Behind The Shot: Tribute In Light

As you know, NYC is known for its spectacular skylines. When it comes to photography, there is no other place like NY. New York City is an unparalleled photographic location.

For many people, a beautiful landscape image serves as an escape to a peaceful place away from the noise, congestion and stress of civilization. As I’ve mentioned many times before, photography has been an excellent therapeutic outlet for me. For several years, I've been trying to capture a good picture of the Tribute in Light in Manhattan, (lights aiming skyward in two column as a remembrance of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks).

In 2016, I captured the Tribute in Light from Brooklyn Bridge Park, the DUMBO neighborhood near the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn. There were hundreds of photographers lined up in a small park along the water between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge. I was happy with one of the final images of the New York City skyline that night.

The following year, I took the afternoon off work, and headed to New York City to try capture the Tribute in Light from the Exchange Place Waterfront in Jersey City, New Jersey. This was a once a year photo opportunity, the 16th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

I arrived early in the evening, there was still plenty of daylight to find a good spot and setup my gear. To my surprise, as you can see in the image posted at the bottom, only a handful number of photographers were lined up at the Exchange Place Waterfront waiting for the blue hour.

As soon as the Tribute of Light illuminated the NYC skyline, I took dozens of images hoping to capture at least a couple of good pictures, then catch the PATH train back to Manhattan. I didn't want to miss my Greyhound bus back to Philadelphia.

The bus ride took two hours each way. Once I arrived home that night, I selected a couple of images for post-processing editing to give my images a crisper vibrant look. The final image was edited using Adobe Photoshop Elements with the Topaz Adjust filter applied. I am quite happy with the final result.

The trip was all worth it, and I had tons of fun! Enjoy!

They're Real And They're Spectacular

This week marks seven years since I bought my first Nikon DSLR. It's been seven years of learning by experimentation. To be honest, t’s been more complicated than I previously thought. I am still learning.

The following year, I attended an introduction to DSLR photography class. It was an excellent workshop. On my way home after the class, I remember thinking, "from this point forward, my pictures should look a lot better".

A few months later, I wondered if I could take pictures from top of the Brooklyn Bridge boardwalk very early in the morning. I finally did. Imagine my surprise to see groups of runners and bicycle clubs riding up and down the bridge, at five o'clock in the morning. It was difficult to hold the camera and tripod steady in the pedestrian walkway, (which is a boardwalk like no other). The boardwalk vibration caused by the runners/cyclists ruined most of the pictures. Only two or three images were worth using.

If you've never been to the Brooklyn Bridge boardwalk, it is one of the best sights and landmarks in New York. Walking across the bridge you can experience spectacular views of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Lower Manhattan and the East River. It is safe to say, the NYC skyline views are real, and they're spectacular.

And The Moral of the Story Is ....

I hate to admit, but I am in the group of people who always denigrated cell phones as a tool to take photos. Until yesterday.

Visiting NYC was not a photo excursion, but more of a way to celebrate my birthday in one of my favorite cities in the world. The top picture was taken using my cell phone at the top observatory of the Rockefeller Center (Top of the Rock). 

As has always been the case when I visit this location, most of my Nikon DSLR pictures were unusable. On my way to the exit elevator, I took four or five pictures handheld using my cell phone. The images were captured through glass windows. Glass can be one of the hardest things to take photos through.

Out of those images, I blended three pictures and created a panorama image of NYC. These cell phone images look 110% better than those taken by my digital Nikon DSLR. 

The moral of the story is, don't knock it until you've tried it. Let me humbly say that I I have learned a valuable lesson.

Dinosaur B-B-Q

The family arrived this morning, and finally met the bundle of joy in person. At least he didn't cry when he saw me for the first time, so that's a good sign I guess. 

After they settle into their rooms, we spent some time catching up. Afterwards, we had lunch at Dinosaur B-B-Q in Brooklyn, excellent cuisine with excellent prices. Highly recommended.

We have a full schedule ahead of us, so for now I am going to leave you with a couple of pics. Enjoy!