Sometimes you see amazing things when you’re walking with a camera in your hand.
On this Friday morning, I was walking over to the Pierre Hotel to participate in a panel discussion at a bankers’ conference. As I walked up Fifth Avenue, I came across this shot. Sneaking a drag in such a beautiful spot. I suspect they’re oblivious to the big issues of banking we were about to discuss. In the moment.
Shot with my Fujifilm X-E2
Here’s another shot from our pre-Thanksgiving visit to New York City. We were walking up Madison Avenue to dinner. Something friends have always told me – be sure to turn around and look back – came into my head. I did – and here’s what I saw. Love the scope of this image – from the guy on the left with the garbage can to the taxi hailer and then on to the FedEx truck on the right.
Shot handheld with the amazing Fujifilm X-E2 and post-processed in Lightroom 5 with VSCO Film 04. Adjusted a bit further in Photoshop CC using Topaz Simplify 4 to reduce detail on the buildings in the distance to keep the eye down at street level. Click on the image to see a larger size version.
Ah, New York City in the fall…
On Sunday morning, November 24, the air was crisp and the sun crept up slowly from the southeast – lighting up the tops these trees in Central Park.
Sometime I enjoy applying painterly treatments to my images – and this is one of those times. Adjusted just a bit in Lightroom 5 before going into Photoshop CC to add a touch of the Oil Paint filter.
Shot out our hotel room window with my Fujifilm X-E2
Just before Thanksgiving, we were in New York for a special weekend – and the holidays are a great time to be in New York.
I had my new Fujifilm X-E2 along and captured this image as we were walking up Madison Avenue to dinner. It’s a classic shot on this street – with the wonderful blend of architecture in the buildings juxtaposed with the storefronts, the fall colors in the trees and the lights.
But, I got lucky (well prepared?) with this shot – there’s a biker coming on the left side, the couple in front of the ETRO store are clearly “checking in” – and they probably belong to that big black SUV over on the right side sort of parked up near the fire hydrant. This is one of those images with a lot going on – it’s fun to explore. Click on the image to see a larger version for exploring further! Might make a great jig saw puzzle too!
Shot with my Fujifilm X-E2, post-processed in Lightroom 5 using VSCO Film and finished up (with a touch of sharpening) in Photoshop CC.
This light this time of year in San Francisco’s Financial District is pretty amazing – bouncing one way and another.
Here’s an image taken in mid-November 2013 with my Fujifilm X-E2
On the hillside across from the Lafayette, California BART station is a remarkable memorial to the US soldiers killed in the Iraq war.
Here’s one view – shot with the 14mm lens on my Fujifilm X-E2. It’s a stunning memorial up close. So many crosses, and crescents, and stars all the way up the hill. Up close, it makes one pause. So many crosses, so many lives.
This time of year our thoughts return to peace – this is a memorial that reminds us to refocus on that goal. Peace be with you – indeed.
On Saturday I stopped by Menlo Park’s Allied Arts Guild with my Fujifilm X-E2 in hand. I posted a few photos from my walk on this article on InMenlo.
This is one of my favorites – looking down the garden path toward the artists shops at the end of the walk.
I had a wonderful time this morning visiting one of my favorite spots in San Francisco – the Palace of the Legion of Honor – and the amazing exhibition currently running of the work of Swedish painter Anders Zorn. If you haven’t been, you must go – his work is just superb. I’ve never seen watercolors like he painted!
As I was heading back to the car, I noticed this view overlooking the golf course – with a view of this cypress grove. This early December low sun angle light makes almost everything look wonderful to my eye – but this was even more special. Ming Thein, a Kuala Lumpur-based photographer who’s taught me a lot, starts with “Start by finding interesting light.” This was special light.
Shot with my Fujifilm X-E2
Here’s another one of my “into the light” images – also shot on San Francisco’s Leidesdorff Street in mid-November on a photo walk with my friend Doug Kaye. Here’s another image shot from this same location – both images taken with my Fujifilm X-E2 with the 18-55mm “kit” lens.
There’s a lovely cafe on Leidesdorff Street where the tables spill out into the street. I happened to notice the light on his face, the chairs and that lovely ketchup bottle – and captured this shot. He does seem somewhat mesmerized by the light – reflecting off of the Transamerica Pyramid building! It’s got a bit of the Photoshop CC Oil Paint filter applied – to add some subtle texture.
