Brooklyn Bridge, Homage to Edward Steichen

Homage to Edward Steichen

There are so many ways to depict this bridge - my favorites being the older platinum and gum prints from Edward Steichen. Matter of fact he was the impetus for me starting to photograph the bridge -  I lived under that bridge for many years in the mid eighties.

This particular image started as a 4x5 pinhole and today I processed it on my iPhone5.....so many uses for iPhone processing and they keep getting better......

Dubai, The Creek

The Creek, Dhows, Dubai

As mentioned in a previous blog Dubai is very capable of being very cosmopolitan and yet there are parts of this city that still function in ancient times.......it has been said that the  Dhow dates back to the 10th or 11th century in India...a distant cousin of the Junk.....

This image, that was made just next to the Spice Souk (market), clearly shows that juxtaposition. From Rolex advertisements on the horizon to ancient Dhows that span hundreds of years in Dubai history. There are sightseeing Dhows' which take you around the city....They are also used as water taxis' in some parts of the city not to mention you could take a dinner cruise on board one of these ancient vessels.

Detail of the Ancient Dhow

And if you are a fan of modern architecture then check out the horizon line...It has been said the 25 percent of all the cranes in the world are working in Dubai...

Burj Khalifa - Dubai

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE

 Stayed in Dubai an additional day - way to much to see and photograph. I hired a guide and it turned out he really understood photography and what I was looking for. Matter of fact I almost stayed one more day.....maybe next time...

We started out at 5:45AM trying to catch the sunrise on the Burj Khalifa, the tallest man made structure in the world at 829.8 meters (2,722 feet). Not only that but the building opened on my birthday in 2010 - so I had to make an image...

Leaving Dubai tomorrow morning - what a neat place - desert, city, old world, modern and much more....stay tuned for more images on both blogs.

Lake Monroe, Bloomington, Indiana

Sunrise, Lake Monroe

'One should not only photograph things for what they are but for what else they are'....Minor White

Sunset Beach, Cape May

Cape May, Sunset Beach

'I have never believed in God, but I believe in Picasso'.......Diego Rivera

Everglades - Lone Mangrove

Lone Mangrove Tree, Everglades

A few years back I became interested in our National Parks after watch the documentary by Ken Burns. As a kid growing up in Atlantic City and Da Bronx these treasures were something that never entered my mind - and actually going to one was, well, just would have never entered my mind. I was much more obsessed with Yankee Stadium and Coney Island.

After watching the 6 DVD's it became quite clear that I needed to get out of the house and visit as many of these parks as possible with my camera  in tow....To date I have been to Yosemite, Death Valley, Zion, Olympic and Everglades - there is also Caddo Lake in East Texas which should be a National Park. My intentions are to try and hit a few more of these treasure this year and continue on until I have seen them all -all 58 of them.

One day my friend Tom Fielder called me and said Clyde Butcher was giving a two day workshop in the Everglades.  Clyde i s known as the Ansel Adams of the Glades, and, of course I jumped at the chance to meet Clyde and take his workshop.

On the first afternoon we went out to photograph the Mangroves.The surprise was that we would be making images while standing in almost waist deep water, which, at certain tides could be chest high. At any rate long story short we get out to the Mangrove's, get out of the boat and make images for about two hours. This was a truly unique experience very different from the Bronx and Atlantic City and I plan to go back at some point and explore this area a bit more.

Me , the boat and Mangrove Tree, Everglades

California Sunrise

Sunrise, California Beach Town

'Don't look back, something might be gaining on you'.....Satchel Paige

Mysterious Face

Iceland, near the Black Sand Beach 

Just noticed what appears to be a face in the iceberg...hhmmmm.....

Scotland - Untitled

Untitled

'To the complaint, 'There are no people in these photographs,' I respond, There are always two people: the photographer and the viewer'..........Ansel Adams

Florida,Jupiter Beach

Jupiter Beach, Florida

Several years ago my friend Doug Eng and I went shooting down the east coast of Florida. One morning we discovered this beach near Jupiter, Florida at sunrise and were treated to one those special mornings when the sky, fog, wind and waves seemed very much in synch.

We spent several hours shooting at this location and to this day we still talk about that morning. It was simply one of those days.....

And those who view my blog are aware of my love for moving, suspended water....

Iceland, Jokulsarion Glacier

Jokulsarion Glacier

'The poetry of the earth is never dead'.........John Keats

Iceland, Black Sand Beach

Black Sand Beach, Iceland

This image is from the Black Sand Beach which lives in the shadow of the Jokulsarion Glacier in the southeast corner of Iceland. The ice structures on the beach are from the glacier lagoon which is about 300 yards from the beach. The ice floats about in the lagoon and eventually breaks into smaller pieces which the tide carries out into the ocean. The waves then push these pieces back on to the black sand beach where we photographers get to make images such as the one posted today....there are endless photographic possibilities in Iceland....

Easthampton Beach

Where are They?

'One should not only photograph things for what they are but for what else they are'........Minor White 

Iceland, Hraunfossar Falls

Hraunfossar Falls, Iceland

'I believe in God, only I spell it Nature'.......Frank Lloyd Wright

Iceland, Glacier Lagoon

Glacier Lagoon, Iceland

This is another image from the Glacier Lagoon in Iceland. As always in the background is the Jokulsarion Glacier. On this particular trip we spent two days exploring the Glacier and the Black Sand Beach about 300 yards behind where I stood for today's image.

A side note about Jokulsarion was part of several movies, A View to Kill, Die Another Day and Batman Begins. There a car chase scene that appeared in Die Another Day shot at this location - it was deemed the greatest movie car chase of all times - they used a Jaguar and an Aston Martin.

Image re-processed using Lightroom 4 and Photoshop CS6. I am enjoying the parametric quality of the development module sliders in LR4 - it allows for really good separation in the highlight and shadow areas.

Iceland, Sleeping Bear-berg

Iceland, Sleeping Bear-berg

A few of my last blogs talked about the Jokulsarion Glacier and Black Sand Beach in Southeastern Iceland. I mentioned that on the lagoon the icebergs collide and break into smaller pieces before floating out to the Atlantic Ocean. This one, which appears to be a sleeping bear is exactly what I was talking about.They come in all sizes and shapes and are just one of the marvelous mysteries of Iceland.

This 'bear' floated about 300 yards out into the Atlantic Ocean before the tides pushed  the structure back to just offshore of the black sand beach. Moments after making this image the iceberg split apart and was carried off into the ocean...

I re-processed this image in Lightroom 4 with its many added features in the development module, specifically the shadow, clarity and highlight sliders...

Florida, Mystic Sunrise

Mystic Sunrise, Florida

'No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer It has chosen'...........Minor White

Gullfuss Waterfall, Iceland

Gullfoss Waterfall, Iceland

This image is from last July at the Gullfoss Waterfall in Iceland. Gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland, and, apparently, on this day, a place to take wedding images in the rain.

We had just finished quite a fairly miserable shooting day due to wind and lots of rain. Sitting in the car trying to stay dry looking over the falls we noticed this wedding party....Being a photographer, even in the wind and the rain,  how could you just sit there and pass this scene up - SO. my friend Michael Pressman and I grabbed our cameras and went and joined the wedding party - grabbed a few frames and jumped back in the car. No one said a word...

I just remembered this image today and decided it was time to let it out of the hard drive....those two are not even feeling the weather.....

Lake Powell

Lake Powell

Last Tuesday I stopped by Lake Powell on the way to the Valley of Fire....Arrived at the Lake about 3PM and had to deal with very hazy light but really enjoyed the juxtaposition of the water against the sky and mountains. Made a few exposures before moving on and today finally was able to find a few minutes to process.

Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica Pier

This was not a typical weekend in Los Angeles. Instead of the usual warm sun and blue skies it was raining and very windy. Don't get me wrong - I am a fan of bad weather. Well, I could do without the rain, and on Sunday morning Mother Nature cooperated and the rain stopped. The wind, however, created really neat wave patterns under and around the pier and I was able to get over to the pier and spend a bit of time shooting.