Morning Light
Most days I am not up before 7-7:30. I have no reason to get up at 5 am. I do not like going to the gym first thing in the morning. In fact I despise going to the gym early in the morning. If I happen to wake up early and I am bored at 6am and there isn’t a scheduled shoot for a couple hours, I might go to the gym. But out of pure boredom. I will get up at 3 am to travel anywhere in the world. That to me is exciting. I will wake up at the crack of dawn if there is an early call time. I have just never really been much of a morning person. When I was in college I had an 8am class after getting out of a third shift at 7:15 am. That was an awful semester. Full time overnight gave me a lot of early mornings.
When my career as a photographer started and I discovered what the golden hour was capable of providing, the evening light became my favorite. Every so often, maybe a handful of times throughout the year I will find myself up early enough for a shoot. On the rare occasion that I am up early enough to capture the first light of the day, I will do so. In the north east when the winter winds down and spring starts approaching, the temperature changes in the morning can cause some fog on the water and the lower parts of our city, especially with the canals. It becomes very cinematic.
Saturday morning was one of those mornings where I was up early. I crashed hard Friday night, very early. It was a gnarly week and I was exhausted. I woke as the sun cracked the horizon. I went down stairs and grabbed my Fuji X-Pro2 and snapped away. I finished up inside the house and wanting a coffee, I took my camera and left the house. Below are a few photos.
One of the motivators for making photos inside the house has been the times when I get up and see the light pouring in and illuminating objects and parts of the house. I wanted to capture that light.
Night Photography: Snow
It is a quiet night. There is a mix of snow and rain falling upon us. The sound creates a soft texture as it bounces off our jackets and collects on the surfaces around us. Every step we take is a soft crunch as we pack the snow below our shoes. On occasion a car passes, music up just high enough to hear the beats inside. Seldom do we see a lone figure navigating the cold ground, carefully stepping to avoid the hidden ice. Our conversation ranges from our businesses, life, family, how busy we are, and the reasons for why we make images. I can not count how many times I have wandered around the city late at night making photos. It is refreshing to have my friend and colleague Aleksandr present as we explore. Aleksandr is an incredible photographer. One of the best wedding photographers I know. His style is something you don’t see often, unless you’re looking to have the best of the best photograph your wedding. He is not prone to street photography and was very curious as to what motivates me to make an image, rather, what I see that inspires me to press the shutter.
Every couple of images I would point out some element in the scene that I saw, something that interested me or I found visually appealing. I would make the image and share with him. I explained to him that the process, for me, is about seeing. Its not about blindly running around hoping I will get an image, it is about seeing and capturing. I spend so much of my day seeing compositions. Some days I feel like I am a director navigation a film set.
While our vision differs, both of us have a very profound ability to see, read, and utilize light to produce images. This evening though, Aleksandr was making images on a Nikon D850 in black and white. He was shooting wide on a 35mm. I had a Fuji xPro2 tucked into my jacket, where it stayed there the entire time we walked around. I had my Canon 5Ds with a Sigma 50mm in my gloved hands. I have only used my 50mm a handful of times in studio on one or twice on a commercial shoot. It is such a great lens that I wanted to try this evening on a different type of shoot. The subject matter wasn’t as important as it was to take the time to be in the moment, have a few moments to be creative outside of our daily business, and just get out and shoot. When you take the time to create for yourself it is almost always therapeutic.
Photography
Back in September I posted about my Fuji X-Pro 2 and a bike accident that I had. Since then I have not replaced the lens that sustained damage during that fall. I have no plans to replace it, at the moment. I have found that the lens produce some beautiful images even though it is flawed. This afternoon I had my small camera bag with me, which contains the Fuji X-Pro 2 and my new DJI Mavic Pro. Both fit perfectly in my Amazon bought camera bag.
After I landed from a quick flight I decided to make some photos of the late afternoon light. My personal work is about light, shadows, patterns, and textures. This afternoon I wanted to produce a series of complex images that captured the light as it was setting. I relied on the environment around me to be the subject as I followed the light.
The common thread that ties the following images together is not just the quality of light, but it is the use of shadow and space within the environment. You will also see a relationship of positive and negative space, how I compose the image to tell the story of how the light exists within the space. It is this thinking that allows me to create images of complexity that tell the story of a late afternoon light setting on an urban setting.
It is not everyday that I get a few minutes to myself to make some personal work. So much of my day is spent shooting, editing, or one or the other. Being able to make images like this is both fun and challenging. Challenging in the sense that I want to visually tell a story but I don't always have the time to do so nor is there always a story to tell. Enjoy.
Editorial Photography: Feature
In October I received a request for photographs of Holyoke to be featured in Land Lines, a publication put out quarterly by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. I have a studio in Holyoke, a post-industrial city with a sea of mill buildings. My studio is situated almost directly in the middle of Boston and New York City. I have spent a lot of time making photographs in Holyoke. While I have featured the tear sheets on my website, I wanted to also post them here.
Bottom image, view of canal, mill buildings, river.
All the photographs that are featured in the article are aerial images of the city. I flew in a helicopter to produce the images. It was my second time flying in a helicopter for an aerial shoot. I would jump into a helicopter any given chance. On this particular shoot I had a friend accompany me. It was a lot of fun because our pilot was very skillful at flying. At one point she turned the machine at almost a 90 degree angle to give me a complete downward view over a landmark. Fun times.
Aerial Photography: My Drone
Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted. There are some extreme reasons for that, which will be explained in an upcoming post.
When I have down time I play with my drone and make aerial photographs. Photography is my life, my occupation, my hobby, as I have said in the past. I wanted to share a few recent images before I head out to shoot some architecture. Not having been able to post in a while has been annoying me, so without further ado.
Cambridge Ma/Charles River
Mt Tom
Upper Canal, Holyoke
Downtown Holyoke
Veterans Park
I take my aerial photography very seriously. Operating a UAV, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is a HUGE responsibility, liability, and should not be taken as a joke, lightly, or if you are using a toy. Irresponsibility can cause serious harm and injury. I have seen people laugh and joke that they crashed, with some drones a crash can be worth thousands, that is if it is just the drone that is getting damaged from the crash. Be responsible if and when you fly.
Night Photography: After Hours
I started making photographs at night when I was in school. Back then I was running around with a tripod, an old slr, 400 tri-x bw film, and no idea what I was doing, except that I was having fun. Night photography is something I still do. The tools have changed, my vision has grown and expanded, and I still have the same fun I did years ago. The thrill is higher, knowing what I want to capture and that there is a method to doing so. I have found, for me and my work, rainy nights create the perfect ambiance. Textures come to life. There is a poetry that exists on rainy nights that otherwise doesn't exist on most nights. There is peace, quiet, and an unlimited amount of images to be found.
Last night I grabbed my Canon 5d Mark ii, my iPad, and left the studio after a long day of work. I had my pancake 40mm 2.8 mounted. I haven't used a tripod at night in a long time. With a camera this good, high iso capabilities, I have not much need for a tripod. If I were to be shooting something like a landscape, bracketed exposures, or the stars I would surely use a tripod. Just running around at night with a good lens and high iso, no need for the cluncky set of legs. I did however forgot a key cable to connect to my iPad's cable. Dang... So I wasn't able to post these photos till this afternoon before getting into some projects. For me, I see things in the night that I do not get to see during the day. I am inspired. I was inspired. I made photographs.
