Serenity

Way back in January, I got up one frigid morning and took my camera and tripod down to Brighton Beach to capture the sunrise.  While I got some very nice sunrise images (which, sadly and painfully, did not make the final cut), this was my favorite image of the day.  I love the calmness and the serenity that the picture conveys.  I also love the fact that if I didn’t tell you it was in the dead of winter, you’d probably think I took this during the summer.  I used my (then) brand new Lee Big Stopper (a 10ND filter) to be able to keep the shutter open long enough to smooth out the ocean while not having the entire picture blown out by all the light.  42mm, f/16, 13 seconds, 100 ISO, 10ND filter, tripod.

Arches

Central Park is one of my favorite places to shoot.  Being a nature lover who lives in the middle of the largest urban jungle in the country sometimes presents a challenge.  Sure you can get great cityscapes (some of which you’ll see later), but for greenery and such, it leaves much to be desired.  Unless of course, you head to one of the city’s parks — and Central Park is the biggest one of the bunch.

Bethesda Terrace is one of the most recognizable places in Central Park.  Most people have seen the famous fountain at 72nd Street.  However, aside from the fountain and the terrace which overlooks it, there is also the underside of the terrace, with it’s unique architecture and design.  I shot this one for 52 Frames for their “Black and White” week and it ended up earning one of the Top 4 spots for the week (out of close to 800 photos).

I don’t normally like to shoot black and white.  At heart, I’m a color junkie and I *love* seeing all the wonderful color that is out there.  But yet, I found that, for this shot, I ended up liking the black and white version better.  Perhaps it’s because the lack of color allows me to focus on the lines, textures and shapes in a way that I could not do with the color dominating the picture as it does in the color version:

I don’t know that this will inspire me to do more black and white shooting (it hasn’t really since I took it back in January), but I still happen to like it.  30mm, f/4.5, 25 seconds, ISO 100, tripod.

Rockefeller Center Flags

I don’t often shoot at Rockefeller Plaza.  In fact, the night I went to shoot this shot, I didn’t intend to go to Rockefeller Plaza to shoot.  I shot a picture of the status of Atlas and St. Patrick’s Cathedral for a 52 Frames photo and then, wandering around, came across the plaza.  It didn’t take me too long to notice how the flags were blowing in the night wind and to realize that, with a long enough exposure, I could get some interesting motion in the flags.  Add to the fact that all these world flags had tons and tons of color in them (I did mention earlier that I love color, right?) and that they could make a very interesting shot.  So I set up my tripod and shot the flags with various exposures and from various angles.  This was my favorite shot.

24mm, f/18, 6 seconds, ISO 200, tripod.

Colors of the City

There are plenty of great places to shoot the famous New York skyline.  Most people know about shooting from Brooklyn Bridge or Liberty State Park or from Weehawken.  Somewhat less known, however, is Gantry Plaza State Park.

Gantry Plaza State Park is located in Queens, just across the East River from Manhattan.  It’s a wonderful spot from which to shoot the skyline.  I arrived there on Presidents Day shortly before sunset and began shooting.  Since I was facing west, I had the sun setting behind the buildings and it made for some very nice shots.  Alas, some of those shots were the last ones to be cut for this Top 10.  The shot that did make it, however, was one that I took well after sunset.  The sky was already beginning to darken when I noticed how the colors of the skyscrapers were reflecting off the East River.  I realized that if I left the shutter open long enough to smooth out the motion of the water, it might make for an interesting shot.  This is the result:

I really like the reflection of the colors in the river.  I was originally ready to go home after sunset, but I’m glad I stuck around to see what other opportunities would develop and this one didn’t disappoint.  35mm, f/16, 30 seconds, ISO 100, tripod

Red Gerbera

Last year, I began taking photos of flowers on black backgrounds (in fact, one of them made it into last year’s Top 10).  I like the way the absolute darkness of the black contrasts with the color of the flower and makes it really stand out.  My favorite of the ones I shot this year is this one of a Red Gerbera.  Daises are wonderful flowers for photography, as they give you a defined center that the viewer can instantly focus on.

I don’t use my flash and umbrella too often (most of my shots, as you can easily see, are taken out of doors), but for flowers, they are perfect.  I’ve been experimenting with different lighting angles and different setups and hope to continue to improve at it over the coming year.  100mm, f/11, 1/30 second, ISO 100, tripod, flash, umbrella.

Little Red and Big George

Aside from the skyline and the skyscrapers, probably the most photographed feature of New York City is its bridges.  Nineteen bridges connect the island of Manhattan to other landmasses.  Eighteen of them are on the east side of the city.  Only one is on the west and, aside from the Brooklyn Bridge, it is perhaps New York’s most famous.  This bridge is the George Washington Bridge.

Getting to Fort Washington Park is a bit of a pain, as it’s a bit of a hike from the nearest subway stop, but the view from there can’t be beat.  Once you arrive in the park, you can stand right under the bridge and watch the sun set over the New Jersey Palisades.  Also located there is the famous Little Red Lighthouse, made famous by the children’s book by Hildegarde Swift and Lynd Ward.  Since the lighthouse is almost directly under the bridge, you can easily capture both of them and the setting sun in the same shot.

The sun was casting a fantastic orange glow that day, which is reflected in the sky, clouds and river.  I love this shot despite the fact that it’s not the most technically proficient.  In most cases, the type of lens flare that exists in this shot would more than likely cause me to discard the image, but in this case, I’m more than willing to overlook it.  24mm, f/18, 1/15 second, ISO 100, tripod.

Venus Over The Smokies

In August, Lisa and I took a trip to Tennessee to catch the solar eclipse.  The eclipse itself was an incredible and awesome event and I encourage everyone who has even the slightest chance of seeing a total solar eclipse to do so.

My eclipse pictures didn’t come out too well.  My focus was a bit off (partly due to the fact that I didn’t learn the true purpose of a tripod collar until after the eclipse was done) and, as a result, none of my shots from the eclipse made it into my Top 10.  However, we had an incredible view of the Smoky Mountains from our cabin porch and I made sure to take as many shots as I could (including getting up before sunrise).

My favorite shot from that vantage is this one:

I actually shot this as part of a panorama, but it looked so good as a stand alone shot that I processed this part by itself.  Venus was hanging over the mountains and I love the fact that I was able to capture it as part of the sunrise (it’s the brightest dot on the left hand side of the shot).  As I mentioned earlier, I’m a color junkie and this picture has such deep colors, with beautiful purples, blues, yellows, reds and oranges, that I just fell in love with it.  In addition to the wonderful colors, I also love the isolated trees sitting on the hill.  I had a lot of difficulty picking my Top 10 shots for the year, but if I had to pick a #1, my heart would say that this is the shot.  24 mm, f/4, three shots centered on 1/2 second, ISO 100, tripod.

Great Smoky Mountain Morning

Another shot taken from our cabin porch.  This one was taken later in the morning than the previous one, when the sky had lit up enough to allow the greens to stand out, while still showing off the grand colors of the sunrise.  18mm, f/5.6, 3 shots centered on 1/13 second, ISO 100, tripod.

Half Sun

Another Smoky Mountain shot, this time taken on the next day as the previous ones.  I love how the sun is going into hiding as it rises behind the clouds.  135mm, f/5, 1/1600, ISO 100, tripod.

Morning Mountain Abstract

I’ve always loved mountain photos that are abstracts, where the detail is gone and all you see are shades of mountaintops and the sky.  This shot isn’t quite exactly like that (you have some of the detail in the foreground here), but otherwise, I think this might qualify.  I love how the sunlight, filtering in through the clouds, casts rays on the mountains that, in the background, begin to blend into the mountains themselves.  47mm, f/6.3, 1/1600, ISO 100, tripod.

Tumbling Through the Gorge

I love waterfall shots and, whenever I have the chance, I like to go to one of the waterfalls in my area to shoot it.  In October, I took a trip up to the Finger Lakes region of New York State, which has some amazing gorges with glens and waterfalls running through them.  Watkins Glen is perhaps the most famous of these gorges.  I spent almost an entire day there, shooting the falls and rock formations.  One of my favorite images from that day is this one:

I like how this shot captures not just the flowing glen and the waterfall, but also the rock layers that have been formed by the flowing water over the rock over the last few millennia.  31mm, f/14, 3 shots centered on 1.6 seconds, ISO 100, tripod.

And that’s it, that’s the Top 10.  Well, actually, I do have to admit that I cheated… there are actually 11 images here.  I *tried* to get it down to ten, but simply could not bear to cut any of the images here so, I admit, I cheated a bit.

So, how did I do compared to last year’s Top 10?  I think my photography has improved, but sometimes it’s hard to tell if that’s because I had opportunities this year that I didn’t have last year (such as my trip to Tennessee) or if I really have improved in the technical and artistic senses.  I suppose I need to think about it more.  What do you think?  Have I improved?  And, if not (and please don’t be afraid to tell me so if that’s what you think), what do you think I can improve on?

Zev

However, in the end, I made my choice.  I have my Top 10 shots.  I also included one additional shot which, while not in my Top 10 shots for the year, is a first step towards a different type of photography that I would like to get into and hopefully, I will expand on that in 2017.

So, without further ado, here are the Top 10 shots, in order of when they were taken.

“Pink”

I took this shot in February at the New York Botanical Gardens.  I love the vibrant color and the detail on the flower (I’m a big sucker for details in pictures).  I have no idea what this flower is called (do any of you?).   I purposely shot it with a wide aperture, to throw the background out of focus, allowing the main subject to stand out.

“Two Bridges”

The Manhattan Bridge at Sunset, with the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline in the background.

You’re going to see a lot of New York City shots in this set, which, I guess, is logical.  I live in the city and it is full of wonderful things to photograph.

I took this shot in May, while in Brooklyn Bridge Park.  If you’ve never visited the park, I highly recommend it.  It offers stunning views of the Broooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, as well as great views of the skyline of the Battery (the southern tip of Manhattan — see below for an example).  It’s a great place to take the family and spend the day.

I like this shot for several reasons.  One of the things I learned this year is that a great way to add interest to a landscape shot is to make sure that there is something in the foreground.  I’ve shot landscapes in the past where there was nothing in the foreground.   They’re nice shots, sure, but nothing special.  Having something in the foreground, however, as in this shot, helps to give the picture depth.  In addition, I like the way the rocks lead your eye right to the bridges.

“Manhattanhenge”

This shot was taken on the day of Manhattanhenge in July.  Manhattenhenge is the term used for the four days a year when the sunrise or sunset line up with the street grid of Manhattan.  Here is the sun setting over 42nd Street.  It’s not often that us New Yorkers get to see the sun at the horizon — usually there are buildings or other obstacles in the way, so when it does appear at the horizon, we take notice. As you can see from this picture, *lots* of people stopped and took notice of the sun setting that day.

One thing I particularly like about this photo is the color.  Normally, the time around sunrise/sunset is called the “golden hour” due to the coloring of the sunlight at this time.  I don’t know what it is, exactly (I suppose I’d have to ask a physicist), but something about Manhattanhenge amplifies that effect, so that the sunlight is almost a golden red (does that even make sense?).

This particular photo happened to be my most popular of the last year.  After Manhattanhenge, I shared it on Facebook and it took off like no previous photo I had ever taken.  It ended up being shared numerous times and was seen by thousands of people.

“Verrazano at Sunset”

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at sunset in July, with Shore Park in the foreground.

I took this shot of the Verrazano-Narrows bridge in July.  I have an app (The Photographer’s Ephemeris – a great app, by the way), that showed me that the sun would be setting over the bridge and I wanted to grab a shot of it.  I set myself up on a hill overlooking the park and bridge and waited for sunset.  Using a narrow aperture (f//20), I was able to capture those sun rays in camera.

“Manhattan at Sunset”

The Manhattan Skyline at Sunset

I took this shot on September 11.  I went down to Brooklyn Bridge Park to take pictures of the Tribute In Light memorial that is put up every year to remember the victims of the terrorist attacks of the day.  While I was waiting for the lights to be turned on, I set up and began shooting.  The sun setting just beyond the tip of the island and the great cloud formations in the sky made this a scene I had to capture.  I had a tough time choosing between this shot and another one shot just a few minutes later when the sun had set and the lights went on (see below), but in the end, this one won out.

“Brooklyn Bridge/Towers of Light”

The Brooklyn Bridge with the Tribute In Light memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks in the background. Taken in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

This shot was taken the same night as the previous shot.  After I had taken the shots I wanted, I wandered around the park for a while.  Eventually, I found this angle, which showed the Brooklyn Bridge with the Towers of Light behind them.  I don’t know if I can articulate why, exactly, I like this shot.  I suppose it has to do with the composition, the coloring, the lines and the lights.  But I find that I like it a great deal, and so it’s on the list.

“Pathways of Life”

As I said previously, I am a sucker for details in pictures, and this shot has details.  I really like the texture of the leaf and the way the lens captured all those wonderful veins.  But there is also another reason I like this picture – it’s one where I tested out a new technique.  You see, when I took this picture (September 25), it was still far too early for that sort of fall color here in New York City.  The leaf, in actuality, was completely green, the color in the lower left corner.  I added the remaining colors in Photoshop, and was rather pleased with the result.

“New York”

A sunset over Manhattan, south of 34th Street

For most of the year, I worked in the Empire State Building.  As a result, it was fairly convenient for me to go up to the Observation Deck and take photos.  I took this shot just after sunset on a November day.  Again, being a sucker for detail, I love this shot – the streets, the buildings and the background all came out beautifully.

“The Reading Bench” 

A peaceful bench to sit and read in the autumn at Wave Hill, Bronx, NY

I found this spot up in Wave Hill, in the Bronx.  I had been meaning to get there for a long time, but whenever I planned to go, something came up to prevent the visit.  Finally, in November, I managed to spend a day there.  From the looks of it, it’s a beautiful place to go to any time of the year, but at the height of fall color, it was spectacular.

I found this bench sitting under one of the oldest trees in the park.  With the fall color, the view of the Hudson and the Palisades, this looks like just the sort of place where you can spend an afternoon curled up with a good book.

“Red Rose Reversed”

This shot was taken earlier this month.  Again, being a detail “junkie,” I could not help but include this shot.  This year I bought myself a new flash, as well as a stand and umbrella and I have begun experimenting with off-camera flash.  This shot is one of those experiments.  I happen to really like the lighting in this picture and how the light falls off from the left side of the photo to the right.  I definitely will be experimenting more with this type of photography in the future.

There is one additional shot that I’d like to include.  It’s a shot that is not typical of my work, but it represents the type of shot that I’d like to do more of.

One of my favorite photographers is Brooke Shaden.  She takes these awesome photographs and composites that are surreal, dark, sometimes creepy and vivid with imagination.  While I don’t, in particular, share her dark tastes, it is as plain as day that she is incredibly skilled at telling stories through her photographs.  Just looking at her work makes me envious of her amazing skill and talent.  While I would not do things as she does them (I’m not that big a fan of the surreal or the dark – despite the shot below), I certainly would like to be able to tell stories of people through my photographs.  I did one last year, and hopefully will do more in the coming year.

“Freed From the Pages”

I took this shot for 52 Frames (my weekly photography group) when the theme was “Books.”  I don’t often shoot with people in the scene, and so, I wasn’t quite sure how to set up this shot.  However, through some creative dodging and burning (and the helpfulness of two of my kids), I was able to capture this shot.  While this shot isn’t one of my ten favorite for the year, I still love it, and certainly plan on doing more over the coming year.

And that’s it — that’s the Top 10.  What do you think?  Are there any shots that you think should have been included?  Do you think that any of these should have been omitted?  Let me know.  In the meantime, he’s towards better photos in 2017!

Zev

What do you think?  Let me know.

When the theme of “Lines” came up for 52 Frames, I had, to be truthful, an entirely different type of shot in mind.  However, it didn’t quite work out as I planned.  Fortunately, I had a backup shot in mind which I could quickly pull off.

This shot was I like this shot for several reasons.  It was a different take on the theme.  I knew that everyone would be presenting their photos with lines (and there were some truly extraordinary pictures there), but I wanted something just a bit… different.

I also like this shot because we don’t often think of bar codes in this way.  Bar codes are ubiquitous — we see them tens, if not hundreds, of times a day.  Of course, they’re all different, but to us casual observers, they are pretty much the same.  We’re so used to seeing them in the same format and in the same style that when you see it differently, as in this picture, it makes you stop and think about it for a minute.

One last thing I like about this picture is that it was remarkably easy to make.  Do you have Photoshop?  Do you want to be able to produce this type of image?  If so, I put together a quick video (under four minutes) that shows you how it’s done.  Let me know if you want me to include further video tutorials on my photos.

Zev

Each year, the theme for the last week is Artist’s Choice — in other words, you can submit whatever you like.  I decided to go and shoot some Christmas lights and  then work with them a bit in Photoshop and using some of Topaz Labs’s tools.  Here’s the resulting shot:

I’m looking forward to starting another year of 52Frames.

Over the time that I shot all those pictures, I learned the basics of photography.  I learned about composition.  I learned about apertures and shutter speeds and ISO.  I even learned a thing or two about lighting.  And, over the years, my pictures have gotten better as I learned more and practiced.

While there are plenty of pictures in which I took pride as I shot them, there is one that I eventually took that made me think to myself “*this* is a really nice image.”  It’s not my favorite image, nor is it the best one I ever produced — but it’s one that, when I took it, I realized that I had reached a new level of skill and one that I was proud to show off as art, and not just as “another one of my pictures.”  This is the shot:

Believe it or not, this image isn’t all that complicated.  There’s some black paper in the background, a piece of glass under the tulip (providing the reflection), a small LED flashlight behind the flower and some water drops sprinkled on the rose.    After that, I did some minor Photoshop work to get rid of specks of dust on the glass and to deepen the blacks — and that was it.

And yet, even though it wasn’t complicated and didn’t involve a lot of technical set up, nonetheless, I liked it — a lot.  And, just as importantly, so did other people.   This became the first shot that I really took a lot of pride in — and to this day, it remains among my favorites.

What was your “breakthrough” image?  I’d love to hear about it.

Zev