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Photographing California Book

Photographing California - South, landscape photography guidebook by Jeff Sullivan

Photographing California Vol. 2 – South, new landscape photography guidebook by Jeff Sullivan

New landscape photography guidebook by Jeff Sullivan, published by Laurent Martres

Los Angeles chapter in the new landscape photography guidebook by Jeff Sullivan

Five years and tens of thousands of road and trail miles in the making, my Photographing California guidebook to California landscape photography locations started shipping in September, 2015.

The book covers the southern portion of the state from Yosemite south. It includes a lot of what you’d expect, including Yosemite National Park, Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park, Channel Island National Park, Pinnacles National Park, Mojave National Preserve, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Devil’s Postpile National Monument, several chapters on the Eastern Sierra, a number of backpacking destinations in the High Sierra, and the California Coast from Santa Cruz to San Diego.

Sequoia National Forest and Monument

Sequoia National Forest and Monument chapter in the Photographing California landscape photography guidebook.

It also includes many state parks and beaches, sites on land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Natural Landmarks.  I weighted coverage by scenic and photographic value, so the dramatic and accessible Eastern Sierra side of the Sierra Nevada gets separate chapters for the Mono Basin, Mammoth Lakes area, Bishop Area, and Lone Pine to Mojave.

Most of the locations covered can be reached easily by car or via a short walk, but also included are a few stunning destinations best reached using high clearance or 4WD vehicles, overnight backpacking, or horses.  In all, over 350 photos are provided to illustrate over 300 locations, and many site entries reference additional nearby sites and areas worthy of additional exploration if you have the time.

Mammoth Lakes chapter

The photographic potential of a site can vary by season and by time of day, so I advise readers on both seasonal timing and when the light is best.  Where there are special technical photographic considerations such as optimal focal lengths or filters to use, I describe those as well.  Seasonal considerations can include the angle of the sun, wildflowers, fall colors, peak waterfall flows and special events such as lunar rainbows. Somehow I packed this all into 320 pages!

The book is the latest volume in the publisher’s series covering many Western states, and an ebook version is available as well.

This project was a massive undertaking, taking twice as much time as I expected, close to 5 years.  To complete the book I drove a distance roughly equivalent to halfway to the moon.  Death Valley alone warranted approximately 20 visits to explore new locations, even after having already visited the park that many times already over the prior 5 years as well.  I’m crazy about nature, landscapes and photography, so I’d do it over again in a heartbeat.  Completing this book was the experience of a lifetime!

You can order an author-signed copy (U.S. shipping addresses only*) via PayPal and credit cards for $32.95 (including shipping) here:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=NQR7ZALAXJJG4
Please be patient on shipping, I live in a very rural area and go to town about once a week for errands, including shipping books. During Covid it makes sense to minimize trips to no more than once a week!

Amazon.com ordering options, eBooks and international ordering are discussed below.

California landscape photography guidebook by Jeff Sullivan

I’ll recoup my travel expenses slowly and it may be years before I get anything extra to cover my time, but I keep the retail markup on the author-signed copies, so your direct purchases through me provide maximum support for this project.

If you prefer free shipping copies from an online book retailer, no problem, and even the few dimes more in commission I’ll receive from using that link will help greatly towards making this project viable (compared to ordering it directly there without my affiliate link).  You can also order it alongside other books in the series.

I’m generally fairly shy and not really comfortable asking for things, but if you tell your photographer friends about this book, it you buy copies for birthday or Christmas gifts, review it with a rating on Amazon, or even just “Like”, comment on, or share my social media posts to help spread the word on it, you’ll be doing me a huge favor.  Thanks in advance for your support, in any form it might take!

California landscape photography guidebook by Jeff Sullivan

Based on the success of this book release, I’ll decide whether to move right into another travel guide.  If I do, what would you like me to cover next, Nevada, the High Sierra, Wyoming and/or Montana?  Drill down in more detailed regional guides (Yosemite, Death Valley, Eastern Sierra, Mojave Desert)?  Something international, perhaps Patagonia or Iceland, or more developed travel destinations like Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey?  Or should I write a book on photographic technique, such as night photography?  Tell me in the comments.  If I can pick my next project now, I can set it up on Kickstarter and use photo prints and this first book as some of the rewards for your support on my next one.

California landscape photography guidebook by Jeff Sullivan

Last but not least, thanks to everyone who cheered me along over the years, on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Instagram500px, YouTube, Vimeo, Pinterest, Tumblr, Blogger, and here on WordPress. You kept me going on this long road. Thanks also to my photography workshop customers, you kept food on the table, a camera in my bag, a computer on my desk, and my car in working order. Thank you so much for your support, including likes, comments, shares of this page and/or shares of the link to order author-signed copies!  https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=NQR7ZALAXJJG4

Pro tip on this book: As the introduction discusses, I am very sensitive to the capacity of photographers that locations have at any one time, and especially the impact that too many photographers might have on fragile or environmentally sensitive locations. To help address this, some of the more photogenic locations are described as “nearby locations”.

Photographing California South guidebook

Death Valley sand dunes described in the book. Are you up for a hike?

Readers tempted to skim the pages and solely cherry-pick locations from the photos might miss a few of those nearby locations. I suspect that people might value things proportionate to the work they have to invest to achieve them, so I’ve hidden a few bonuses for readers willing to embrace a “leave no trace” ethic. A “trace” includes naming or geo-tagging the location of a photograph, so I hope that if you discover some hidden gems through my book, you will value their solitude and untrampled nature, and not contribute to the “look what I found” ego-stroking on social media. Even if a location has been revealed by someone, every time contributes to the stream of trampling feet, and extends the recovery time. People will do what they want; but when you find a place without crowds and with minimal trampling damage I hope that you’ll consider having minimal impact.

Photographing California Vol. 2 South guidebook

It’s in the book! Requires a hike and 4WD with high clearance.

Jets in a Death Valley canyon

US Air Force Thunderbirds #8 in Death Valley National Park (page 130).

I can’t wait to tell you about my next project!

* Photographers on a tight budget or with international shipping addresses can order at a discounted price through Amazon.  Either of these affiliate links are far better than a normal Amazon purchase, as even a small affiliate reward will accelerate recouping costs:
Photographing California – South:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/091618921X?ie=UTF8&creativeASIN=091618921X&linkCode=xm2&tag=jeffsulliph0f-20 
Apple iTunes eBook: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/photographing-california-vol./id1032029250?mt=11&at=10ldnC

Comments

14 thoughts on “Photographing California Book”

  1. Jeff, congrats on your new book! It looks like a fabulous tribute and resource of the incredible sights in southern CA. I look forward to enjoying it in person for many years to come!

    1. Hi Christie,

      I’d love to know what you think of it, thanks! It’s available in the Mono Lake Committee Bookstore in Lee Vining, as well as all of the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association visitor centers.

  2. jefffery- Peter and I have been eagerly awaiting this book ever since volume 1 shipped. I would love something on Nevada or other states in the US. Have you considered a kickstarter campaign to fund your next project. We would gladly donate to help you get going.

    1. Thank you Mary! I’m well into a more detailed guide to Death Valley that would be released on tablets and smartphones. I’d like to do one at least one more California region, as well as Nevada. I have been thinking of doing a Kickstarter campaign, with the app-based guides, my book, prints, and workshops as rewards. Nevada is really spread out and it’ll be hard to cover completely, but I’ve been collecting locations and images as i criss-cross the state on my way to Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Arizona and Oregon. Nice to know that there are people out there who would support that project, in case I can carve out the time and raise the funds!

  3. Hi Jeff. We just got home from our little trip down to Idyllwild and back and there was the book, waiting for us. I’m looking forward to discovering more of California and its landscapes. We just moved a couple of months ago, from Rancho Cucamonga to Los Osos, just south of Morro Bay. It’s a change we’ve had in mind for several years. We also have a residence in Idyllwild, in the San Jacinto Mountains. So we’re kind of spoiled! Thanks again!

    Bob Haine

    1. Hi Jeff,
      I just ordered your book via paypal. I’ll be out of town through Nov 17. Could you please delay shipping until after I return. Thanks,
      Dave

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