Monthly Archives: November 2014

New Jersey Nature Photography: November Trees

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I’ve been reading more about the founding painters of the Impressionism movement, and one of their effects I envy most is that the brush strokes almost imply movement in stagnant subjects.  In my recent New Jersey nature photo below I think the tree branches are nearly boiled down to their essences because I moved the camera during the exposure.  The premise of the photo is really the shapes of the ends of the branches, everything else is just an embellishment.

NJ Art Photo

An impressionistic view of a New Jersey forest in mid-November. Photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens.

New Jersey Videography: Macro in C Major

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This morning I wanted to record HD video with a very closeup view of my fingers on the fretboard of my acoustic guitar.  I also hoped to get high quality audio from the brief recording.  All of this can be quite a challenge for a hackjob of a guitar player like myself!

Anyways, I aligned my Canon EOS 60D DSLR into position, manually prefocused my Tamron SP 90mm VC macro lens, moved an articulating LED lamp close to my hand for lighting, and dialed in my exposure settings on the camera.  Many many takes later I did an acceptable job of playing a short musical package, and was able to get some portions of my hand and fretboard partially in focus while doing so.  The post-processing was no walk in the park either!

New Jersey Photography: Electrical Towers

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Below is a conceptual art photograph I took outdoors today in Essex County, New Jersey.  I think we all interpret electrical towers as looming and seemingly dangerous objects.  One can’t help but ignore their unmistakeable hums and huge physical dimensions.  To my eyes, this multiple exposure photo adds extra drama to create a menacing industrial scene.

NJ conceptual art image

Conceptual art photo of a vivid mid-day sun and large looming electrical towers in New Jersey. Photo taken with the Tamron 16300mm VC AllInOne lens and the Canon EOS M mirrorless camera.

Photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and the Canon EOS M mirrorless camera.  Exposure settings: 30s F/22 ISO 100, 50mm

New Jersey Photography: Prius

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I was trying to make some creative blur photos of trees in a parking lot yesterday, but was frustrated when a lone driver began making his way through my frame.  What’s a photographer to do?  Pan with the action and try to take an action shot of the Prius in motion.  I like the contrast between the car and the leaves in the photo, and I was able to capture the Prius in a nice rule of thirds composition.

NJ Toyota Prius image

A creative motion photo of a Toyota Prius set against woodland trees. Photo taken handheld with a Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and a Canon EOS M Mirrorless camera.

New Jersey Real Estate Photography

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I was responding to an online classified this morning for local real estate photography in New Jersey.  The qualifications listed included panoramic shooting, basic flash usage, and owning professional equipment.  Feeling qualified for the position, I decided a simple and neat relevant PDF would be the best way to apply for this job opportunity.  I always make sure to include an interactive hyperlink to my website when designing promotional PDF’s and also make my email address “clickable”.

NJ architectural photography

Cover of a PDF I recently designed to advertise my services for architectural, real estate, and panoramic photography in New Jersey.

Snakes!

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I did film a good amount of HD DSLR video this summer, especially closeup views of herpetiles (reptiles and amphibians) and dragonflies.  I just edited a little bit of footage of two different species of snakes found in New Jersey, and threw in a bit of my guitar playing for good (or bad) measure.

Northern Watersnakes are very common and sometimes large serpents that are most often seen in or near fresh water rivers, ponds, and lakes. Northern Ringneck Snakes are not commonly seen above ground, so that was a quite a lucky find by me.

Filmed with the Tamron SP 180mm macro lens and Canon DSLRs.  I use my phone for the audio recording of my Yamaha nylon-string guitar.

New Jersey Art Photography: Bridge Pentaptych

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I will admit that I didn’t know Pentaptych was a word until I researched the terminology tonight.  I still struggle to spell the word correctly after reading its definition online.  I’d tried to to shoot with the intentions of creating a triptych in the past, but the images lacked enough continuity for me to piece them together.  The photos shown below were taken in a sequence, and the exposure and focal length are constant.  The variable is the focusing of the lens, which I changed manually between each shot.  All five individual images were taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and the tripod-mounted Canon EOS M mirrorless camera.

NJ Art Photo Sequence

Five frame sequence displayed together to form a cohesive pentaptych. Closeup views of a bridge at midday. All photographs taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and the Canon EOS M mirrorless camera.

Exposure settings: 4s F/9.0 ISO 100, 300mm.

New Jersey Portrait Photography: Robert

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One of my friends, who I’ve done photography work before is graduating soon with a concentration in Performing Arts and Theater.  We’ve done previous sessions for his career as a musician.  My goal today as the photographer was to capture a variety of moods and expressions, to allow Robert to select which photos best portray his personality.  I kept the lighting and photo equipment very minimal.

I think we wound up with several keepers that we both liked.  Perfect for his theater portfolio, LinkedIn, and Facebook profiles.

Equipment for today’s shoot:

Tamron SP 90mm VC F/2.8 macro lens

Canon EOS 6D full-frame DSLR

Yongnuo YN560ex Speedlite

Shoot-through umbrella alternated with a small softbox

Yongnuo YN-622C wireless triggers

Basic light stand

NJ headshot photo

A very happy frame, I cracked a joke to get this expression!

NJ headshot photo

Looking relaxed,

NJ headshot photo

Contemplating life…

NJ headshot photo

A nice black & white smiling portrait.

NJ headshot photo

Adjusting the cold weather wardrobe on a brisk morning.

NJ headshot photo

A typical relaxed smile for Robert.

New Jersey Nature Photography: Leaves over Lake

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We still have some remnants of Fall foliage here in New Jersey, making for many photo opportunities.  Today I noticed some vivid yellows, with interesting shapes to the branches overlooking a scenic lake.  The moody sky and contrasty yellow leaves opened the doors to creative art photography.

New Jersey Art Photo

Golden yellow leaves unfurl against a backdrop of storm clouds threatening over a lake. Photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens.

New Jersey Art Photography: A Day at the Lake

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I had a great morning for nature art photography yesterday, the overcast weather lent itself very well to minimalism.  I didn’t have any preconceived images in my head, so I took my typical approach.  Head to a nature area, throw my camera on a tripod, and attempt to “see what I can see”.  When I first set my tripod to attempt a composition, I’m either drawn in by elements that have worked similarly before or anything that seems to have a good spacial and size relationship with its surroundings.

NJ Art Photo

Misty water washes over a lake in a study of size and texture. Photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC All-In-One lens and the Canon EOS M.

NJ Fine Art Photo

A view of a lake is introduced by the shapes of leaves and the essences of a distinctive branch. Photo taken with the Tamron 16-300mm VC and the Canon EOS M.