Monday, November 30, 2009

November 30th, 2009

A last look at my Lakota Wolf Preserve shoot . . . I will be collecting these images into one of my 'folio' editions for sale in the new year! The fact that this place was less than an hour away from me all this time prompts me to take a closer look around my home and see what other amazing opportunities await my lens!

Captured with the Nikon 70-200mm VR at 250th of a second at f/3 with my ISO down to 100.


Sunday, November 29, 2009

November 29th, 2009

Here's another sneak peek at my Lakota Wolf Preserve shoot. This is one of 24 wolves they had on site . . . what struck me with each and every wolf was the intelligence in their eyes. There was a pack mentality, for sure, but each individual wolf had their own personalities.

Captured with the 70-200mm VR at 500th of a second at f/2.8. ISO is down to 100.


Saturday, November 28, 2009

November 28th, 2009

One thing I really haven't explored is shooting wildlife . . . this weekend, I got my chance to at the Lakota Wolf Preserve in Columbia, NJ . . . there were close to 2 dozen wolves on the preserve and they all wander around in a natural habitat. To see and hear these amazing beasts up close and personal - some of them even licked my lens - was such a great experience.

This shot was captured with the Nikon 70-200mm VR shooting at 500th of a second at f/3. ISO was bumped up to 800 as I was shooting hand held and the sun kept popping in and out.

Friday, November 27, 2009

November 27th, 2009

They say, the best photo you've ever taken is only 10 feet away . . . so I decided to try this out for myself . . . I picked a spot in the woods, planted myself and just absorbed what was around me. There was a whole lot of dead or dormant foliage laying around. The colors were very muted . . . not much to go on . . . I slowly did a 360 degree sweet and my eyes picked up on some color . . . some red berries standing out in stark contrast to the monochrome background of the late-Autumn setting. And you know what? The theory is sound - it may not be an award winning image, but it's a heck of a shot, I think . . .

Captured with the Nikon 70-200mm VR shooting wide open at f2.8 with a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second. ISO is down to 100.


Thursday, November 26, 2009

Novmeber 26th, 2009

Today, I am most thankful for family . . . my beautiful wife and baby girl are the reason I exist. They are my creative muse. While setting up for a portrait session last night, Peyton decided to help me out a bit by posing for me so I could lock down the lighting. It's these quick little moments between this father and daughter that I love the most . . . where she shows an interest in what I am doing and asks a TON of questions . . . all of which I do my best to answer!

Captured with the Nikon 70-200mm VR. Lit with an SB800 & SB900 flash all controlled by the SU800 Commander unit mounted on top of my camera. Shutter speed is set to 250th of a second with an f-stop of f/8. ISO is 100. Converted to black and white using Lightroom Beta 3.


Wednesday, November 25, 2009

November 25th, 2009

So a good friend emailed me last night and said I should go shoot the moon . . . it's beautiful. So, in PJs, I headed out on the back porch with camera in hand, and sure enough, there's this great half moon in the sky. Shooting a moon isn't as tricky as you would think. I always shoot on manual when I try and capture the moon - that way, I can dial in the correct exposure. I start at 250th of a second at f/8 and go from there. The moon is bright, so a faster shutter speed is essential in getting any detail. This, unfortunately will leave everything else in shadow. In this case, there was a nice fluffy cloud just above the moon, but because I used such a high shutter speed, it fell to shadow . . . I shot with the 70-200mm VR - handheld. I tripod would only have slowed me down a bit . . . and I finally rested on a shutter speed of 400th of a second, so camera shake wasn't really an issue. ISO is down to 100.


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

November 24th, 2009

So I wanted to give myself a small self-assignment this morning . . . photograph with nothing but your little point and shoot and see what you can get. As I am trying to find something - I realize, I am trying too hard. I look down at the time and see it's just before nine, which is when I like to have my image of the day up! And then I realize, I could shoot my watch!. Grabbed a piece of printer paper and set it up . . . pretty happy with the macro setting on the p6000. Captured on Aperture Priority mode with nothing by the on-camera flash to light the scene.

Monday, November 23, 2009

November 23rd, 2009

Something a little fun for today . . . Over the weekend, the Sparta Camera Club held their Annual Expo - an open competition for local photographers to showcase their works. Four of my pieces placed with ribbons, I am proud to say - there were over 200 entries! As we were cleaning up after the show and preparing a month long exhibit at the Sussex County Judicial Center, we tossed all the ribbons into a pile and a photo opportunity presented itself!

Shot with the Tamron 28-80 and lit with the Nikon SB900 with a Lumiquest 80-20 diffuser mounted on top. Captured at 60th of a second at f5.6 with an ISO of 100.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

November 22nd, 2009

Any time there are flowers in the house, I have to photograph them . . . it's a compulsion. Flowers make such great subject, cause each bloom is different. I made a creative decision to desaturate this image for one reason, the location where I shot these - my kitchen - is painted a mint green. Along with the leaves and blooms, the image came off very green. So in Adobe Lightroom 3 Beta, I desaturated the image, then recreated it as a duo tone.

Captured with the Nikon 50mm prime at an 80th of a second shooting wide open at f/1.8. ISO is down to 100.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

November 21st, 2009

More details . . . I love shooting details. Get in close on something most people would take for granted and it becomes a strong shot. In this case, a decoration passed by hundreds of people at an office building . . . get in close, nice and tight - and now people will be asking you where this was shot . . . Greece? Rome?

Captured with the Nikon 50mm prime set to shoot full manual as Aperture Priority mode kept giving me blown highlights. Opened up to 1.8 and shot at a 60th of a second. ISO is down to 100.

Friday, November 20, 2009

November 20th, 2009

I love simple images like this . . . a muted color . . . concentric shapes . . . a narrow depth of field. Sometimes making an image isn't about a subject, rather an abstract thought or mood.

Captured with the Nikon 50mm prime at f/1.8 with a shutter speed of 60th of a second. Tungsten lighting with my ISO up to 320.


Thursday, November 19, 2009

November 19th, 2009

So I hosted a 'movie night' for my local camera club last night . . . the film was National Geographic's The Photographers. As we're watching these seasoned pros making images that impact entire civilizations, I am realizing how much technology has advanced. Today's instant gratification of seeing your images as you capture them wasn't around back when these guys were shooting and it got me thinking . . . an interesting exercise for today's digital shooters would be to turn off your image preview - and don't peek! Pick a subject that isn't going to ruin you if you mess up, and fill up a memory card using just your gut and your brains. Here's what I came up with . . . 

Captured with the Nikon 50mm prime shooting at an 80th of a second. My aperature is wide open at f/1.8 and I have my ISO set to 500. Converted to Black and White in Adobe Lightroom 3 Beta. 


Wednesday, November 18, 2009

November 18th, 2009

There's frost on the ground . . . a chill in the air . . . winter is on it's way. I am not a big fan of the time between fall and winter. The sleeping trees, the bare branches . . . and the cold. Still, you can convey a lot with those emotions in your shots . . . today's image is my over all take on our current time of the year . . . blah . . . :-)

Captured with the Nikon d100 converted to shoot IR. Used the 70-200mm VR shooting at 350th of a second at f/8. ISO down to 200.


Tuesday, November 17, 2009

November 17th, 2009

Decorations . . . I love them . . . I could walk around a store like Home Goods and photograph all day long. It's the same with people's living rooms . . . there's always a reason someone choose to fill a spot in their home with some unique piece of artwork or display. And where they place them ends up being quite a photogenic spot! Most people will see the room as a whole, I tend to focus in and see each piece for what it is . . . parts of a whole . . .

Captured with the Nikon 50mm prime shooting at a 60th of second at f/1.8 with an ISO of 100. Natural lighting helped illuminate the metalwork of this unique candle holder . . .



Monday, November 16, 2009

November 16th, 2009

One of the things I remind myself to do every once and a while is to have fun with the camera. Last night, while waiting for a concert to start and in between snap shots of the family and such, I experimented with my point and shoot - slowing down the shutter speed, spinning the camera. You never know what you'll get out of simply playing . . . a technique I highly recommend!

Shot with the Nikon p6000 set to Shutter Priority Mode where I dialed in a full 1 second exposure. Then I picked a point in the shot and rotated the camera around that. As I was doing that, a guy with a similar point and shoot camera leaned over to his wife and say 'now how the heck did he do that?' Spent five minutes with him and showed him how . . . for which he was very grateful . . . I love my job!


Sunday, November 15, 2009

November 15th, 2009

So in a few short hours, my family and I will be heading down to Philadelphia to attend Star Wars in Concert. Anyone who is familiar with me or my work knows that Star Wars was a huge influence on my decision to become a creative professional. To be attending this event with my 5 year old is sure to be a wonderful experience. Music has always played a huge role in my creative process and here you see a 1993 boxed set of the Original Trilogy CDs that have been autographed by John Williams, the brilliant composer of music from the Star Wars saga. It is - and always will be - one of my most prized possessions.

Captured with the Nikon 50mm prime at a 60th of a second with an aperture of f/1.8. ISO is at 200.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

November 14th, 2009

You're going to have to forgive a fan-boy a little this weekend . . . Tomorrow, I'll be attending Star Wars in Concert - a Lucasfilm production featuring a live orchestra/chorus performing selections of music from the epic Saga. It's an early birthday present from my mother-in-law. I was 5 when Star Wars came out and it made me want to become a creative professional. I've had the very good fortune of doing some freelance work for Lucafilm and I even got the chance to visit the offices on the Presideo and the spraling Skywalker Ranch. So I thought it only appropriate that this weekend's images showcase some of the Star Wars collectibles I have laying around my office - today's image is a close-up shot of Boba Fett's helmet.

Captured with the 70-300mm Sigma with two flashes firing. 1/60th of a second for the shutter speed with an f-stop of f/5.6. ISO is up around 400.


Friday, November 13, 2009

November 13th, 2009

I don't think it's any secret that I love to photograph old things . . . any old thing, really, as long as the image evokes a story of some sort. I want my photography to do two different things: Ignite the viewers imagination . . . and give a little away about me as the photographer. Jay Maisel, an amazing photographer and - although he doesn't know it - a mentor of mine says that in order to take more interesting pictures you have to become a more interesting person. Very thought provoking words from a master shooter!

This was captured with the Sigma 70-300 macro and catpured with two different Flashes for lighting. Shot at a 60th of a second at f/5.6. ISO is down to 100.


Thursday, November 12, 2009

November 12th, 2009

I wonder what the good Doctor Sigmund Freud would say what this photo says about me as a photographer . . . why did I choose such a mysterious subject? Am I hiding behind something or am I taking the mask off and revealing another facet of who I am . . . Not sure what any of that means, but it sure sounded good when I started typing! This is a left over prop from my Konxari shoot that I wanted to revisit. The the smooth, yet creepy vibe it gives off . . .

Captured with the Nikon 50mm prime at a 60th of a second with an aperture of f/1.8. I lit the mask with two flashes (SB800 & SB900) and a camera mounted SU800 that enabled me to fire both flashes off camera and finesse the lighting a bit. My ISO is down to 100.


Wednesday, November 11, 2009

November 11th, 2009

A young guy walks up to old man in NYC and asks how he can get to Broadway . . . without hesitation, the older man replies . . . Practice. Same holds true for photographers. When I was asked to shoot the Ford GT, I really hadn't shot a whole lot of cars. So what to do? Practice. I have this toy Aston Martin that I used to find the pleasing angles on an automobile. Worked out quite well . . .

This was captured with the 50mm prime at a 40th of a second at f/1.8. ISO is bumped up to 200 for this shot.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

November 10th, 2009

Feeling very abstract this morning . . . shapes, colors . . . stuff I love to shoot. What do we take from this? What ever you like. Some might see life spiraling out of control . . . or maybe spiraling into control . . . string theory? Who knows, I just love the shapes and colors - I have a simple view of life. I just like what makes me feel good - and this makes me feel good.

Captured with the Nikon 50mm prime at f/1.8 with a shutter speed of 1/320th of a second. My ISO is turned up to 640 as I shot this with natural light pouring in from a window.

Monday, November 9, 2009

November 9th, 2009

First up is the 7th Anniversary video of my Photo-a-Day challenge . . .


Went to a very charming birthday part for my daughter's friend over the weekend. It was at a Build-a-Bear Workshop and they did a neat little thing with these little hearts that go inside each bear. They tossed a few handfuls onto the floor. The kids were asked to pick up two hearts. The first heart, they were asked to make a wish on for the birthday boy . . . all of those went into David's bear . . . the second one was for a wish for themselves. I thought it was a wonderful way to teach the kids compassion for others . . .

Captured with the Nikon p6000 set on Aperture Priority mode and lit with the built in flash.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

November 8th, 2009

Sometimes, shooting something ordinary, but from a different perspective will give you an extraordinary shot. This Ivy covered wall made a great subject, but I wanted to shoot it differently . . . it's my ambition to put my camera where other's wouldn't consider, so I scaled the 12 foot wall and shot down from above, giving me a great depth of field and a clearer subject.


Captured with the 50mm prime at f/1.8 with a shutter speed of 250th of a second. ISO is down to 100.


Saturday, November 7, 2009

November 7th, 2009

Got a quick one for you today . . . a tribute to my wonderful hobby. I collect old cameras to remind myself how far the hobby has come. The most leaps in technology have only happened in the past decade. It's such an exciting time to be a photographer in terms of what tools are available to us . . . makes me wonder what Ansel Adams might have done with a Nikon D3x . . .


This was captured with my Nikon p6000 in macro mode and natural lighting. Converted to Black and white with Adobe Lightroom 3 Beta.


Friday, November 6, 2009

November 6th, 2009

So while I was in the cemetery, I passed by a grave marker that had, engraved in the very bottom of the stone, the Free Mason symbol. As I had just finished reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, I couldn't resist snapping a shot of this engraving. It was about the size of a half dollar and nearly hidden by some greenery . . .

Captured with the Nikon p6000 set to shoot in Macro mode. ISO was down to 64.


Thursday, November 5, 2009

November 5th, 2009

I love shooting in cemeteries . . . does that sound morbid? I think not. They are full of history and unknown stories. I saw this stone with the surrounding plants and just knew I had a wonderfully mysterious shot.

Captured with my p6000 set to shoot Aperture Priority mode . . . some times the best camera made is the one you have with you! I always carry a point and shoot everywhere I go!


Wednesday, November 4, 2009

November 4th, 2009

The more I play with the camera, the more I learn . . . I shot this last night as the moon rose. It's a stunning site - so large in the sky, but here's the trick. To perfectly expose for the moon in the nighttime sky, you really knock everything else back into shadows. Because the moon is so bright, I am shooting at 400th of a second - pretty fast for dark conditions. Next time, I want to try painting some light in while I make the exposure - you know, get some tree branches in there somehow . . . this is easily achieved in Photoshop, of course, but I want to do this in-camera!

Captured with the Nikon 70-200mm VR - I was even shooting handheld! I switched to full manual mode so I could dial in the right amount of shutter speed and exposure. I shot at 1/400th of a second with an f-stop of f/11 to make sure everything was nice and crisp. ISO is down to 100.


Tuesday, November 3, 2009

November 3rd, 2009

So as I lay in bed this morning, thinking about how much work goes into 'getting the shot,' I found myself determined to try and just walk about this morning, one lens and not spend so much time thinking about exposure, depth of field, composition and all those things that go into making a marketable image. It's a wonderful exercise and totally reinvigorates passion for image making . . .

This was captured with the Nikon 50mm prime set on Aperture Priority mode at f1.8. The camera provided a shutter speed of 1/8000th of a second and the sun did all the rest. Finalized the image with Lightroom 3 Beta - which if you haven't downloaded the free beta yet, you're missing out - heck of a program!

Monday, November 2, 2009

November 2nd, 2009

So I am reading Chris Orwig's Visual Poetry (www.visual-poet.com) and it's got me thinking about my images and the stories I am trying to convey in them. What does this image tell you . . . how do you feel when you view this image. I know what I had in mind when I shot this - it's a personal story that can be interpreted in many ways . . . so let's hear what story this says to you!

Captured with the Nikon d100 that has been converted to shoot in the IR spectrum. I bumped up the ISO on the camera to 800 to give it a very grainy feel. Shot at a 50th of a second at f/2.8 with the Nikon 70-200mm VR lens. Processed in Lightroom 3 Beta.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

November 1st, 2009

It's that time of year again where we turn our clocks back and we photographers loose our evening light that much earlier - the upside is, I can snag my sunset shots a tad earlier and not miss our evening family meals as much! This also signals winter's approach - and while I am not a huge fan of the burdens that come with snowfall, I do love to photograph the delightful white stuff! I thought this shot - taken on my back deck, captures that passage of seasons perfectly.

Taken with the Nikon 70-200mm VR at f/2.8 with a shutter speed of a 60th of a second. ISO is set to 200. This was also taken with my Nikon d100 that has been converted to shoot in the infrared spectrum, which always seems to create a pleasing shot!