Like what you see? Why not buy a book!
As a special thank you this year to family and friends, I made a book to give as a gift during the holidays. It's very simply some of my favorite photos from this year.
It's being received well by them, so I thought maybe you'd like it, too. You can order it through Blurb. I highly recommend the hardcover ImageWrap option - it's gorgeous.
Order Selects:2010 here. Preview below.
Grand Central at Night
Just a simple one I shot with my Voigtlander Bessa-R. Long live film!
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery: Headless Horseman and Lamplight Tour
It's funny - my passion for night photography was born in the graveyard in Flemington, NJ where I did much of my growing up (the town, that is - not the graveyard!). It all started with my Yashica FX3000, a Tamron 24-70mm lens plus fisheye adapter, tripod, Vivitar 283 and a cable release. My good friend Bryan and I were standing atop the hill overlooking Flemington and I asked him to stand in front of the lens. I opened the lens and locked it down, popped the flash and then he moved out of the way! I was astonished at first and thought of asking him to move back, but then decided against it. The result was a half-ghosted image of him with the city lights fading through his body and the graveyard surrounding. I was elated - happy mistake, indeed. (Note: I'll find this shot and upload for y'all.) This was back in '92. Flash forward to 2010 and I am again spending lots of night hours silently shooting long exposures in a cemetery. Only this time it's the famous Sleepy Hollow Cemetery - only six miles from my home in Dobbs Ferry. How cool is that? Big thanks to my buddy Gabe for introducing me to my own backyard and Jim Logan, who runs the Historic Society for Sleep Hollow Cemetery.
TECH NOTES: The lamplight tour shots were shot with a tripod, electronic cable release and whatever light the tour brought with it. The Headless Horseman was shot with a Profoto AcuteB, Nikon SB900 and the PocketWizard Mini/Flex for Nikon I am Beta testing. I've come a long way gear-wise from '92 but the techniques are essentially the same. Shoot for the light, no matter how long it takes.
Here are some choice photos from a lamplight tour in October and then you get to see a shot of a real Headless Horseman!
I highly recommend taking a lamplight tour. It's full of fascinating stories about some amazing people having their final rest in Sleepy Hollow.
And finally, the Headless Horseman!
Mojave Desert
I re-processed another film shot I took in 2007 while road-tripping through the Mojave Desert. Love the new look.
NYC in the Dead Hours
In NYC, the bars close at 4am and the trains north start running at 6:30am. This are the dead hours, and I love shooting it. It's quiet, slightly dangerous, and like a thick blanket was thrown over all the sounds the City usually makes. Muffled, sleepily proud. Quiet vigilance. Desperate, unseen and for some, lonely.
Once Upon a Time
... I took this photo :) I processed a mystery roll of T-MAX. This is probably about 9 years it's been waiting. Like good wine, I think.
Bannerman Island on Film
Sometime I take a while to get to my film rolls processed. It's always a delight to see real film grain and gradations I just don't get from digital. Enjoy the silver haldies :)
Bannerman Island Night Shoot
The master of Ruinism.com, Gabriel Biderman, found the Reciprocity Failure Society a great opportunity to shoot on the private and historic Bannerman Island on the Hudson River, north of West Point and South of Beacon, NY. What a night... We barely slept, in fact one of us didn't at all. Here's some picks from the evening:
Also, warm thanks go out to our guide, Tom Johnson, and Karen from the Bannerman Trust for allowing us access overnight to shoot our hearts out. Visit their website or Facebook for contact info - more opportunities form Gabe and the Trust will be available for night photo shoots in the future!
See more photos from our group at on Flickr. View Larger Map
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Night Shoot
Check out the tutorial I posted over on the Induro Blog about building a long exposure at night. Mad props to Gabe Biderman and Jim Logan for making it happen. Here's more shots from a great night excursion in the famous graveyard.
