Princess
A photo of Avery Santini I found that I never got around to posting.NYC Snowstorm Timelapse
I found this and realized I never shared it. I created a time-lapse video from my Pixel 3 of NYC right before the blizzard hit. I had set the phone on top of a window and let it record. It was surreal how half the city almost gets erased by the gray of the storm.
Four Elements
My first time back in the studio since Covid started, with model Carissa Sangate. Each of the colors represents an emotion and element.
Swimming
Another light painting shot from my shoot with Rose Royce. It appears as if she’s swimming amongst the monsters of the deep.
Through the Trees
The trees framed the wolf nicely, especially with the direct stare at me.
Approach
I love the effect of the wolf looking straight at me as it started walking towards me.
Eyes Closeup
The closeup of the wolves eyes was tricky to get. I missed it multiple times as they’d often look the other way, blink, or move faster than I could capture the photo. They do have really striking eyes and despite it not being a head on shot, I still love how clear they turned out.
Chromatic Eyes
The wolf looked like it had dual colored eyes. I can’t recall if it was an injury or actual multiple colors.
Stare
The wolf was staring at me like I was a tasty snack.
Stalking
The wolf was stalking around while looking at me and it was nerve wracking.
Wolf in Snow
One of the wolves sitting in the snow.
Bobcat Jumping
I had some downtime and decided to go through my backlog of photos. I was looking through photos from my trip to the Lakota Wolf Preserve and found a bunch of pictures that I was able to process using some of the new tools I’ve added to my collection. One of the interesting things about Lakota is that they have more animals than just wolves. They also have 3 bobcats and two have...
Milky Way Shot at Upstate NY
I did a workshop with the amazingly talented Jennifer Khordi this weekend and got some amazing shots of the Milky Way amongst others. Here’s one pic from the set.
Caves Over Anatolian Plains
Another view of the plains from the balloon ride.
More Balloons
A view of more balloons over a different part of the plains.
Balloons over Homes
The diversity of the views in Kapadokya was one of my favorite parts of the balloon rides. I wondered how the locals felt about all the hot air balloons over their homes all the time.
Balloon Over the Plains
A beautiful shot of the plains with a lone hot air balloon over it while others are still getting inflated. The plains were so beautiful and serene.
Inside the Hot Air Balloon
A shot I thought was interesting of the inside of the hot air balloon.
Balloons over Kapadokya
Another shot that I was able to salvage from the balloon ride over Kapadokya.
Grand Bazaar Interior
As a follow-up to my previous post about the Grand Bazaar, here’s a shot of the interior. Fans of Assassins’s Creed may recognize this from the Grand Bazaar mission. Their attention to details on the little things like windows and rafters is mind blowing to me.
Dome in the Sultan’s Harem
A shot of the dome inside the Harem. This one shows off more of the blue tile work in a brighter light, along with the gold accents around the dome.
Sultan’s Harem
A photo of the inside of the Sultan’s Harem at the Topkapi Palace. I intentionally kept it dark to show off the light and how stunning the blue tile work was. I also learned quite a bit about what the actual function of the Sultan’s Harem actually was. I had a misconception that they were full of beautiful women who lazed around to tend to the Sultan’s whims and desires when in reality the...
Slums in Turkey
Our tour guide pointed out some slums in Turkey to give us a perspective on how we often take the things we have in life for granted. He mentioned how most were not safe for living and the police would often harass the people living there even though most had no other choice.
Lunch Time
I caught this photo near the Sultan’s Harem in Istanbul. I thought it was a nice shot of reality.
Turkish Lights
Turkish Lights in the Grand Bazaar. These lights were beautiful, but our tour guide warned us that the Grand Bazaar was a tourist trap, and most stuff inside was either junk or major ripoffs, so I didn’t end up buying anything but snagged some cool photos as a souvenir.
Cat at Anatolian Plains
I’m starting the month of June with another cat photo. This one was taken at the Anatolian Plains in Cappadocia. Cappadocia, Turkey, is the historic area of central Anatolia bounded by the towns of Hacıbektaş, Aksaray, Niğde, and Kayseri (map). It was known as Cappadocia in ancient times and is still called Kapadokya informally today. Cappadocia is Turkey’s most visually striking...
Ruined Tree
I reached my goal and posted one new picture every weekday for the entire month of May. I’m ending the month of May with a picture that is one of my favorites. It is an HDR photo of a dead tree I saw amongst the ruins in Turkey. A dead tree amongst the ruins of an area full of such history felt poetic to me.
Light Through the Window
Taken in the Sultan’s Harem at Topkapı Palace. The light coming in was so beautiful against the blue tile.
Sleepy Kitty
This cat was sitting out in the sun but didn’t really enjoy the attention. I only took three pics because he looked me, closed his eyes, and put his head own. and then left it alone.
Psittacula Parakeets
Commonly referred to as ring-necked parakeets, brightly colored Psittacula and the Alexandrine parakeets, named after Alexander the Great, fly over Turkey’s different regions each year, with their population on the rise. These outgoing and independent Afro-Asian parakeets adorn trees in parks and recreational areas, mainly in Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir. Yet, it is possible to see them...
Medieval Architecture Oil Drops
I can’t remember which building this was, but it’s definitely from a building in Istanbul. From what I remember from the tour guide’s explanation, back in the day, soldiers would drop hot oil on invading enemies using the drops on either side of the wall and then set their enemies on fire. I tried searching for more information on the building and how it was used but I...
Hot Air Balloons
Another shot of Hot Air Balloons in Kapadokya. As the morning progressed, the skies and fog cleared up and the shots got brighter and brighter.
Seagull over the Bosphorus River
As part of the tour, we boarded a cruise ship to tour Istanbul on the Bosphorus river. Most of the photos didn’t turn out great as the boat was moving too fast and the weather was drab, but I did manage to snag this picture of a seagull. I thought it was interesting because of how translucent the features look at the edges of the wings.
Hot Air Balloons in Turkey
This photo was taken from the air over Kapadokya. Kapadokya and the balloon ride was the highlight of the trip, and I still cannot believe how beautiful everything was. We missed the sunrise launch due to a faulty balloon, but I still managed to get some pictures that made me happy. The weather was also foggy and hazy, but I was able to salvage many photos using Lightroom’s dehaze...
Genuine Fake Watches
This stall’s sign made me laugh when I saw it so naturally, I had to take a picture. At least they were honest!
Giant Wheel of Schwarma
As I was walking through the streets of Istanbul with the tour group and noticed many vendors had set up Shawarma wheels and grabbed a few pictures of them in action as I walked through, but this was the largest wheel I saw by far. The food smelled delicious, but sadly we didn’t get to try any of it as we didn’t have enough time to stop. I always wondered if the vendors were...
Ruins From Turkey in HDR
A photo I took of some ruins and used the in-camera HDR on my Canon 5D Mark III to capture, handheld. I believe this was taken at Ephesus but I can’t be sure.
Tabby Cat
Another one of the many cats that I found during my travels in Turkey. This one didn’t seem to mind the closeup. Most of the other cats would either close their eyes or look away if I tried to take their picture.
Squirrel
I find it fascinating how the Squirrel coats are different colors in different parts of the world. Taken somewhere in Turkey.
Mountains and Sun
Taken while wandering through Turkey as part of the tour. I have no idea where this was.
Sleeping Puppy in the Ruins
I found a adorable sleeping puppy while wandering the ruins.
Temple of Artemis – Archway
Just an archway that framed a doorway which I thought was interesting.
Temple of Artemis – Ruins
Another shot from the Temple of Artemis.
I Wish Upon a Leaf
I don’t remember where in Turkey I took this picture but the leaf stood out and the message made me smile. I hope Rachel had her wishes come true.
Temple of Artemis
I had a tough time remembering where this photo was taken and had to do a lot of location searching to find it. It turns out that the tour stopped at the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. I’m embarrassed to admit I don’t remember anything the tour guide said because I was too busy trying to get photos of the mostly empty ruins before the place filled up with other tour groups. I...
Interior of the Hagia Sophia
One of the things I loved most about my trip to Turkey was the fact that I was able to connect two things I love – video games and history. I am a huge Assassin’s Creed fan, especially the Ezio series. Assassin’s Creed Revelations takes place in Constantinople, which later became present-day Istanbul, and I had learned so much about the region from the game. Having played it...
Ice Cream Vendor in Turkey
The kind gentleman, one of the famed Maraş Dondurma ice cream cart vendors, was willing to let me take his photo. He was one of the famed ice cream vendors in Turkey who performs sleight of hand with the ice cream while serving you. It’s a fun act to watch, and the ice cream is delicious. Traditional Turkish ice cream is chewy, thick, and has an elastic texture. This result stems...
Purrfection – Cat on a Wall
I found this gem when going through old pics from my trip to Turkey. I quite love how this picture turned out and find it incredibly soothing and peaceful. Even though it’s not my cat, I might get this one printed to hang on my wall. Surprisingly, this was taken in Winter, but I cannot remember which part of Turkey. I have to assume it was taken near Gallipoli as it’s near the...
Heather Stevenson – Classy Vampire
Another one from my shoot with Heather Stevenson where she cos-played as a vampire for the Halloween shoot. I used an aged filter on the photo and I loved how it turned out.
Creepy Doll Climbing Through the Fog
Last October, I had the chance to shoot with Heather Stevenson. Not only is she an extremely talented artist in her costume design work and her hair and make-up skills, but she’s an amazing model for photography as well. We were shooting in Brooklyn and I have many fantastic shots from the shoot. This shot stands out in particular as this was all her idea. She saw this rocky spot...
NYC Skyline
My friend Kamran took me shooting and was kind enough to show me the ropes on HDR photography. He’s an incredible photographer and his HDR work is some of the best I’ve seen. I was fortunate to be able to learn from him and I love how this one turned out.
Sunset Panorama
Handheld panorama taken from the balcony of my room in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Watching
Another picture from when I went to the wolf farm.
Chipmunk at Pike’s Peak, Denver
I went to Denver in 2018 and like a true idiot, went straight from the airport to the top of Pike’s Peak. I didn’t give myself a chance to acclimatize to the thin air and got altitude sickness. I managed to make my way from the shop at the top to the car and promptly passed out. I did manage to capture some pics of the wildlife at lower altitudes including this little guy who...
Glacier Lake in Iceland
I realized I never posted this picture from my trip to Iceland because I wanted to show it to someone today. On our drive through Iceland, I saw a side road and decided to follow it and found this beautiful Glacier lake by sheer luck. I managed to create a panorama from 3 handheld shots, which I ended up printing out on canvas to hang in my home.Grand Cayman Storm Time-Lapse
A storm developed over the water on one of the evenings while we were at the Grand Cayman Islands. Since it was safe, I managed to do a manual time-lapse of the storm from the deck of the house.
Sailing
In 2013, I went on a NYC harbor boat tour with a group of photographers. I never got around to processing the photos but there’s pictures in the set that I really liked like this sailboat we passed with the NYC skyline behind it.
Fierce
Another shot from the light painting shoot with Rose Royce. I love how this one turned out because it felt reflective of her energy in that she was strong and fierce.
Fractal
I attended a workshop with my photography friends King and Russ and played with light projection photography. I worked with model Rose Royce and got some amazing shots that I’m working on processing to post more of. Here’s one that I really liked that ended up looking like a body paint/stained glass effect.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
The news of the burning of Notre Dame hit me pretty hard today. Paris is one of my favorite places in the world, second only to Ireland and forever holds a special place in my heart. I have so many amazing memories there from traveling with former friends, my girlfriend turned fiance after I proposed to her on New Year’s at the Eiffel Tower, and then again as my wife when I took her...
Echo
An old photo I was able to salvage using some of the newer features of Lightroom and Photoshop. I was still learning how light works while trying to capture multiple exposures back then.Model: Sheri
Sunrise Time-lapse of Beach in Puerto Vallarta
On my trip to Puerto Vallarta in 2016, I had set up my camera to do a time-lapse from the balcony of my room to capture the sunrise. I then completely forgot about it until I started looking through old photos today. During a break from some projects, I decided to spend some time learning how to create time-lapses in Lightroom. The video is not anything spectacular but it was fun to learn to...
Stranger Things Portal
My friend invited me to come take pictures in his town of Newton, NJ on Newton Day. I snagged some great shots and this one is a particular favorite because it reminds me of the portal from Stranger Things.
Panorama of Prague and Vltava River from Charles Bridge
Following a walking tour of Prague which ended at the Charles Bridge, I managed to snag some hand held shots of the city from the Charles Bridge and stitched them together in Lightroom. It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful the city was.
SoCo JoCo Woodwork Cutting Board
I took advantage of the first near 70 degree weather to smoke some meat. I got an opportunity to use my cutting board from SoCo JoCo Woodwork Cutting Board. The board is a work of art and I find myself often not wanting to use it solely because of how attractive it is. I suck it up solely because the board is so solid and also because the meat looks even more beautiful when presented it...
Prague Castle in HDR
The Prague Castle dates from the 9th century and is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic. It has been a seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia. The castle is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site which consists of a large-scale composition of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings of various architectural styles, from...
New Year’s Firework Over City of Praha (Prague)
Another vantage point near Vysehrad allowed me to capture this beautiful image overlooking the city of Praha and the Vltava river on New Year’s Day. The lone firework in the distance was caught by pure luck as this was taken much later after the New Year’s celebrations had finished. More pictures to come!
New Year’s Fireworks Over Prague
I was blessed to be in Praha, the City of a Hundred Spires, this past New Year’s. The entire country was beautiful with friendly people and rich in history and architecture. I met up with a friend who brought us to a vantage point with a beautiful view to enjoy the New Year’s celebrations. In the excitement, I didn’t remember to take note of the name of the park we were in,...
The Test of Progress
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; It is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” -Franklin D. Roosevelt
Galapagos Islands
Last May, I had the amazing opportunity to visit the Galápagos Islands of Charles Darwin Fame. As expected, I discovered the Island offered many opportunities for photography and was not disappointed in the slightest. Between the seals, iguanas, Blue Footed Boobies, and the pelicans, there was so much to take in and enjoy. Nature proved to be fun to watch. I was observing a pelican feeding...
Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Way back in 2012, I started taking classes to better learn both how to use manual settings and take better photos. With my Canon T3i in hand, I attended a hands-on workshop hosted at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ. From Wikipedia: The Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the fifth-largest cathedral in North America, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of...
Rockstar Gallery
I was able to bring my camera to one of the Uproar Festivals a few years ago and grabbed some awesome shots of some of my favorite rockstars. The pictures are older but they only lived in a photo gallery rather than a blog post. I might revisit editing some more of these photos at some point. #jtg-96877 .modula-item .jtg-social a, .lightbox-socials.jtg-social a{ color: #ffffff }#jtg-96877...
Lightroom CC Dehaze Filter in Action
When I went to Turkey in 2013, I took some shots early in the morning during the hot air balloon launches. Unfortunately, a fog had rolled in and a lot of the early shots I took were hazy and foggy. I never got around to deleting the photos even though I didn’t consider them usable. I was looking through the old photos I never processed grumbling about how the fog ruined them and then...
New Panorama Gallery
I managed to capture some photos on my jaunts around the world. At some of the locations I visited, I tried my luck at hand holding my camera and taking pictures as I panned around. I recently spent some time merging the photos and generated a few spectacular panoramas. During my visit to Ireland a few weeks ago, I took photos from the top of Blarney Castle intending to create a panorama of...Gear Review: Wasabi Power Battery for LP-E6
I’ve become fond of trying out aftermarket gear for my camera. Some of the cost savings are pretty significant over getting OEM parts and negligible in terms of cost or in the rare case they didn’t work out, are easy enough to return for a refund. One such product I’ve tried with great success in the past are the Wasabi batteries for my waterproof Nikon Coolpix...
Sarah Skittles – Rule 63 Cosplay
Back in September of 2014, I was lucky enough to work with Sarah Skittles aka Skittlecide to do some photography that showcased her incredible work as an artist. She’s extremely talented, and has created her own amazing costumes for Comicons. For the shoot, she posed as Black Canary, Aquawoman, and picked Dorothy from Wizard of OZ from my collection of...
Hotel de Glace
During my trip to Old Quebec back in 2013, I stayed at the Hotel de Glace, aka the Ice Hotel. The experience was interesting to say the least. I arrived early to grab some photos of the site before the crowds got large and blocked the views. As I had booked a stay, I was able to access the grounds for free and wander around and take in the sights. They built the hotel on the grounds of a...
2013 NJ Balloon Festival
Every year, Solberg Airport hosts the Annual NJ Balloon festival for which up to 125 balloons on display and launch providing a spectacular sight, especially for photographers. Thus far, on the Friday of the festival, they allow photographers to attend the morning launches for free. Last year’s weather was perfect and the variety of balloons was spectacular. My absolute favorite was the...
NYC Botanical Gardens – Orchid Show 2013
Last April, I managed to visit the NYC Botanical Gardens during their Orchid show. It was a great opportunity to play with my macro lens which doesn’t happen too often. It was one of the first times I used the macro lens with the 5D Mark III but even with the lack of experience, quite a lot of these turned out pretty spectacular. This is one of my favorite pictures from the day as...
Kasper V
Kasper was the second model I’ve ever worked with and working with her has improved my photography tremendously. One of the great things about working with Kasper is that no matter how much you might suck at photography, you’re guaranteed to get great pictures. She is one of those rare models that never needs direction and is extremely creative in her own...
Old Quebec Gallery – Part 1
Last year, I wanted to do something completely different and photograph something out of the norm. I took advantage of a Living Social deal to stay at the Hotel de Glace in Old Quebec for one night. I extended my trip and stayed at the Chateau De Frontenac to get the opportunity to photograph the iced river and the castle. My original goal was to set up the camera on a tripod and do a...