Photo 52: A Play on Light

Directional Lighting - Week 4

This past week some friends invited us to spend the day at the private Catalina Beach Club on Long Island.  It was our first trip to the beach this summer and my son had the greatest time playing in the sand and water with his classmate turned best buddy, Esme.  The photograph below is a favorite from the day and since it was taken in full sun, I was able to get a high contrast image with my little boy in total silhouette.  Just like the Catalina Beach Club and its Art Deco design , I feel this photograph has a retro style, like it could have been taken on a white hot summer day back in the 1950's.

 

Please continue along to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Linda Hooper, my New York friend and extraordinary talent.   

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Directional Lighting - Week 3

Summer is in session and that means many family trips to our local Harlem playgrounds. While taking photos of my oldest son running around the jungle gym, I noticed that my husband was standing in the gazebo covered in light spots.  My beloved reptilian was the perfect subject for our third week of directional light.

 

 

Please continue along to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Julie Kiernan, an amazing talent and friend of mine out in Minnesota.   

Fatherhood | Guy Talk

On this Father's Day 2013, I wanted to post an image that still remains one of my all time favorites.  Taken last summer, the photo shows a tender moment of guy talk between my husband and oldest son who was one year old at the time.  My husband is an incredibly loving, engaged and playful father.  When I see him with his children is when I'm most in awe of him, most in love with him.       

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dads out there!

 

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Directional Lighting - Week 2

This week I used underlighting to create an image of high drama which, quite simply, occurs when the subject is lit from below.  When I took the photo, the only light source in the room was that coming from the iPad.  As a result I had to crank the ISO on my camera way up thereby introducing a lot of grain to the image.  I don't mind the grain however, since I find it adds to its tension and film noir effect, as if the iPad is a mighty vortex drawing him into its clutches.   

 

Please continue along to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Linda Hooper, fellow New Yorker and master of beautiful out-of-focus images.  

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Directional Light - Week 1

For the month of June we will be exploring directional light.  Just this morning and in the knick of time, I captured a post for this week of my oldest son voguing by the window. Initially he was watching his daddy move the car below and then decided to climb onto the table and strike a pose.  Voilá!

 

C'mon, vogue!

Please continue along to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Jill Cassara,  my dear friend and exceptionally talented lifestyle photographer.   

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Diffused Light - Week 4

It's not surprising how sentimental I've been this final week of my second pregnancy.  The photo below of my first born was taken just before bedtime with a diffuser attached to my flash unit.  He appears so big to me and I'm sure will only seem more so once there is a newborn in the house.  I like the evenness of the light that the flash diffuser was able to create as well as the innocence of his gaze.  And the bruises on his legs are a reminder that he is definitely an active boy growing up far far too quickly.     

 

Waiting for brother

Please take a spin to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Jill Cassara, one of the most talented lifestyle photographers I know.   

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Diffused Light - Week 3

As I mentioned in the first post of our diffused light study, one way to soften the light is by shooting through a gauzy, sheer material.  The photo below was not staged.  I promise.  Rather I was lying in bed when I saw my son playing behind our bedroom curtain and frantically raced for my camera.  With a playful moment so fleeting, I managed to capture the photograph for this week which has since become one of my favorites taken so far this year.  Sometimes in photography you are given a gift.     

 

Please take a spin through the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Erica Collins, a most talented photographer and midwest friend of mine.   

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Diffused Light - Week 2

For this week the car wash was my diffuser.  I've been meaning to take photographs while moving through the wash cycle and this month's theme was just the push needed.  The light was filtered through the car wash's side windows as well as the front window of our car.  It was so much fun to shoot through a surge of water, capturing all the droplets and soapy streaks without the interference of windshield wipers.  

 

 
 

Please take a spin through the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Kim Dupree, resident of Texas and talented senior photographer.   

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Diffused Light - Week 1

For the next four weeks Photo 52 will be tackling diffused light photography which occurs when soft light, with neither the intensity nor the glare of direct light, is used. The light is scattered and comes from all directions, thus seeming to wrap around objects.  Also shadows are less sharply-defined and have a lower contrast.

Shooting through windows or soft, gauzy material or in open shade can soften the light while clouds are an example of a natural diffuser when shooting outdoors.  Photographing subjects in light falling through trees is yet another example and was my experiment for this first week.    

This past weekend we spent the afternoon at the Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, Queens.  My husband and I were seated on one of the wooden chaise lounge chairs shaded by a weeping willow tree while our son played along the waterfront.  Despite it being a rather bright afternoon, the willow's canopy provided the perfect diffusion in the series of photos seen below.  Though not typically my style - I usually opt for strong contrast and sharply-defined shadows - I actually ended up liking the images.  The contrast lies rather in the scenery itself -  tall grasses and the East River juxtaposed against Manhattan's skyline of tall buildings.

 

 

 

 

Please take a spin through the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Linda Hooper, my friend and fellow New Yorker.   

"Boardwalk Empire" in Harlem

Yesterday we were beyond excited to find out that our favorite series, Boardwalk Empire, starring Steve Buschemi was filming down the block from our Harlem digs.  The show takes place in the 1920's during Prohibition so you can imagine the dozens of vintage cars that were lining the street and all the actors dazzling in their finest uptown threads.    

It was such a beautiful spring day in New York City, so my beloved husband and son, donning their best 1920s garb, went for a stroll along the set while I had my camera in tow.

We spotted some of the cast getting styled and even encountered the kindness of the production manager who allowed us to take photos within a cordoned off area.  It was a real thrill.  And if for some strange reason you haven't heard of Boardwalk Empire, click HERE to find out about this amazing show.  You'll be hooked.

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Week 34:  Exploring Night Light

It's the FINAL FOUR!  

This past Wednesday was exactly four weeks away from my scheduled C-section which will take place on the morning of May 22nd.  Our blog circle topic this week is "Night Light", but I find that when darkness falls, I greatly prefer being indoors and relaxed.  So instead I chose to take out the tripod and attempt a self-portrait that more accurately depicts my "night life" these days - feet propped and resting against a bounty of pillows.  Of course a marathon of "Law and Order: SVU" doesn't hurt either.  This is my life.  This is my life at night.  This is the Final Four.       

Please continue along to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is my talented colleague and friend, Julie Kiernan. 

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Week 33 : Exploring Evening Light

This week I opted to play around with out-of-focus street photography in the early evening, having been inspired by Photo 52 member, Linda Hooper, who handles the technique exquisitely.  The two images below were taken in a moving car when it had just begun to lightly rain in New York City.  I'm most pleased with how much they look like paintings rather than photographs.  It was a fun, creative venture out of the box this week. 

 

 

Please continue along to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is my friend and fellow New Yorker, Justine Knight.   

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Week 32:  Exploring Daylight

Around noon the sunlight floods my son's room from the west, creating some amazing shadows.  On a particularly bright day this week (thank goodness spring has finally arrived!) I captured him playing with not only his toy cars, but trying to catch the sunbeams that were streaming through the window.  There were moments where he was so mesmerized by these beams that he didn't even notice me or the big lens encroaching in on his personal space.  My favorite sight however, at this particular time and in this particular room, is always the angelic halo that the sunlight creates as it lands on the hair of my little angel boy.   

 

 

Please continue along the circle to see the rest of Photo 52's work for this week.  Next up is the sweet and talented Texan, Kim Dupree.   

Photo 52: A Play on Light

Week 31 - Exploring Morning Light

For the month of April our group decided to capture light at four different times a day: early morning, midday, evening and night.  This first week I ventured out in my West Harlem neighborhood at 6:45 a.m. when I knew the sun would be rising up and over 145th street.  This is the time of day with the least amount of traffic as well, so every time the street light turned red I would hustle out to the double yellow line and get on bended knee.  I used my wide angle zoom lens in order to get as much of the setting as possible in the frame.  What's not included however, is the handful of lovable lowlifes that were wrapping up their night on the streets.  The funny part to me is how quiet and serene the image appears and yet, at this particular time, I was dodging the harassment of a toothless, pantless (and truly harmless) female crackhead.  Oh for the love of the craft amongst New York City's colorful landscape!  

 

​Harlem sunrise

Please continue along to see the rest of Photo 52's images for this week.  Next up is Kelly Roth Patton of Brooklyn, New York.