The Stars Over Yosemite by Maxis Gamez

"Photographing the Milky Way at Yosemite National Park can be very rewarding but not without a little research and effort. Before you head-out in the middle of the night, make sure to scout the area during the afternoon hours. Look for an interesting foreground or what I call "anchor" to balance the image. In this case the pine trees were selected and for a clear night it's a must. Clouds can be very problematic."

Equipment Used: Canon 5D MKII, Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 @ f/4, 35 sec exposure using Bulb Mode and with an ISO of 3200. Single image.

All of us at NSN wish you a happy and healthy new year and a prosperous and productive 2012! We also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the support this past year! 2011 was our best year yet! In 2011 have hired new staff (yes we created jobs), expanded our workshop and store offerings and began to put together a comprehensive plan for growth and site improvements.

A few months ago we began working on our largest project to date, the result of which will include a plethora of exiting additions and new features and products, as well as a fresh look and new functionality to the NSN website. The first stage in these developments will be launched this spring with further development taking place all year.

We could not spend time and money on site improvements and feature additions without your continued support through membership, store purchases and workshop sign ups. By supporting NSN you're helping to build a better community and a better resource for all nature photographers. So thank you and stay tuned for 2012!

–Greg Downing and the NSN staff

While Maxis Gamez may be the newest moderator in NatureScape's Birds Forum, he's no stranger to bird photography. A self-taught photographer, Maxis "got serious" about shooting just five years ago, but already his beautiful bird and landscape images have been published in magazines such as Audubon, Shutterbug, and Outdoor Photographer. In this interview, Maxis shares how he found his love of photography and why his homestate of Florida is one of his favorite places to shoot. Continue reading »

This is one of my most popular and favorite workshops—particularly because of the small group. The location is perfect for not just Common Loons but also for a plethora of other species, as well as some landscape and macro opportunities. To say it's a beautiful area would be an understatement. And because there will only be a maximum of 5 participants in each workshop it provides an opportunity to work one-on-one with each of you on your photography, not just from a technical standpoint but also from the standpoint of artistic inspiration. From the spectacular scenic location, to photographing the Loons and other birds to learning processing and compositional techniques in a comfortable classroom setting, this workshop is second to none. But don't take my word for it—read our testimonials.

$429

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"The Gura Gear Kiboko 30L is the best backpack ever made - bar none. I have traveled the world with mine from Africa to Antarctica and everywhere in between. It is light, durable and holds a lot or a little and is now the ONLY backpack I use." –Greg Downing