Vaperturethe 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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magnolia
Posted on April 28, 2014
Slightly silver toned B&W photograph of two stunning magnolia trees in full bloom in Central Park on a Sunday afternoon in late April. This is perhaps my all-time favorite image from Central Park. The feeling the photo evokes is spot on with how the scene felt while I was standing there, and it also captures the nostalgia of knowing that these trees have bloomed just like this, and have been seen and photographed by so many eyes and cameras over the years. Taken with a Zeiss 35mm f2 manual focus lens.
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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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flurry blossoms
Posted on April 26, 2014
a flurry through the
soft air. gazing forward to
longer light- bright days
-haiku by k.a.r.-
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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spring bride
Posted on April 24, 2014
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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cloud cathedral
Posted on April 9, 2014
If there’s one thing that I’ve grown to appreciate since I started in artistic photography, it’s clouds. I never realized what interesting images clouds can produce, and this is one of my favorite example. This photo reminds me of all the wonderful images of the airy, bright, and incredibly detailed cathedral ceilings that we’ve all marveled at. The wide angle lens with it’s signature distortion creates the “shape” of this photo with the clouds and the city skyline all appearing to reach towards a central point. This was a very rare opportunity to capture this photo from such a perfect vantage point, and this would display beautifully in a simple gallery frame or floating canvas. Taken with a Zeiss 15mm f2.8 lens at f/5.6.
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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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soaring
Posted on April 8, 2014
Lovely B&W image of a seagull soaring over the East River during a spring sunset. The wide angle view minimized the backdrop of the city just enough to allow the bird’s silhouette to be the centerpiece of the photograph, and also allowed a touch of foreground shore to become a part of the overall composition. This would make a wonderful medium-sized piece in any New York apartment. Taken with a Zeiss 21mm f2.8 Distagon lens which absolutely cannot be beat for this kind of shot.
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old school
Posted on April 7, 2014
Wonderful shallow-depth-of-field image of an old school bike lock seen in the West Village of Manhattan where those fancy new-fangled locks just won’t do. I love images like this where anyone who has lived in New York for a while would probably recognize this as something seen in Manhattan. I love the smooth dreamy out of focus background just as much as I love the sharp three-dimensionality of the lock itself. Taken with one of the finest lenses I’ve ever worked with… the Zeiss 35mm f1.4 Distagon. It’s a much harder lens to use than it’s little brother, the Zeiss 35mm f2, but the results are head-and-shoulders better. The 35/2 is a “punchier” lens with higher contrast and slightly more saturated colors straight out of the camera, but the 35/1.4 captures far more fine detail and produces much better subject isolation because of it’s larger aperture and enhanced light-gathering ability.
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the ride home
Posted on March 27, 2014
B&W hip shot of a man enjoying the relaxing view from the Roosevelt Island TRAM at the end of his work day. The TRAM is one of the most civilized forms of public transportation in New York City, so if you haven’t taken the trip yet, you certainly should. The views of stunning, and most of the TRAM regulars believe in keeping the ride quiet as they decompress from their days on the “big island”. Taken with a Zeiss 28mm f2 Distagon lens from the hip with the focus point planned for the gentleman’s reflection in the window, and then cropped to a square 1:1 format.
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10 Av
Posted on March 27, 2014
Lovely B&W of 10th Avenue in New York facing due east on a late evening summer day in 2013. This image was taken from the iconic viewpoint of High Line Park, and was quite a difficult image to capture because of intense shadows produced by the setting sun behind me. The detail that this lens captured in the architecture in incredible, and I’m more than excited to see how this renders in an Giclee print. Perfect for a classic gallery frame.
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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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brushed sky
Posted on March 24, 2014
Most of you know I’m a huge fan of morning skies, and that I have an ongoing project to capture them at unusual opportune times. I found this scene at around 430am and was stunned by how the sky reminded me of the aurora borealis… the only problem with that was that this was in New York City! These undulating wavy strokes of light somehow meandering through the still dark morning sky made an incredible impression to my eye, even this at this ungodly hour. I chose to compose the image with a minimalized horizon and just a peak of city skyline showing for context, and it turned out quite nice. Even though I used a relatively long focal length at 85mm, the image still has an expansive quality about it that I love. This would be perfect as a medium sized 16×20 print with a simple gallery frame.
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sun flare
Posted on March 13, 2014
The gorgeous morning sun flare reflecting into the East River is the obvious subject of this photo, but it’s not my favorite part of the image… the silhouette of the Queens skyline is! I’m also in love with the composition… the oblique cloud at the top left balanced with the railing extending into the image form the bottom right, and the city silhouette surrounded by the sun flare and it’s reflection. One of my favorites in my collection. Taken with a Carl Zeiss 85mm f1.4 manual focus lens at f/2, 1/8000.
The sun flare collection includes two additional images to complement the B&W. One is the ‘warm’ version (shot with a very warm white balance of 7200K) and the second is the ‘cool’ version (shot with a cool white balance of 2800K) Otherwise, the images are identical, and would make a wonderful triptych stretched on canvas or printed and framed.
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queens crescent
Posted on March 12, 2014
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