Le Clique

We've Moved!

2010-01-08T11:30:00.001-05:00

Macys Thanksgiving Parade JackA$@

2009-12-01T14:35:00.004-05:00

This guy inspired more creative heckling then i have heard in years. He was around 50 years old standing on a 10 foot ladder in the middle of the viewing area. No camera, no children, just himself. On top of all that, there were hundreds of other spectators with ladders, all of whom did the courteous thing and lined their ladders off to the side. There must be hundreds of photos with this guy in them.

2009-11-07T19:16:00.003-05:00

On our walk to the farmer's market this morning.

Wings over Houston

2009-11-02T13:17:00.003-05:00

We had a chance to attend the 25th annual Wings over Houston (WOH!) airshow this weekend. In addition to some great weather and spectacularly restored aircraft we were treated to some fancy flying by the Commemorative Airforce and the Navy's Blue Angels.

Pumpkins

2009-11-02T11:48:00.002-05:00

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween weekend!

Ambient Fright winners!

2009-10-30T23:59:00.005-04:00

A happy and haunted Halloween to all of you Le Cliquers, and especially to participants of the "Ambient Fright" photo contest. A big thank you to all for making the first ever LC photo contest a huge success.

Entries were ranked on a points system individually by our three esteemed judges with the scariest photo recieving 3 pts, second scariest 2 pts, and third scariest garnering 1 pt respectively. The scores from the judges were totaled with the highest score taking the prize.

And now, in what is sure to be the biggest scandal since the G.W Bush/ Al Gore election, are the winners of "Ambient Fright"...

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

Honorable Mentions

Now for the prize!

To avoid allegations of ballot stuffing and voting misdeeds (and the fact that Jenn and I knew what the prize was so it ruins the surprise) we have decided to bestow the grand prize to our third place finisher -Zerodaze for his classic O.G. haunted house. He will receive the following prize package valued doubtlessly, at next to nothing.

A set of vintage "Little Technical Library" instructional photography books!!!

Again thanks to all of our participants and congratulations for making "Ambient Fright" a blast.

Things that go bump in the night

2009-10-29T16:12:00.003-04:00

It turns out I seem to have the best luck (or worst depending on how you look at it) at shooting and finding creepy things at night. What are the odds that when I'm just simply trying to familiarize myself with using a camera in all types of light, the things that go bump in the night would choose to make an appearance in the post-processing stage? Needless to say, I'll no longer be testing the camera in the dark.

Highway snapshot

2009-10-29T12:45:00.003-04:00

Jenn and I were quite startled to glimpse this on the road home the other night after exiting the highway. After seeing something ahead at the edge of the headlights I managed to grab our point and shoot (which always sits in the cupholder just in case) and grab three shots. The other two were mostly dash and headliner (I was driving after all) but this one got it. We were both needless to say, pretty skeezed out.

We now take the next exit to get home at night.

Ambient Extension - Thursday, Oct. 29!

2009-10-28T18:53:00.003-04:00

If you'd like to submit more images for Ambient Fright, you have one last chance to do it! Post your images no later than 7:00pm EST, Thursday October 29th.

Happy creepy photo'ing!

The Birds

2009-10-28T18:50:00.002-04:00

Phantom of the Plum

2009-10-26T23:55:00.001-04:00

Evil lurks beneath a juicy exterior!

Empire!

2009-10-26T23:50:00.003-04:00

I took this photo with an old, old digital camera I had. I decided to look through the memory card before tossing it out when I found this. I don't even remember shooting it. Passing moments in the big city.

Smiley

2009-10-26T20:59:00.005-04:00

This is one of my grandmother's dogs. I call her Yim Yim ("Smile smile").

My personal nightmare

2009-10-26T19:22:00.005-04:00

Yea so some people know that birds give me the jibblies so a life-sized one would pretty much send me running in the opposite direction.

Fleischmanns'

2009-10-26T14:53:00.002-04:00

An abandoned house in an all but abandoned town!

More toy fun

2009-10-26T14:41:00.000-04:00

Somebody Wake Me From This Nightmare

2009-10-24T22:42:00.002-04:00

Dead Ringer

2009-10-23T09:38:00.003-04:00

I captured this image on my way to work this morning with my cell phone. Looks like this guy was a victim of the gang of squirrels in the neighborhood. Rest in pieces my friend. Converted to B&W and curve adjustments.

Ambient Fright: Meet Judge No. 003

2009-10-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

Profile

Name: Kate

Age: 12 1/2

Occupation: Full time student

Location: Texas

Favorite scary movie: The Ring

Hobbies: Reading and Drawing

Notes: While not afraid of the dark (what is it with these kids?), Kate certainly finds spiders scary. This Halloween, you may find her trick or treating while dressed as an American Idol judge. When asked what makes her a good judge for Ambient Fright, Kate's response was boldly "I know creepy when I see it."

severed girl

2009-10-21T06:28:00.004-04:00

In Cambodia

2009-10-20T17:39:00.007-04:00

Taken in Seim Reap, Cambodia 2008. Photoshop curves was the only tool used.

Ambient Fright: Meet Judge No. 002

2009-10-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

Profile

Name: David

Age: 10

Occupation: Baseball player

Location: Texas

Favorite scary book: More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, written by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell

Hobbies: Going to his friends house and playing video games

Notes: Also not afraid of the dark, David does think it's scary if you "hear a voice and no one is there." For this Halloween, you may hunt him down terrorizing some neighborhoods in Texas. But come armed with silver bullets, as he'll be a werewolf. What may you ask, makes David a good judge for creepy photos? "That I am smart."

Howloween

2009-10-19T15:08:00.001-04:00

Ambient Fright: Meet Judge No. 001

2009-10-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

Profile

Name: Hayden

Age: 7

Occupation: School

Location: Texas

Favorite scary book: any Goosebumps by R.L. Stine

Hobbies: Playing games and tag outside with friends

Notes: Hayden isn't afraid of the dark, but does find ghosts scary. For Halloween, he describes "I'll be a skeleton carrying an axe." Many may also know this as the Grim Reaper. In regards to what makes Hayden a great judge for the contest, he briefly explains "because nothing scares me."

Scaredy Cat

2009-10-18T19:18:00.004-04:00

So Matt's Phantom Cat post below was so awesome I'm not even going to compete with it, however it reminded me I HAD to go dig this number up to post as a sibling/collaboration post to his. This was taken a few years ago of my friend's cat –and yes he is a little freaked out by everything all the time, so this is sort of a captured 'portrait' if you will!

I think his owner was making him dance and pose like a cat-puppet, which I'm sure just traumatized him further...

*Only curve adjustments were done to get richer black and brighter white.

Phantom Cat

2009-10-18T14:29:00.003-04:00

I will admit that I did use some Photoshop to do selective desaturation on the face. However, as some on the board know, this cat's eyes actually are this big, so no trickery there! The poor selective focus to get that DOF, well, that's all me!

Inside

2009-10-15T00:28:00.005-04:00

AMBIENT FRIGHT : ghosts....of christmas past?

2009-10-10T13:26:00.007-04:00

Here's my first submission! Quite simply, this was taken at our office holiday dinner* a couple of years ago. Technically its a differnt holiday but I think it can pass for both creepy and festive, yes?

*This was a fight to the death between my friend The Vegan vs. myself The Raw Steak Carnivore –coincidentally I thought it was interesting that her battle technique was to apparently try to bite my face off....or something.*

Bones

2009-10-10T08:23:00.004-04:00

I saw this near the haunted house from my last post. It was in a fairly well traveled area, so how it remained intact to decompose like this is a mystery. I think it was a warning to stay away.

Ambient Fright

2009-10-05T09:00:00.001-04:00

Equal parts Halloween revelry and B movie cheese, we are pleased to announce the "Ambient Fright" photo contest.

For the month of October we want to see all of the Le Cliquer's creepiest, most terrifying, absolutely scaredy-catest shots. Post up your shots of eerie potentially haunted locales, misty disembodied figures or as popularized by Ghostbusters, your class III free roaming vapors. Real or fake - who cares? Get out the dry ice and white sheets to stage a shot or walk around an old cemetery and hope for some haunting. It's your choice. Anything goes.

The rules are dead simple. Just entitle and tag your post with "Ambient Fright" between now and October 28th to be included. Post as many or as few photos as you'd like. The winner will be picked by a panel of judges and posted up here on Le Clique Foto at 12:01 EST on October 31st.

So about those judges and the winner....
The winner of the "Ambient Fright" photo contest will receive a fabulous prize package for their photographic prowess and astral attenuation. As to the contents of that prize package you'll just have to wait. In an effort to keep suspense high we will be posting the prize package, and the identities & brief bios of our judges in the upcoming week. Of course, at Le Clique Foto we don't stuff the ballot box, so to speak—we've enlisted judges from outside our online community.

That's all the haunting facts on "Ambient Fright". Get out there and shoot, but remember the contest ends October 28th.

Starting off October Right

2009-10-03T20:35:00.004-04:00

I think this house down the street is haunted. Nothing can convince me otherwise.

Alaskan boat ride- Prince William Sound

2009-09-30T01:00:00.000-04:00

Due to the horrible weather here I've been going back through and processing photos. If you'll recall back a few months ago while in Alaska we took a charter boat through the Prince William Sound for some photo sight seeing. An unfortunate turn of weather left the boat in some of the thickest fog I've ever seen for several hours. I decided to make the best of the situation and exploit my captive family and work with what I had at hand. The results are below. D300, 50mm f1.8

Rainy day Sunset Park Brooklyn photowalk

2009-09-28T20:21:00.003-04:00

GD Potato Chips

2009-09-25T19:51:00.003-04:00

I saw this warning today on a walk around my neighborhood.

The wood reads "If you want to go to jail over some GD Potato Chips, go ahead and break in you dumbass. I have checked the Law and the value of Chips is enough to warrant a felony. Then when you are sitting in jail you can tell the other morons you are doing 2 to 5 yrs for stealing potato chips."

2009-09-19T02:00:00.001-04:00

ProductSuperiorJenn, ZeroDaze and I made some time to ride our bikes out to Coney Island a month or two ago. While quite a departure from its former glory (Thanks Thor Equities! It's really great that instead of all the amusement rides at Coney Isle and the Revere Sugar refinery in Red Hook we get to look at a bunch of weed filled, empty, and patently undevelopable lots!) there were still more interesting things to look at than I had time to devote. It ranks as one of my favorite photo outings in the city and in general an amazing day. Shots with D300, 70-300VR and 50mm 1.8 lenses.

Texas.

2009-09-18T11:36:00.003-04:00

For those of you not in the know ProductSuperiorJenn and I recently completed a move back to the great state of Texas. Things have changed quite a bit while we've been gone and while we haven't had much chance to explore much I did get to fire off a couple of shots. The last three were taken on, and enroute to Jenn's grandfather's farm with my D300 and the 70-200VR . The first was taken with a borrowed Canon G9 (which is awesome if you can't lug around the SLR).

Only The Lonely

2009-09-14T20:51:00.002-04:00

After a slight absence, I've finally gone through and selected a little batch from my trip upstate to Matt's parents' log cabin with Jenn & John (plus Matt of course). I noticed that there were tons of lonesome inanimate things to scope –some of which really stuck out because of how absolutely 'in the middle of nowhere' they were. I figured everyone else in the group was spelunking & trespassing (a common activity throughout the trip) in abandoned barns I'd just focus on the lonely & forgotten few.

San Francisco Trolleys

2009-09-14T08:34:00.003-04:00

We went to San Francisco for a few days earlier in the month. More photos to come soon.

Store with a trolley on the side

Toy trolleys in Chinatown.

Real trolley.

Tourists.

2009-09-04T12:10:00.003-04:00

Fourth of July

2009-08-31T23:24:00.003-04:00

Finally getting around to pulling all the photos of the summer from my camera and stumbled across this. He looks like a lion attacking the flame.

From the Vault/ Mojave Desert

2009-08-28T18:14:00.007-04:00

View of the Gorgonio Pass facing in the direction of L.A. (West) Just off Camera to left is Mt. Jan Jacinto, (the mountains foot is visible) off camera to the right is Mt San Gorgonio of the San Bernadino Mountains. I stopped here to take pictures of this abandoned complex. Google map it, its called White Water and I have no idea what it is!

This is a windmill farm in S. California. The peak in the back is Mt. San Jacinto. This range approximately represents the Eastern boarder of the greater Los Angeles/Inland Empire area. This pic is taken from the South East of that range near Palm Springs.

Traffic Signal Control Box

2009-08-24T15:12:00.003-04:00

Saw this traffic signal control box graffiti the other day and took a photo before the city painted over it.

Abstract Boats

2009-08-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

I'm going to take a break from Alaska and put up a few photos from our trip to the Thousand Islands NY which occurred just days before we hopped the plane to Anchorage. Both places revolve around boating: Alaska- fishing, Thousand Islands- the pleasure variety.

These photos were taken in the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY. It is easily as cool as it sounds.

Summer Fest

2009-08-16T17:07:00.006-04:00

Despite the crap weather (really hot and pretty rainy), I went down to the Houston Free Press first annual Summer Fest to hear some good music.

cleaning out the fridge

2009-08-15T20:42:00.003-04:00

Just finished cutting up a bunch of radishes for a salad, but before i used these last three i had to get a photo

Alaska- More random shots

2009-08-14T01:00:00.002-04:00

Title says it all- some more shots.

Hope, AK

Decrepit boat on Homer Spit.

Halibut carcass on beach, Homer spit. They taste better than they look. The fish that is- not the carcass...

Fishing boat in Whittier small boat harbor.

Fishing nets on Homer Spit

Boats in the Seward small boat harbor.

Alaska- random shots

2009-08-13T01:00:00.001-04:00

Some random shots and sights from AK. Captions below.

Some kind of machinery (fishing related no doubt. Everything is fishing related) on the Homer spit.

A cruise ship docked in Seward harbor.

Small boat harbor in Seward.

Machinery at Potter Marsh.

Sea plane in Anchorage

Alaska- night photos

2009-08-12T01:00:00.000-04:00

A few night photos from Alaska. There aren't many- sunset was around 11:30pm and I rarely managed to stay up that late.

Small boat harbor gangway in Seward

Whittier tilt/shift at night.

Small boat harbor in Seward.

Alaska- Animals!

2009-08-11T13:21:00.002-04:00

Wildlife is a huge highlight of any Alaskan trip. We were lucky to see lots of it! Some of it in captivity but most in the wild. Captions under photos.

Horned Puffin at the Alaskan Sea Life Center. This Puffin was going nuts swimming under the water and shooting out into the air above the surface. He must have flapped around playing in the water for about five minutes without pause. Puffin fact: they only have their beautiful orange beaks and colors for mating season. The orange beak is actual a colored growth similar to a fingernail that covers their much duller bill underneath. When mating season is over, the cover falls off and their plumage dulls.

Red Legged Kittiwake and baby at Alaskan Sea Life Center in Seward. The entire Red legged Kittiwake population exists in the wild on a solitary island in the Aleutians.

Ducks (not sure what kind) at the Alaskan Sea Life Center.

Band of Lazy Sea Otters in Prince William sound vicinity. There were otters everywhere just floating around and cleaning themselves. They were very hard to get good photos of because they rarely let you get anywhere near them in a boat and they are very, very fast and small. On our return trip from Surprise Glacier we were surprised to not see anywhere near the number of otters that we stumbled upon on the way in. The reason became apparent when we rounded a corner shortly after and found them all floating and napping in two huge groups of about thirty or forty. The bonus was they were far less skittish in a group and we could get in a bit closer in the boat for some better shots.

Large fish in the Alaskan Sea Life Center

Mother otter and pup in Prince William Sound vicinity. Otter fun facts: Pups can't swim so their carried around by their mothers until they are old enough to fend for themselves. Otters also have pockets under their armpits in which they store clams and a shell or stick to open them.

Mountain goat outside of Anchorage. This guy was literally on the side of the road nibbling grass. Why he wasn't skittering around way up on the rock faces above with all his pals- who knows.

Alaska trip- all mapped out so far

2009-08-11T01:05:00.006-04:00

*Edit: I guess I didn't mention it but the enclosed google map on the post is fully functional. You can click, zoom etc. Each of the flags corresponds to where a photo was taken and will pull up the photo if clicked. You can also get to the full frame map by clicking the highlighted "nifty Alaska Google map" text.

One of the cooler things that ProductsuperiorJenn and I have and regularly use are GPS taggers for our cameras. Sure we've received a few snickers and heard the snide under the breath comments of "Geeks!" and "Neeerds.." from some of our LeCliquer pals (and you know who you are...) but we don't care. Every one of our photos is stamped in the metadata with the exact spot we were standing when we took it. That means when we go on a trip to I don't know- let's say Alaska- and cruise around a bunch of tangled Fjords for nine hours in a boat when we get home we can figure out exactly where we were and what we saw there. We can also assemble all of it into a nifty Alaska google map.

I've gone through and added the locations of all the Alaska shots I've posted so far. I'll be updating the map with Jenn's photos and the locations of any of our future Alaska posts so you can check back.

View Alaka trip 2009 in a larger map

Sebastian

2009-08-10T17:55:00.005-04:00

We have a dwarf hamster whose name is Sebastian. He enjoys flax seeds, playing in his house and avoiding me (they are not very affectionate pets).

Rustic Meadow

2009-08-09T19:01:00.002-04:00

From our recent jaunt to upstate NY, this utility shed sat adjacent to an old barn just off the side of the road. I converted this image to black and white because I felt that the colors of the original were too distracting and lost focus of the textures.

Alaska-last post on location!

2009-08-08T03:18:00.002-04:00

All good things come to an end and with that we depart Alaska tomorrow evening. Although this will be my last post from this great state both Jenn and I will have much more to share after we arrive back home. We've seen countless animals, seen amazing sights, and eaten more fish than the law should allow and can't wait to share the rest of our photos with all of our friends here on Le Clique. So for one last time from our current location in beautiful Homer, Alaska enjoy some random shots from the day.

Alaska (more quickies)

2009-08-07T17:00:00.000-04:00

Alaskan transportation (quickie)

2009-08-07T03:43:00.007-04:00

Near Anchorage

RVs are ALL the rage, see this fine specimen found parked at Potter Marsh.

Alaska (more shots)

2009-08-07T02:11:00.002-04:00

Puffin at the Sea Life Center in Seward.

Near Portage Glacier

Fish waste cage under the cleaning dock in Seward (a barge comes at some point and opens to the cage to haul the waste out to sea).

Begich-Boggs Visitors Center, at Portage Glacier (notice rise in water here versus link images)

Animal hides at an Anchorage street market

Alaska- Fogged in

2009-08-06T03:09:00.004-04:00

Great weather for two days, fog and drizzle for the next. Bad for people with curly hair. Good for landscapes. Shot on D3 with 70-200 f2.8VR and 24-70 f2.8. Details below each shot.

Fog covered beach in Prince William Sound.

Mountainside trees shrouded in fog above Seward.

Glacial runoff below Exit glacier outside Seward. Exit glacier deposits one inch of sediment yearly across the valley floor in the form of silt and rock.

Alaska- they love boats and fish. Really.

2009-08-06T03:02:00.003-04:00

The first thing you'll notice upon arriving in Alaska is that they are equally serious about fishing and boats. It seems that every man, woman, and child can be found in waders or knee high rubber boots hitching a boat to a trailer and throwing fish into a plastic tupperware bin. Details below each shot.

Some guys very proud of the day's catch in Seward.

Boats outside of the fish processing plant in Seward.

House decorated with boat bumpers/floats in "downtown" Seward.

Fish awaiting an ice chest in Hope.

Small boat harbor in Whittier.

Mushroom Season

2009-08-05T13:59:00.004-04:00

Apparently mushrooms are in season in Texas since I saw at least four separate places they were sprouting up on the short walk we took this weekend to test out my new camera.

Alaska (a few shots from a few days)

2009-08-05T02:44:00.009-04:00

Here are some photos I took of the last couple of days we've been in Alaska, though not in any particular order. See comments under each. Shot with 70-300mm vr, 24-70mm, on a D700. Thanks Joni!

Hand painted signage in Whittier, AK (Looks like my kind of town)

Seaview Cafe in Hope, AK (one of our lunch spots)

Glacier near Portage Lake (there are lots of waterfalls at the edges of the glaciers)

Old fence near Potter Marsh (site of old snow blowing train engine)

Fishers in Anchorage, AK (everyone in Alaska seems to take their fishing very seriously)

Lake Hood, in Anchorage (sea planes are more useful than cars in most of Alaska)

Otters near Surprise Glacier in Prince William Sound (our guide gave the heads up for a "rogue otter on ice")

Alaska- Whittier

2009-08-05T02:04:00.004-04:00

Some photos from Whittier, Alaska. One of the most interesting and downright bizarre locations I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. Shot on a D3 with a 70-200 f2.8VR and (the amazing!) 24mm PC-E tilt/shift. Details below each photo.

Fishing boats at the entrance of the small boat harbor.

Converted one way train tunnel which serves as the only entrance into town.

Tilt shift "miniature" photo of town taken from the 15th floor of the only residential building in the city- Begich Tower. All the cities residents, the police department, EMT, Post Office and city offices are in the building.

Another tilt shift shot showing the ferry terminal.

Alaska

2009-08-05T01:42:00.003-04:00

Hello, hello! As you might surmise from our lack of posts internet service has been "unreliable". Consequently you get numerous photos and numerous posts in a single night. Brief details below each photo.

Lunch on a peninsula in Prince William sound.

Bald eagle in Prince William Sound

Surprise Glacier, Prince William Sound

Stellar seals, Prince William Sound

Gull rookery outside of Whittier.

2009-08-01T17:59:00.007-04:00

Along with her purchase of a new dSLR camera, Jenny decided to make good on the little hand-drawn IOU she gave me for my birthday back in March. It's been a long time coming, but I am now the proud owner of a Lensbaby. These are all shot at f/4. Anything wider and I doubt I would have found focus.

Redwood: Abandoned Barns

2009-07-31T14:12:00.005-04:00

Boldt Castle

2009-07-31T12:59:00.004-04:00

Just got back from a couple of days in Redwood, NY and the Thousand Islands (of salad dressing fame). We have loads of photos but I thought I'd quickly post one up from Boldt Castle which is one of the more notable landmarks in the area.

An added note: Productsuperiorjenn and I are departing on our first trip to Alaska later this afternoon. During our trip we hope to make frequent posts in the evening as availability of wifi allows. Hopefully, all will work out according to plan and we'll have some exciting photos to share! We wish you all could join us but at the very least maybe we'll help to make your work day a little bit more enjoyable.

Claymore Challenge 2009

2009-07-24T11:40:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we headed up to Highland Mountain in New Hampshire to check out the second year of the Claymore Challenge, an event in which some big name pro bike riders come and compete on a slopestyle course. Since many of the riders are hardly ever within reach on the east coast, we were thrilled to be able to catch them.

From wiki: "Slopestyle" type riding is an increasingly popular genre that combines big-air, stunt-ridden freeride with BMX style tricks. Slopestyle courses...include jumps, large drops, and other wooden obstacles. There are always multiple lines through a course and riders compete for judges' points by choosing lines that highlight their particular skills.

I wanted to share a quick few shots I took (there's hundreds!).

Ryan Howard (USA)

Kelly McGarry (NZ)

Night and Day

2009-07-23T11:00:00.004-04:00

Four photos of midtown Manhattan shot from the same balcony at different times: two photos during the day in a snowstorm, two photos about fifteen minutes after sunset.

I might add that at both times it was damn cold. The evening I took the night shots it was around fifteen degrees with at least a thirty mile an hour wind. Couple that with being on a forty fifth floor balcony in the tallest building in the near vicinity and you are guaranteed to be windburned and have snot frozen all over your face. Ah...good times!

All were shot hand held on my D300 with the 16-85 VR DX. I braced myself against the walls/ railings to steady the night shots.

2009-07-16T13:40:00.001-04:00

A few days ago while visiting my parents, I went upstairs with some lighting equipment to play around with only to find the place ransacked with toys. Little toys. Leaving nowhere to step without breaking off a head or crushing a wheel. I dropped all my gear and began raking the toys up with my arms when I noticed I had destroyed an afternoon of serious Star Wars drama.

I stepped back and surveyed the various vignettes of play. There wasn't much left. But from I can tell...

It's pretty obvious what fate these three unlucky men met ala Han Solo-style.

Here is a bird's eye view of the torturous deed.

This young (and green?) Jedi will not be on his way anytime soon.

And left with no plan of attack, we find our hero has decided to sleep on it.

Around Brooklyn

2009-07-16T08:29:00.000-04:00

Bodega in Williamsburg

Storage in Red Hook

At the Renegade Craft Fair

In Dumbo

Just another day in Payá

2009-07-12T23:28:00.010-04:00

This is just another day in a small town in Guatemala called Payá, where life is tough but simple, with beautiful people, full of culture and beliefs, living day by day... this was taken 5 years ago, when I was traveling around my beautiful country.

little wonders...

2009-07-11T19:53:00.003-04:00

I'm submitting these three photos as a singular image because I feel that they hold more power as a collection when viewed side by side. It's horrible that in our current culture so much of the innocence and virtue that we have as children is so easily washed away with media and politics as we catapult into adulthood. Here's to those who are still pure at heart.

Purple Coneflower

2009-07-10T20:46:00.003-04:00

This is a Coneflower from my yard, that is before the "heat wave" came through and turned them all to dried up messes!

A day on the hill

2009-07-10T11:48:00.005-04:00

On Wednesday we went downhill mountain biking for the first time this year at Diablo Freeride Park in the picturesque hamlet of Vernon, NJ. Of Course we brought a camera and in the process of shooting lots of riding shots I squeezed in a few more artful ones. Shots were taken with my D300, SB-800 flash and either a 50mm 1.8 or 70-200 2.8.

For anyone interested you can see our riding pics (my screen name is nervous_john, photos on page 3) along with a few shots from our good friend Whoryder by browsing through the pages in the forum link below:
Ridemonkey: Wednesday Shred Pics!

Storm Jet

2009-07-09T22:19:00.004-04:00

This photo was taken after a storm passed through our area. The sky was a very intense orange/red and the clouds appeared as little "ice cream scoops", like something I've never seen. I climbed up the fire escape and captured this airliner departing from EWR just before the sky cleared.

Fatty McFatCat : #1 : Orange Oozer

2009-07-07T22:34:00.005-04:00

I usually pass by this guy during the daytime and he'll be oooooozing out of the window (to the point he almost looks like he'll fall out because he's hanging out so far). I say oozing out because 1) he is a floppy fat cat. 2) he braces himself on the sill with 2 little paws that pushes all the fat out to the sides like orange fur ooze. its GREAT.

That evening however, he was not oozing. That's the most normal and 'slender' I've ever seen him. Other than that I like how I inadvertently got a very orange toned photo which fits perfectly with the running orange ooze theme. I hope one day I shall catch him when he's fallen so I can smoosh him.

Exotic Branch

2009-07-06T21:50:00.002-04:00

This slow moving "stick" flew by me as I was taking pics of some beautiful flowers in Puerto Plata. He sat still as I took a few shots then flew away as soon I was done. I guess he's used to modeling.

Flea Market

2009-07-05T18:11:00.005-04:00

I love flea markets. You can get watermelons, cheap t's and Jesus all in one place.

Just another day in BLKYN

2009-07-05T17:13:00.002-04:00

Red Race to freedom!

2009-07-04T22:49:00.004-04:00

Took these tonight on an evening walk to see the July 4th fireworks out on the Hudson. Turns out our view of fireworks was a bust, but ended up passing this lonesome cart trying to make its break to freedom from its prison confines of the BJ's parking lot –I wonder if it counts if only your front part crosses the finish line...

"I made it! I made it!....DAMN THESE MAGNETIC AUTO BREAKS, I'M STUCK!"

"So close, yet so far away..."

Vatican Panorama

2009-07-01T14:10:00.003-04:00

A panorama photo of the Vatican taken in 2005 on our only trip to Rome, Italy with my Nikon N90 film camera. The image was created by holding the camera and snapping of five shots while using the precise and scientific "turn in a circle" method. The prints were then scanned and stitched together by hand in Photoshop.

While driving

2009-06-29T09:44:00.000-04:00

Admit it—you're guilty of taking random snap shots while driving or in a moving car. Fortunately for everyone involved, these were taken while I rode as passenger around upstate New York a summer or so ago. The proof is in a peek of the car window edge or that pesky side view mirror, inevitably containing the sharpest portion of the photo.

All were taken with a Canon SD700, car speed around 60mph, at various times of day, eastern standard.

The Highline

2009-06-27T10:56:00.005-04:00

ProductSuperiorJenn, zerodaze, and I were lucky enough to be able to take a walk through the just completed first section of the High Line park in the meat packing district just two days after it officially opened to the public. I say lucky because we were greeted with an absence of screaming people formed into block long lines, an almost empty park, a spectacular sky, and just enough time to finish walking through before it poured.

On wheels

2009-06-26T15:58:00.004-04:00

So I decided to go a bit whimsy for my very first post. I think the high POV adds something to the minimal composition. The owner of this toy owns quite an odd collection of brick-a-bracks.

Pasta River

2009-06-23T20:57:00.003-04:00

My cousin was making vegetarian lasagna (which I INSIST in my mind means its NOT lasagna at all when you don't combine meat, cheese, and noodles in a baked gooey goodness) a couple weeks ago and had put out these strips of noodle to dry out some of the water. I thought it made this neat river pattern. Only had the dinky point n shoot though so couldn't capture all the dimension and colors properly, which I'm a little bummed about.

Anyway, I like that there's a little opening 'burping' in there all sneaky too. I didn't even notice it.

Coney Island, part 2

2009-06-23T01:34:00.001-04:00

Little Lost Shoe

2009-06-22T20:51:00.003-04:00

I literally stumbled across this children's shoe walking home about a week ago. I snapped a quick shot and thought nothing of it until I had a chance to look through my card a few days ago. I really like how the red contrasts with the gray background. I wasn't expecting the DOF to so extreme, but I think it works.

Azul

2009-06-21T21:43:00.004-04:00

Maui... blue sky-blue water

Verrazano-Narrows & Coney Island (part 1)

2009-06-20T21:41:00.005-04:00

It's becoming almost impossible to keep up with the amount of photos I've been taking lately, so I've decided to post a portion of what we just went on a bike ride to see. It's been a while since we've done an epic ride down to Coney Island, and I'm really happy to have been able to take some photos from it—not to mention finally ride the Wonder Wheel and Cyclone! The trick for me though, has been figuring out color in the photos after shooting on an overcast day. I'm still not completely satisfied. There's got to be a way to tweak the color while NOT over processing/working the image. Or is the idea that you don't do much on rainy days?

Selling.

2009-06-18T12:39:00.004-04:00

Williamsburg

2009-06-17T20:45:00.001-04:00

I've become very interested in just how different two neighborhoods in Brooklyn can be, even if they're less than 10 miles away. One thing I noticed is that Williamsburg homes have these awesome script addresses with the numbers spelled out and amazing color combos. Got to love that!

Truck Garden

2009-06-16T19:00:00.003-04:00

I'm not quite sure how this would work. Nonetheless, I saw this bizarre thing down the street the other day and was enamored by the idea. There are some very healthy tomato and basil plants in the back of this pick-up, I dare say healthier than my stationary potted plants.

I wonder if the truck bed cover regulations still apply to this...

I'll play the de-saturated game

2009-06-14T18:24:00.003-04:00

Here are two samples of a manually focused night image. The original and a de-saturated version. Thanks to my failing eyesight they weren't focused at all. However, I still liked the image.

Sunset & Silhouette 5

2009-06-13T21:03:00.003-04:00

After a little absence, I'm back with a pic I took yesterday. This was the view we had at a wedding (another one this season!) we went to. Its not exactly sunset but I think it blends in with our collaborative "Sunset & Silhouette" efforts. I also would like to connect it to M. Hudson's "The Way I See It" posted on 06/11/09. There was a point made about the de-saturation etc. I found it interesting because I took a ton of the same shot trying to catch the colors and saturation of the green grass and trees and the light oranges in the sky –only to fail because I'm still fiddling & playing with my new low light lens i got. BUT ultimately, the picture I liked the most was this one which basically has practically no color at all compared to all the others and my original goal to capture.

Also I found the double sun bursts and the 'upside down trees' super neat.

Miniature printed landscapes

2009-06-13T16:18:00.004-04:00

I decided to take some macro shots of the various cereal and granola bar boxes around the house. As I had hoped, the results came out looking very reminiscent of landscapes and without question quite strange. The second really has a bizarre Hokusai meets the digital age quality that I'm very happy about. Both were shot at f8 with a Nikon 60mm macro, hand held, in window light.

the way i see it

2009-06-11T15:13:00.002-04:00

For some reason im drawn to desaturate my photos.
kinda exploring what that means with my photography and how it affects the general feel of my shots..
Prospect park in June..

Patterns at Ikea Brooklyn

2009-06-08T10:44:00.001-04:00

2009-05-31T22:45:00.001-04:00

quest for light continued

2009-05-31T13:15:00.003-04:00

Here is another naturally lit object that transforms itself through light. Albeit this one was designed to function this way in the 15/16th century. From the Cloisters

colander light

2009-05-30T17:22:00.002-04:00

Bakery Pigeons

2009-05-30T14:33:00.003-04:00

Though not exotic unicorn pigeons, I must be on the same wavelength as Blanco. Yesterday I passed this bakery who had just dumped some old bread bits outside and the pigeons were coming to feast.