LENS CAPTURE

Vol. 2 No. 30

Nikolay Edelman took the honors for our local outing along the Brooklyn Bridge Pier 1 and South Street waterfronts during the 2010 Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk.



I think Nik hit all the right marks by effectively directing the viewer's focus into and throughout the image.  The visual elements work together to express purpose.  The classic coin operated binoculars are beautifully exposed with nice sharp detail.  I want to drop a couple of quarters and turn the red knob to reveal the Brooklyn Bridge in all her glory.  Great job Nik!

The selection process was a tough one this year with so many of you making some exceptional photographs during our walk. 

Now on to the Worldwide competition.  Scott Kelby has chosen this year's Grand Prize and Honorable Mention winners.

You can see the gallery here - http://worldwidephotowalk.com/bestphotos/

You can also start voting for the People's Choice Awards from the over 1,000 local walk winners - http://worldwidephotowalk.com/peoples-choice/

Make sure to cast your vote before Noon EDT on August 23rd.

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Vol. 2 No. 26

What a great day we had photo walking the new Brooklyn Bridge Pier 1 and taking the ride on the Water Taxi to the South Street Seaport.  While the temperature soared to a record of 97ºF, with a real feel of 102º, it didn't melt the enthusiasm of our group.



Yesterday's 3rd Annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk had a record breaking 1,111 photo walks with over 33,000 walkers participating around the globe.   

I'll be posting more photos from this great event and I'll also be sharing some of the images captured by our walk participants.  So make sure to check back.

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Vol. 1 No. 49

A recent visit to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum was subject rich looking through the viewfinder.  As a former sailor and the father of son who recently served his Country at sea, I really appreciated the history this proud ship preserves.


The Intrepid Experience is located at Pier 86, West 46 Street and 12 Avenue in Manhattan.


The flightdeck of this Essex-class carrier is almost 3 football fields long.


Bendix telegraph throttle on the bridge.


Replica of the Gemini 3 space capsule retrieved in 1965.


The British Airways Concorde flew at speeds of 1,350 mph across the Atlantic in its day. 

Well worth the visit, the Intrepid Experience offers fantastic photographic opportunities and a very inspiring adventure.  You can definitely make it a whole day event with visits to the aircraft carrier, the Concorde and the submarine Growler are all included in the $19.50 adult admission.

Special Note: The USS New York (LPD 21), built with 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center, pulls into port on November 2.  The ship and her crew will render a 21-gun salute as she comes to a standstill across from the World Trade Center site.  The USS New York will later dock at Pier 88 adjacent to the Intrepid and allow the public to visit from November 4th through November 11th - Memorial Day.

 
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Vol. 1 No. 45


Had a great time at our Sunset Meet in Brooklyn Bridge Park as we welcomed a few new faces in the group.  The weather cooperated with a very dramatic sky.  The photo below is a 7-capture high dynamic range (HDR) image. I bracketed the captures about 15 minutes before sunset.



The sharing of ideas and various technique flowed throughout the group.  Images resulting from Doug Palmer's creative tip on zooming during long exposures are already appearing on the Flickr LensCapture Group. I also enjoyed Katy's imaginative lighting of the Manhattan Bridge.

As twilight took hold, the lights of the city began to burn brightly providing a magnificent compostion begging to be memoralized.  And we all took up the challenge. Slow shutter speeds, small apertures, low ISO and long exposure in-camera noise reduction went into the making of the image below.



I was asked numerous times during the Sunset Meet for the spot of the next photo walk.  I'll be revealing the location for October's gathering later next week.  As it stands now, it will probably be an early morning start on Sunday, October 25th.  Just putting together the final details.

Remember, if you attended the meet, please share an image or two up in the Flickr LensCapture Group.


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Vol. 1 No. 43

Last Sunday my wife and I took a drive to Red Hook Brooklyn to visit the new IKEA store that opened in the summer of 2008. The 300,000+ square foot store is was built on the site of the old dry docks located right along the waterfront. The maze of a store is just one attraction.

The waterfront area adjacent to the store's parking lot has been revitalized. Huge spotlit gantry cranes majestically hold a place on their respective piers. The waterfront provides a place to sit and stroll while enjoying the views across the Erie Basin and Red Hook Channel.

Vol. 1 No. 42


Join me for a sunset photography session at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Thursday, September 24, 2009. We will meet promptly at 6:00 PM along the shoreline steps. Sunset is at 6:51 pm and the light waits for no one. The park is located along Plymouth Street between Main Street and Washington Street in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn.

Here's where we will meet.

View Brooklyn Bridge Sunset in a larger map


Bring a tripod if you can. Sign-up here.


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Vol. 1 No. 38

And, I haven't posted in almost 3 weeks. In that time I worked the day job, shoot a couple of assignments, lead a photo walk to the High Line (more on that later), and bought a new workstation. There in lies my problem, I purchased a new computer. For two weeks I struggled through MS Vista, software and driver installs and re-installs, configurations and customizations - all fraught with an intermittent stream of blue screens. After running the manufacturer's diagnostic application, which scanned for more than a day, I finally surrender and returned the system to the store.

Spec-wise, the workstation was a powerhouse but a lemon. The replacement system, I can happily say, rockets through image uploads and photo editing. A Dell Studio XPS with an Intel Core i7 processor (translation - dual quad core) with a nice cache, plenty of RAM (8GB DDR3), and tons of storage (1.5TB). After several hours of re-installing applications and devices, and a few days to burn-in, I am back to posting.

So, the outing to the High Line was a successful adventure. On this very hot and humid day, I was joined by a dozen fellow photo enthusiasts. Some were alumni from the Worldwide Photo Walk, as well as a few new faces. The skill levels were as varied as the different points of view each participant brought along. I love these walks because they inspire me to constantly look at my environment from many different angles. As a native New Yorker, regardless of the scale and diversity this city offers, you fall into a routine. By that, I mean you start to look at things from the same aspect. Your approach gets stale, and your photographic prospects quickly diminish. There are several wonderful images made my fellow photo walkers that day, and you can see them by visiting the Flickr Lenscapture Group.

Here are a few photographs I made that day.

Vol. 1 No. 35

As promised, I have organized a photo walk for August 16, 2009 to the High Line in Manhattan.



The plan is to meet on Sunday, August 16 at 9:00 am EDT at Ganesvoort Street and Washington Street in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan. From there we will climb the stairs to the elevated High Line park (click here for more information on the High Line). We will leisurely stroll the High Line up to the end of the Phase One section at West 20th Street. Once there, we then turn around and head back south along the High Line so you can capture those images you missed on you northbound trek. When we get back to our starting point, we will return to street level and head across West Street to the Hudson River Park.

Once in the park, we will begin heading south exploring the piers and garden areas until we reach the dog run at Leroy Street. Along the way, we will have time to grab a snack and something to drink. The total walk, start to finish is less than 2 miles and, with our relaxed pace, should conclude around noon.

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Vol. 1 No. 32

Thought I would share a few of images captured during Manhattanhenge. While the moment was fleeting, the crowd watching was hilarious. The mass of photographers, some with their point and shoots, others with their ten yards of glass and tripods, played chicken with the cabs and motoring public at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue.

Vol. 1 No. 31
I figured there were a few things to blog about, so why not post them as a collection of items.


No Reservation Required
This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, 2009, Manhattanhenge (sometimes referred to as the Manhattan Solstice) will occur in which the sun aligns with the east-west streets of Manhattan's main street grid. Best viewing will be looking west along 14th, 23rd, 34th and 42nd Streets. B&H Photo/Video Superstore is hosting a free gathering on Sunday at 34th Street & 5th Avenue to photograph the event. You can find out more by visiting their Event Space. You do not need to register to participate.

Another great source of information is the Hayden Planetarium who have posted articles by noted American astrophysicist, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Nikon's 2009-2010 Product Line Leaked
Found on Grafika Online, a Czech site, is a supposedly leaked UK document by an unnamed camera company source, is the entire 2009/2010 dSLR product line. Looks like there's a new camera in my future. I'm already lusting after the D400 - 13.8 MP, 8fps, ISO 6400+, and 1080p video at 24fps - SWEET! Read more at the WIRED Gadget Lab.

Worldwide Photo Walk - July 18
Just a quick reminder that there is still time to sign-up for the Worldwide Photo Walk. The group I am leading at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden is already 32 strong, but there are still 18 spots available. You must register to participate in the event to be eligible to compete for some fantastic prizes. There are more than 23,000 people registered participating in 915 Photo Walks worldwide. It will be a great experience, regardless of your skill level - so join us!

Sign-up for the Brooklyn Botanical Garden Walk.

or, register for a different Worldwide Photo Walk.

My mixed bag...
The camera "bag" in the image above is my trusted choice to house my gear. The Lowepro Slingshot 200 All Weather Backpack has safely transported two camera bodies, 4 lenses, and a collection of accessories cross-country and back and forth to Europe several times. The quality and convenience features have shooting out the this bag a pleasure. I always have quick access, with the sling design, to my D300 body with the Nikon 18-200mm VR II zoom lens.

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Buy this image

Vol. 1 No. 24

Spent last Monday enjoying the sights along the Brooklyn waterfront. The Inspiration came from a friend's recent post on this site. An avid photographer, Conrad Tinney shared his review of the Nikon School. His photograph showing the Manhattan Bridge framed by the Civil War era coffee warehouse archway, motivated me to check out the view firsthand.

Here's my take on Connie's theme:

The Empire State Fulton Ferry Park and the adjacent Brooklyn Bridge Park offer fantastic vantage points to make some incredible photographs. Bordered by the Manhattan Bridge to the north, the Brooklyn Bridge to the south, and the Manhattan skyline to the west, photographic opportunities are everywhere.

The view even moved me to take a quick jaunt over to the Manhattan side so I could capture the images I needed for this panorama.

I created this image by taking a series of 12 portrait-aspect images and stitching them together in Photoshop's photomerge using perspective mode. I was careful to shoot this using a tripod (only way to make a quality multi-image pano), in manual mode, manual focus and a preset white balance. Using auto modes will definitely screw-up a panorama. Each of the images used in this pano was shot with a Nikon D300 at 18mm focal length, f/11 at 1/800 sec ISO 200.

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