Photography
Visual Serendipity.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City measures almost 1?4-mile (400 m) long, and occupies more than 2,000,000 square feet (190,000 m2). Every single time I go, and I do it often, I discover something new.
Photography
Visual Serendipity.
Sea Gate is a private, gated community at the far western end of Coney Island at the southwestern tip of of Brooklyn. It contains mostly single-family homes, some directly on Gravesend Bay. According to Wikipedia, “residents refer to Sea Gate as “the gate,” and venturing into adjoining Coney Island as going “out the gate.” There is no universally recognized demonym for residents of the community: “Sea Gatians” and “Sea Gaters” are sometimes heard.
I was completely unimpressed by the neighborhood, but it was fun, as always, to discover hidden gems nearby.
Video
Adobe Lightroom 4.1 is (finally) available.
The Adobe Lightroom 4.1 update brings support for several new cameras including:
- Canon EOS 1D X
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- Canon EOS 60Da
- Canon PowerShot G1 X
- Fuji X-Pro1
- Leaf Credo 80
- Nikon D4
- Nikon D800
- Nikon D800E
- Olympus OM-D E-M5.
Other additional features and enhancements are:
• The ability to process HDR TIFF files. (16, 24 or 32-bit TIFF files)
• Additional Color Fringing corrections to help address chromatic aberration.
• Save photobooks created in the Book Module to JPEG
• Publishing photos to Adobe Revel is now accessible via a Publish plugin
• Corrections for issues introduced in previous versions of Lightroom.
To see all the original features see this article and to understand the new VIDEO features check this one.
How to install the new version? Easy.
1. Open your Lightroom 4 and when the software update dialog pops up click “download.” This will take you to Adobe’s download page.
2. Click on “proceed to download” and “download now.”
3. Save the file to the desktop (so it is easier to find it). The download should take about 3 minutes or less.
4. Double click on the installer, follow the step-by-step instructions.
5. Enjoy.
In two weeks we will be presenting an awesome 2-day Lightroom 4 Workshop at the School of Visual Arts (SVA). We hope to see you there.
Photography
Visual Serendipity.
A very quick shot at the lobby of the famous New Yorker Hotel while attending a BlackMagic event last week. According to the hotel’s website “from Muhammad Ali to Nikola Tesla, late President John F. Kennedy to Jennifer Hudson” have slept there.
Photography
Visual Serendipity.
Serendipity: noun; the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
A random walk in Manhattan on weekends often produces truly unexpected images like this one, which was captured at Madison Square Park during an Indian meeting.
Photography
Visual Serendipity.
Apparently the traffic problems in New York City not only affects adults…
Photography
Visual Serendipity.
Serendipity: noun; the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
One of the many things I love about traveling is that I start seeing things differently, simple objects become spectacular sculptures, every day activities are suddenly fresh and attractive, and even airport lounges (below at JFK International Terminal) at dusk offer exciting visual challenges and new opportunities.
One of my favorite photo books is “Learning to See Creatively”
Video
Video Essentials and Video Editing for photographers at SVA.
PDN Magazine recently published what we consider the “13 Products you need to add HD Video to your business.” (You might need the password “tutorials” to download the file.) The article is also available on PDN’s May print issue. If you are new to the world of Video, this list is a great place to start.
During the summer we will be offering two new workshops at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City: a 2-day “Video Essentials for Photographers” and a 1-day “Video Editing for Photographers” using Adobe Premiere Pro. We hope to see you there!
Photography
Get set for AIPAD. Starts today.
If you have ever been to an AIPAD show in New York City, then you know that ‘tis the season to be excited for the 32nd anniversary of this once-a-year photography showcase.
Starting today and until April 1, 2012, photographers, art dealers, hobbyists and international art enthusiasts will gather together for the latest in art photography at the Association of International Photography Art Dealer’s (AIPAD) Photography Show, returning to the Park Avenue Armory in the Upper west side.
The Armory was built as a military facility and designed by the world’s leading artists and architects in 1861, including Charles W/ Clinton (later a partner of Clinton & Russel), Louis Comfort Tiffany, Stanford White Herter Brother, Pottier & Stymus, and architects of the Astor Hotel. The main hall, measures 55,000 square feet…that is a lot of room for a gallery, wouldn’t you say? It remains as one of the few unimpeded spaces remaining in New York.
This year is going to be huge, with 75 of the world’s leading art galleries contributing all different kinds of photographic work including contemporary, modern, abstract, 19th century, photo-based art, digital video…. you name it!
In addition to the amazing variety of artwork that you will encounter, there are also panel discussions and seminars from some of the world’s most influential photographers and curators including a conversation between Dutch photographer, Rineke Djisktra and Jennifer Blessing, curator of photography at the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum.
“Highlights of this year’s photography exhibition include work by Julia Margaret Cameron, Ansel Adams, André Kertész and Henri Cartier-Bresson, as well as a variety of modern and contemporary showcases such as those of Linda McCartney and Karen Knorr and an exclusive exhibition by David Zwirner gallery of a new body of work by Philip-Lorca DiCorcia, in which he endeavours to find a balance between documentary and theatrically staged photography. There is also an exhibition of personal cards sent from photographers such as Lee Friedlander and Jerry Uelsmann.” Read the press release. to see more featured speakers and artists.
For only $40, you can get a four-day pass, or $25 for a one-day pass. Even better, students can pay $10 for a one-day pass. I would highly recommend this show to anyone who is in the least bit interested to understand past and present trends in photographic mediums.
For more details, visit www.aipad.com.
Photography
Visual Serendipity.
Serendipity: noun; the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
I saw this ad at a subway station, and found it really engaging. I must admit I had never realized that a) each borough in New York has its own facial hair style, and b) that shaving is now super hip hop cool. The poster is part of a huge campaign for Braun’s Cruzer 6
Video
Conversations with Friends.
Welcome to Episode 4 of our “Conversations with Friends” series, today with professional film editor Christopher Pecoraro. Ruled based art, Alfred Hitchcock, and filmmaking techniques are among the interesting topics we discussed.
Our wine was the Indian Creek Pinot Blanc 2009. It was fairly balanced and refreshing, with lemongrass and pomegranate notes on the nose, with a short finish and decent acidity. A decent QPR if you can find it under $10.
To see Christopher’s work please visit his website and blog.
If you missed the previous episodes, check them out here: Episode 001 with Justin Katz, Episode 002 with Bobbi Lane, Episode 003 with Robert Ammirati. The next Episode will be awesome!!
Video
Conversations with Friends.
For Episode 3 on our Conversations with Friends series we had the pleasure to chat with Robert Ammirati, great photographer and friend. We talked about how Red Hook, Brooklyn is now becoming the new Soho and how the magic of shooting film will be lost on younger generations of photographers.
The wine we enjoyed today was the 2009 Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais-Villages, Burgundy, France.
“The 2009 Beaujolais-Villages from Joseph Drouhin is a stunning bottle of wine that has to be one of the absolute steals of this superb vintage. The bouquet is deep and exuberant, as it soars from the glass in a fantastic blend of plums, black cherries, intense violets, chocolate and woodsmoke. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, plush and tangy, with a rock solid core of fruit, just a whisper of tannin and outstanding length and grip on the complex and perfectly balanced finish. High class juice for its pedigree and clearly a wine that will improve with bottle age- though good luck trying to keep your hands off of this gem!” 91 Points – John Gillman
Photography
Visual Serendipity.
Serendipity: noun; the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
Storefront decorations, Flatiron Building, Chelsea, New York.
The Flatiron Building was designed by Chicago’s Daniel Burnham as a steel-frame skyscraper in white terracotta, and intended as the headquarters of the Fuller Construction Company. The building was soon dubbed “Flatiron” after its unusual shape, caused by a triangular plot.
The building inspired unforgettable photographs by Edward Steichen
Photography
Visual Serendipity.
Serendipity: noun; the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
The Radio City Music Hall, designed by architect Edward Durell Stone, and interior designer Donald Deskey in the Art Deco style, opened to the public on December 27, 1932.
Some people say that with a stage almost 150 feet wide, and 5,933 seats, it is the largest indoor theater in the world. The Hall includes the “Mighty Wurlitzer” that also happens to be, small wonder, the largest theater pipe organ built for a movie theater.
Radio City is part of the 12-acre (49,000 m²) commercial complex known as Rockefeller Center. Interesting fact: the complex was developed on land leased from Columbia University, and it is currently leased to and managed by Madison Square Garden, Inc.
Check this awesome “Popular Mechanics” article from August 1932 about the Music Hall and “the importance of chance in progress.”
I took this picture while attending a recent Cirque du Soleil performance.
Photography
Visual Serendipity.
Serendipity: noun; the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
“Chinatown at Dusk” is the second picture on our “Visual Serendipity” weekly series. The goal is to post a new cell phone image every week (click here to see last week’s pic).
For years I’ve been fascinated with Chinatown. So many things going on, so many colors, smells, and sounds at a somewhat isolated place in the hearts of very dense cities like New York, Chicago or San Francisco. What intrigues me the most about ethnic neighborhoods like Chinatown is to walk into a corner store (how do you say “bodega” in Chinese?), and see things that I can’t tell if are vegetables, animals, medicine, food, toys or decorations.
An added bonus the restaurants which are amazingly good and cheap! One of my favorite spots is Vanessa’s Dumpling House, what’s yours?
Video
Weekend Wrap up.
What a great weekend! Tons of new friends, and a few exciting announcements at the PDN PhotoPlus Expo in New York. My Adobe Lightroom and Digital Cinema seminars went great, big thanks to Victor Ha from Cinevate for his awesome hands-on demo on High Production Value. The 2-day HDSLR Workshop at B&H was really fun. We had a great group of photographers transitioning into digital cinema!
Thank you all for the great feedback and support. Here are some pictures.
If you are interested in HDSLR Cinema, check my upcoming workshops in Washington D.C. (Nov. 5-6), and Los Angeles (Nov. 11-12).