Contemporary

Vermont Life

An intense thunderstorm moves through Bennington, VT.  The area received a record breaking 9" of rain in the month of June.

A sign posted on a telephone pole in front of a home in Pownal, VT.

More rain falls in Bennington, VT making this Catamount statue even more relevant.  This has been one of the wettest Junes on record.

A sign warns motorist to look out for tractors in the Southern Vermont Orchard.

A view of the Southern Vermont Orchard and the famous Green Mountains of Vermont.

Portfolio Submission

#1
I chose this image because of the way that it plays with scale.  The lizard which would otherwise be of an unknown size is contrasted against the puzzle pieces which gives the viewer an idea of his actual size.  The depth of field was also appropriate for the image highlighting the head and front leg of the lizard but also allowing for a pleasing blur of the puzzle and the background colors that it offered.  I prefer images with a shallow depth of field and this image is a good example of why - a good representation of my photographic vision. 

#2
This image was extremely difficult to capture.  There was a big storm headed for us and I was determined to capture a strike.  It took hours of trial and error and I ended up with three decent images.  I would have preferred more detail from the mountain beyond but i was happy that I was able to at least capture a decent strike.  I used a very long exposure time of 30 seconds and realized after checking my first round of shots that any more than one distinct strike in an exposure negated all of them and only produced atmospheric lighting.  I decided to wait for a good strike and then physically cover the image with my hand to preserve the single strike until the shutter closed.  While I wish there had been more detail in the back and foreground I was thrilled at even capturing what I did and felt a huge sense of accomplishment at doing so. 

#3
I loved the shape and texture that this image of my wok brush provided.  Again, it exemplifies my vision by using a very shallow depth off field which can offer a lot of visual interest to otherwise mundane objects.  It was one of the first images I took for the course and it was a challenge since I was stuck in my house for several days which forced me to be very creative about my subject matter since at first glance none of it seemed very interesting at all.  This is another aspect of my vision which has emerged and that is I enjoy taking pictures that are visually interesting but somewhat abstract.

#4


This was another image that took a looooong time to get right.  I shot close to a hundred images of the fish, changed lenses several times and tried many different apertures.  In the end I found this image successful for a couple of reasons.  First the framing of the fish,  the bamboo and the surface of the water were all exactly what I was looking for and made an otherwise boring picture of a fish interesting and visually pleasing.  It was also extremely difficult to get the depth of field right while still maintaining a crisp focus - fish don't tend to stay still for very long!  Another image which shows my affinity for a shallow dof.

#5

This image was the most sentimental of the bunch.  It features a long time friend of mine who recently moved back to the area affording us the opportunity to rekindle our friendship after years apart.  She lives in Williamsburg now, where this was taken and it really exemplifies our past and present relationship.  We both are lovers of street art and graffiti so it was only fitting that her portrait be against an amazing example of famous Williamsburg graffiti.  I love the colors and textures and mostly it's just a great representation of our friendship and common interests. 

Portraits

Chloe, Red Bank, New Jersey, 2013.

Mike, The Beninngton Monument, Benington, Vermont, 2013.

Self Portrait, Red Bank, New jersey, 2013.

Red

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY.

Gateway national Recreation Area, Sandy Hook, NJ

Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, NJ.

Black & White

Composition

The feathers and leaves in this photo are a good example of line, texture and pattern.

This statue, at Mount Mitchill Overlook Park in New Jersey, is commemorating the people from Monmouth County that were killed on 9/11.  I chose this image as an example of foreground-background relationship because in the background you can see the new WTC being constructed.

 

I chose this image as an example of abstraction.  It's the same WTC  memorial but the perspective has changed from a wide shot to a close-up of the talons which are clutching a piece of twisted steel recovered from Ground Zero.

This image uses the monkey bars to frame and mirror the shape the sun while adding pattern as well.

The tennis ball in the final image is clear point of interest, while the lines, texture and pattern of the bench help to draw your attention to the ball.