Vaperturesurreal
Posted on January 6, 2014
This photo looks like a cross between an actual photograph and a Salvador Dali painting, which is why it’s surreal to me when I look at it. The muted blues and grays in the sky, and the warm oranges and reds in the city and the water give this image a very special feeling that anyone who has ever lived in New York can appreciate within a few seconds of viewing it. This would be stunning as a large floating canvas print in 20×30 or 30×45. Taken with a Carl Zeiss 15mm f2.8 wide angle Distagon lens, 30-second exposure, f/11, tripod, remote release.
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north
Posted on December 5, 2013
A 30-second exposure of the northern half of Manhattan and the Upper East Side taken at nighttime with a 35mm lens on a tripod with an aperture of f/11. A crisp, classic, view of New York, and the sister image to the Vaperture homepage photo.
Nighttime photography is incredibly challenging, but also incredibly rewarding when you get the shot you’re after. I am developing a love affair with long exposures at night because they combine an ultra sharp, ultra technical look with a fluid, artistic impression that you can’t get without using a long exposure time. Long exposures capture movement… even the subtle movement of water and the sky. The building obviously don’t move, but the East River, the clouds, and the traffic running along the FDR Drive were moving for the entire 30 seconds that the shutter was open.
And from a technical perspective, I don’t think there is a sharper 35mm lens out there. The Zeiss 35mm 1.4 is phenomenal. I’m still trying to grasp that focal length outside of nighttime landscapes, but it is an incredible piece of glass.
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creation
Posted on November 17, 2013
‘creation’. The third part of the drama by light series.
The rising sun appears to be creating the entire sky like the stroke of a brush across a canvas. I’ve looked at this photo hundreds of times since I took the shot, and it feels the same to me every time I see it, even if I’m just scrolling through my collection.
Ironically, this photo was shot with a lens that I no longer own: a Canon 35mm f1.4. I bought the lens because it has consistently great reviews across the board, and quite a few people described it as a “special” lens, which I am always intrigued by because I enjoy photography for the art of photography rather than for merely documenting the world around me. The lens didn’t compare in any way, shape, or form to my Zeiss 35mm 1.4 manual focus lens, and using autofocus lenses just doesn’t fit well with me. I feel as though autofocus speeds up the artistic process and turns it into a rush of taking pictures rather than taking real photographs. The extra few seconds that it takes to manually focus allows me to leave everything behind and concentrate on the composition, the light, where the focus lies within the image, and makes me feel like I’m creating something special.
I returned the lens, but this photo is here to stay.
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