Remember the human element…

 

Travel photography generally consists of gorgeous photos of faraway places that instantly transport the viewer to a locale that is generally more exotic/warm/inviting/peaceful (you fill in the blank) than the mundane place he/she is viewing from. It’s a wonderful way to experience the world through the magic and artistry of a talented  travel photographer. I subscribe to several photoblogs that concentrate on travel photography just for that reason, and have often thought that if I could walk away from my day to day encumbrances, the life of a travel photographer would be one of the most rewarding of all. However, in the real world, (where I have another full time job) I am actually lucky enough to have been able to travel with my family to see many new places, and, when I do, I live the life of a “travel photographer” to the fullest.

One thing that is important to me, when I travel and shoot, is to capture the small essences that truly make a place memorable and unique. The day-to-day living, the people, signs, businesses, language and culture.  That is to say, the human element. The photograph above is a great example of this. To me, it says: Paris. Why? Because it was taken outside the Notre Dame, where thousands of sparrows are known to gather and flock on a regular basis. The sparrows were so charming… nearly as captivating as the majestic cathedral itself, just steps away. The next couple of shots were taken at the same time–the little girl was unknown to me, but her sweet way of reaching out to the sparrows was the perfect characterization of my memory of the Notre Dame garden. Among other things, those sparrows are one special memory of Notre Dame–one I enjoy sharing, through my photography, to others as well. Hope you enjoy…

An outstretched hand…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If these walls could talk…

 

When I see an old building like this, abandoned and slowly deteriorating, I often wonder about some of the colorful stories that must have taken place between those walls. This old saloon, halfway between the urban sprawl of Phoenix and the red rockscapes of Sedona, seems likely to have witnessed some interesting characters in and out of here in its prime. Why the barbed wire on the roof should tell you something, huh?  I particularly liked the lonely old tree out front, a reminder that while human inhabitation comes and goes, the strongest of nature lives on, impervious to the economy, or the comings and goings of the folks who must have once frequented this old watering hole. And, not to pass judgment of the caliber of those individuals, but the (ahem) name of the establishment below probably says it all. Hope you enjoy…

 

Ghost ship…

 

[Apologies to subscribers for the re-post, however WordPress deleted my title on the first go-round]

Lake Ontario, 2009. While enjoying lovely sights of the beautiful city of Toronto some summers back, my family and I took a cruise across its pristine Great Lake. Most travelers’ eyes were on the disappearing skyline of the city, the enormity of the CN Tower slowly miniaturizing as we pushed out to sea, but for one brief moment I caught a glimpse the other direction of a massive, old-style sailing ship, far off in the distance. It nearly looked like a mirage, vague and fuzzy as it was on the horizon. I quickly zoomed out to 300mm, and captured this fleeting shot. Mysteriously, as I trained my eye to click off a second frame, the ship, quite literally, disappeared. Poof! Was it the ghost of Henry Hudson, perhaps? Or some modern schooner that simply captured my overactive imagination? I’ll never know, but the image makes me smile to this day. Hope you enjoy…

Lake Ontario, 2009. While enjoying lovely sights of the beautiful city of Toronto some summers back, my family and I took a cruise across its pristine Great Lake. Most travelers’ eyes were on the disappearing skyline of the city, the enormity of the CN Tower slowly miniaturizing as we pushed out to sea, but for one brief moment I caught a glimpse the other direction of a massive, old-style sailing ship, far off in the distance. It nearly looked like a mirage, vague and fuzzy as it was on the horizon. I quickly zoomed out to 300mm, and captured this fleeting shot. Mysteriously, as I trained my eye to click off a second frame, the ship, quite literally, disappeared. Poof! Was it the ghost of Henry Hudson, perhaps? Or some modern schooner that simply captured my overactive imagination? I’ll never know, but the image makes me smile to this day. Hope you enjoy…

Local flavor…

Mmmm. Ok, so it’s early, before breakfast, so maybe that had some influence on my choice of photo today. Those berries look mouth-watering! But the real reason I am posting this image is to mention something I love to do when traveling. Beyond the obvious sights–the skyscrapers, landscape vistas, and must-see tourist stops–one of my favorite things to do is isolate small aspects of a locale that really bring home its local flavor. In this case, I eyed these bountiful strawberries at  a produce stand near Pier 39 in San Francisco. I remember passing by these overflowing bushels of berries  and stopping to think of the rich history of farmland that the Pacific coast has long been known for, and that my favorite writer, John Steinbeck, loved so much. It was a nice moment, and one that these berries take me back to each time I view this shot. Now… for that breakfast! Hope you enjoy…

A mighty span…

The Golden Gate is such a romantic bridge, and I’d daresay, one of the most photographed in the world. It’s unique color, and the beauty of the landscape it spans, makes it truly a magnificent subject. This view was taken from an aerial tour of the San Francisco Bay and the city; We had just made the incredible loop-de-loop over the top of the bridge and were ready to fly back under when I captured this shot. I’m proud of this one, as it portrays the length and breadth of this beautiful structure just as felt it at the time. For me, bringing a sense of both inherent truth and beauty to an image, via the photographic medium, is really what it’s all about. Hope you enjoy…

Sittin’ on the dock of the Bay…

Tourists may come and go here at San Francisco’s Pier 39, but to the area’s indigenous residents, it’s just another day on the Bay. I caught this guy eyeing the nearby minnows during a mid-day visit to the popular pier last summer. I particularly liked capturing the geometric patterns of the boardwalks, as they jutted in and out of the frame. More images from this fabulously rich area to come, as I am months behind on working on my San Francisco portfolio! So many photos, so little time! Hope you enjoy…

 

Diffusion confusion…

 

Light’s a tricky thing. I don’t pretend to have mastered the art of understanding and previsualizing light correctly all the time, but then again, I am pretty sure that most photographers (even really talented ones) would actually admit to the same. And yet, some day I hope to understand light well enough so that I can consistently make smart decisions behind my camera, rather than blindly shoot and “hope for the best.” Sometimes, though, it still works out. This shot, an interior of the Chapel Royal inside the notorious Tower of London was admittedly one of those that I had little time to think about, so I simply metered and gave it my “best shot.”  The beautiful diffused light was pouring in the room, creating on the one hand, a gorgeous soft glow, and on the other hand, a challenging high-contrast atmosphere. Tough!  In the end, I metered for the beautiful ancient stonework, and hoped the window light wouldn’t totally blow out in the process. So, voila! Hope you enjoy…

f 4.5, 1/50th sec, ISO 800, 17mm

Light, camera, action…

 

In previous posts, I took images of New York City and, through the magic of post-processing, managed to harken back to an era long gone by. There is a certain magic in that, a bit of alchemy that allows a modern photographer to artistically render an image that transports you in time. The image I am posting today, however, is straight from the here and now. In fact, just 17 days ago, to be exact. This was taken the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, standing in the most exciting city in the world (ok, my opinion…) just hours before its gigantic, blow-out, block party.  The crowds seen here covered every street, every block, every corner, up and down the entire borough of Manhattan. What attracts me to this photograph today is the unmistakable life cursing through it; the people, the sunlight, the taxis… you can almost hear and feel the bustle, the horns, the low rumble of thousands of people, all vying to occupy one extremely  small plot of metropolitan real estate. This is the real New York City. Crowded, gritty…and utterly alive! Hope you enjoy…

New York noir…

 

Sometimes you work with a seemingly ordinary image for a while and, though it’s hard to put into words, it slowly takes on new layers of meaning, and starts to communicate something  you can’t necessarily articulate. This is one of those examples. It may not appeal to everyone, but once I began playing with the shadows and the framing, the play of dark against light, all of a sudden it began to convey an essence of film noir, harkening back to the gilded age, the New York of old; one in which art deco was prolific, jazz was cool (it still is), and metropolitan shoppers flocked to Macy’s as the end-all be-all.

Just for fun, I am including a second image below, to give a better sense of scale to the scene. But I keep returning to the scene above, where dark, moody branches outline a Gothamesque landscape,  evoking the New York of days gone by. Hope you enjoy…