon 5D Mk2 16-35mm at 16mm.

I was near Fresno on a client shoot last week, and not surprisingly saw a lot of  vineyards, fields and orchards from the air. The Central Valley is massive and covers 22,500 square miles, much of which is farmland.

My aerial shot of the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco was a nominee in the Professional Architecture Catagory :) 

It's becoming quite a prestigious annual photography competition with the judges from the Tate Gallery in London, National Geographic, Bonhams Auction house, and more.

http://www.thespiderawards.com/gallery/7th/gallery.php?g=&x=p&cid=105&fid=95273

Salt ponds near the Dumbarton Bridge, San Francisco Bay.

These ponds can range in color from pale green to bright red depending on the salinity of the pond.

One of my aerial tilt shift shots Miniature Freeway is a nominee in the Aerial Photography Category of this years awards. http://www.thecolorawards.com/gallery/index.php?g=n

I even get my own press release !

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY NOMINATE US PHOTOGRAPHER Jon Hope AT 5TH ANNUAL PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERS CUP

LONDON - Professional photographer Jon Hope from the USA was presented with the 5th Annual Photography Masters Cup Nominee title in the category of Aerial Photography at a prestigious Nomination & Winners PhotoShow. The live online ceremony webcast Sunday, October 29, 2011 was attended by photography fans in 83 countries who logged on to see the climax of the industry's most important event for color photography.

The awards international Jury included captains of the industry ranging from Hasted Hunt Kraeutler in New York, Brancolini Grimaldi, David & Goliath, Simon Studer Art Associates, Stills Gallery to Christie's in London who honored Color Masters with 272 coveted title awards and 1099 nominees in 18 categories.

"It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the 13,321 entries we received this year," said Basil O'Brien, the awards Creative Director. "Jon Hope's "Freeway," an exceptional image entered in the Aerial category, represents contemporary color photography at its finest, and we're pleased to present him with the title of Nominee."

See all the 5th Annual Winners & Nominees at http://www.thecolorawards.com/gallery

They practiced hovering close to the cliffs. And I mean really close to the cliffs – the blades were maybe 20 feet away from the rocks. Because the instruments can’t tell you what is beside you, only your altitude from the ground below, the observer had to look out of the side door to tell the pilot how many yards away the rotor blades were from hitting the cliff. This was the only guidance the pilot had. These guys were really good.

I wanted to get some shots of the helicopter hovering over a rocky outcrop. So they dropped me off in a field. Later, after I had finished my shots they retrieved me by winching me back in, dangling outside the helicopter door. This was a bit unnerving to say the least.