Vaperturethe last days of summer
Posted on September 24, 2015
This photo was taken on an empty boat dock during the “golden hour” where the evening sun has a certain warmth and comfort that can’t be felt at other times of the day. This gentleman was alone on the dock enjoying the last warm rays of the summer sun on the last day of August, and this candid photograph of that moment is one of my favorites in my entire collection.
I used a Leica M9P and a Leica 90mm f2.0 pre-ASPH lens manufactured in 1983 for this shot, and I think this is an excellent example of the sense of realism that these vintage devices are capable of capturing. I’ve never been able to convey such a sense of warmth and relaxation with more modern equipment, and I’m tremendously pleased with my decision to switch from Canon/Zeiss to vintage Leica for this reason.
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early fishing
Posted on July 2, 2014
There is a wonderful energy and light in the early mornings in New York, especially in the summer. The city is at it’s quietest, and there are usually only a few other people around who all appreciate this feeling. I came across this gentleman waiting for a bite on his series of fishing poles under the Queensborough Bridge while enjoying the view of Manhattan. The rising sunlight silhouetted the whole scene, and allowed this image to feel warm and quiet, just like it actually did at the time I was standing there. Taken with a Zeiss 21mm f2.8 wide angle manual focus lens at f/2.8.
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blue on black
Posted on May 30, 2014
This image turned out so much more interesting than I thought it would thanks to the use of a red filter that turned the clear blue sky into a dramatic cloud-free black backdrop for Midtown Manhattan. The details of these buildings and their spatial relationships to each other often go unnoticed in color, especially on a clear sunny day like this when the sunshine itself tends to wash out most of the detail. The simple foreground lawn also makes for a very interesting composition against the complexity of the city. Taken with a Zeiss 28mm f2.0 Distagon manual focus lens at f/11.
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morning paper
Posted on May 26, 2014
Just what you want to see on a beautiful Sunday morning… the New York Times neatly rolled up and standing on your doorstep. Lovely B&W image with a tremendous amount of fine detail in the grain of the cement, and small amount of lens distortion pulling the paper out towards your eye just ever so slightly. Taken with a Zeiss 28mm f2 Distagon manual focus lens in Sutton Place.
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from above
Posted on May 24, 2014
Beautiful B&W photograph of the evening sky opening up to illuminate a single spot on the ground in Long Island City. The cross shaped structure gave the scene a very spiritual appearance, especially because this ray of sunshine was so fleeting and disappeared back into the clouds just a few seconds later. The walkway along this park in LIC was severely damaged in Hurricane Sandy, and the new stairs around this cross were just completed a short while ago. Taken with a Zeiss 100mm f2 Makro Planar manual focus lens.
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magical
Posted on May 21, 2014
Gorgeous cloud display and incredible details in the structure of the 59th Street Bridge shot in B&W with a red filter. The morning light created this unbelievable pattern in the sky, and highlighted the beautiful lines, arches, and angles of the bridge. The scene disappeared to into a formless dark cloud less than two minutes after this photo was taken. This would make a magical medium sized archival print displayed in a simple black frame. Zeiss 55/1.4 manual focus lens.
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saturday sunset
Posted on May 19, 2014
Weekend sunset over Midtown Manhattan that slowly changed from beautiful, soothing, pastel pinks and blues to a more dramatic and colorful version of itself as the sun moved lower into the sky. Click the ‘Read more’ link below to see how this scene evolved over the course of about 5 minutes. Taken with a Zeiss 35mm f1.4 Distagon lens at f/11.
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see what this sunset turned into
almost full
Posted on May 14, 2014
Dramatic color rendition of a near-full moon taken on May 13th, 2014, one day before the actual full moon. I’ve found that both early morning and late evening scenes like this need to be captured in a hurry, not only because they are so fleeting in time, but also because you never know when, or if, you’ll get another chance. It’s so rare to be able to compose a full moon with a simple series of buildings, let alone with the combination of moonlight and the very distant setting sun illuminating the whole scene providing this contrasty and subdued color profile. This would make a fantastic display as a floating canvas print. Taken with a Zeiss 135mm f2 Apo Sonnar manual focus lens.
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see the matching sunrise scene
go fish
Posted on May 11, 2014
“No Fishing” could just as easily be “Go Fishing” here, and as usual, the devil is always in the details. Other than the wonderfully ambiguity that someone created here, the shallow depth of field, and the 3-dimensionality are just as beautiful as the subtle shades of blue. Taken with a Zeiss 55mm f1.4 Otus manual focus lens.
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see this as part of the beautiful blues collection
sitting
Posted on May 11, 2014
Simple but lovely photograph of a scene that I wish I saw every morning when I stepped outside… a sunny lawn chair just waiting for someone to sit and enjoy the warm morning sunlight. I love the shadows in the foreground and along the dock, and the beautifully rendered out of focus background colors, and I’m astonished that such a simple image conveys so much feeling. Taken with a Zeiss 55mm f1.4 Otus lens at f/1.4.
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see this as part of the beautiful blues collection
the wait
Posted on May 10, 2014
wondering, what if?
something surfaced from the deep
could be worth the wait
-haiku by k.a.r.-
simplicity
Posted on May 9, 2014
Incredible detail with a very simple composition. The straight horizon… the simple dotted clouds… and the most perfect blues my eyes have ever seen. This would make a stunning large size 20×30 print to preserve the expansiveness of the scene mounted in an all white gallery frame and wide mat. Taken in Noank, CT with a Carl Zeiss 25mm f2 Distagon manual focus lens that is known for it’s incredible blue/grey rendering.
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man’s best friends
Posted on April 30, 2014
A perfect demonstration of the classic phrase ‘man’s best friend’. I stumbled upon this scene on a chilly Sunday morning at Conservatory Water in Central Park where a man was spending quality time with his two shaggy dogs. I don’t have a dog, but I’ve been in this exact position many times. I remember the feeling of contentment that this place can give you when it’s quiet and calm before the crowds come out, and I tried to capture that familiar feeling in this photograph. Taken with a Carl Zeiss 100mm f2 Makro Planar, which is not typically considered a street photography lens, but I’m discovering that it excels for this purpose in places like New York City where it’s difficult to get close to your subjects without ruining the moment.
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bending beauty
Posted on April 26, 2014
Lovely color photograph of the elbow of a cherry tree decorated with it’s spring blossoms against a soft blue sky in the background. This image proves that the tree itself can be just as beautiful as the blossoms, something that it commonly forgotten within the myriad of cherry blossom photos the flood the internet every year at this time. Taken with a Zeiss 100mm f2 Makro Planar manual focus lens at f/2.
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sunshine shelter
Posted on April 25, 2014
There’s something special about cherry blossoms, and even though I’ve seen them bloom year after year in NYC, it somehow never gets old. If you look closely, nothing is in focus except the most distance part of this beautifully sheltered path under these blooming cherry trees. This creates an illusion of motion and the sensation of knowing where you would be headed if you were the one who had the pleasure of taking this walk. The morning sunshine illuminated this scene just perfectly, and the muted, alternating pinks, purples, and whites in the ceiling of this this blossom tunnel are just stunning. Taken with a Carl Zeiss 135mm f2 Apo Sonnar lens at f/2.
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puma
Posted on April 25, 2014
Love these classic pair of Puma’s that I came across recently. The owner was just relaxing in the sun on the meditation stairs on Roosevelt Island, and the scene played out just like this in my mind before I took the photo with the Puma logo front-and-center on the toe. The detail that the Zeiss 100mm f2 Makro lens is capable of is astonishing, and the perspective worked perfectly here.
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looming
Posted on April 16, 2014
This is one of those cherished instances when a photo turns out so much better than you thought it would, and when it captures an image that’s even more interesting than what you saw with your own eyes. This ominous looking storm cloud sat over Midtown Manhattan without letting go a single drop of rain, and the day was actually a bright one as you can see from the shadow of the 59th Street Bridge being cast into the water. The brightness from the sun behind this cloud actually gives the photo an unusual effect of fading off into white space at the top of the image, and I think this would make for a very interesting display piece in an all-white gallery frame with a white mat. Taken with a Zeiss 25mm f2 manual focus lens that is just a wonderful compromise between the drama of a wide angle view and a minimal amount of distortion that is much more pronounced in most other wide angle lenses. This photo would not have turned out this way with a 21mm or a 35mm… the 25mm was just perfect for this scene.
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vive
Posted on April 8, 2014
An ironic and touching image of the Waldo Hutchins Bench overlooking Conservatory Water in Central Park. There are two Latin phrases carved into this curved piece of stone. Alteri Vivas Oportet Si Vis Tibi Vivere, which translates to ‘You should live for another if you would live for yourself.’ And, Ne Diruatur Fuga Temporum, which means ‘Let it not be destroyed by the passage of time.’ I found irony not only in the translations of these phrases as they relate to the unfortunate soul taking an afternoon nap here, but also in his body language as he physically slumps over the end of the word Vivere (life). Taken with a Zeiss 50mm f2 Makro Planar manual focus lens, and processed as an antique digital plate for the nostalgic effect.
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full moon
Posted on March 27, 2014
Silvery full moon captured in black and white with a long exposure time to allow the moon’s light to illuminate the surrounding clouds. This image shows off the intensity of the full moon itself, but still has a softness about it that I love. Taken with a Carl Zeiss 135mm f2 Apo Sonnar lens mounted on a Canon 5D Mark III camera with a 15 second exposure very early on a freezing cold March morning.
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sunrise series. sky high.
Posted on March 12, 2014
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