I had the honer and pleasure to lead a photowalk at one of my favorite places in the Big Apple, the High Line. The photowalk was arranged by Bergen County Camera and sponsored by Olympus. The day was slightly overcast which, for me, means Black & White. All of the images were shot using the Olympus OM-D E-M1 MkII. A favorite style I like to employ on an overcast day is using “Dramatic Tone”. This is a mode option built into the camera (most of these shots used this mode).
I was in Cape May, NJ last week for a presentation to the Photography Club of Cape May. Cape May is one of my very favorite places. For me I find it very relaxing and filled with all types of photographic opportunities. If I don’t have my Olympus OM-D E-M1 MkII with me, I always carry the ever trusty and versatile TG-5. The morning before my presentation, I had an hour or two to grab a couple of shots from Gurney Street. The handful of homes on this street are the famous Victorian Stockton Row (circa 1869). Since I was doing a presentation on Architectural photography, I thought is was quite appropriate to grab some shots here. All of the images were shot with the TG-5 and I must admit I am always blown away with the results of this little powerhouse.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate with the Lehigh Valley Photography Club, by visiting a “hard hat only” area of Ellis Island. We were given access to the immigrant hospital buildings, which included the infectious and contagious disease wards, kitchen and the mortuary and autopsy room. We also visited the Laundry Building, with much of its original equipment still in place, where over 3000 pieces of laundry were washed and sanitized daily. To say the experience was incredible would be an understatement. The texture and patterns are amazing. My only challenge, was not being able to utilize a tripod. However, because I shoot with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 MkII, I can handhold the camera for long exposures with the built-in 5 axis image stabilization. My two main lenses for this shoot were the M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO and M.Zuiko ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to present a workshop on one of my favorite subjects, “Architecture” and to lead a photo walk to the Wisconsin State Capitol building in Madison. Both events were sponsored by Olympus for The Camera Company. This structure was amazing beyond my belief. This place stands as one on my top 5 places to photograph architecture in the United States. If you are anywhere near Madison, it is an absolute must see structure. I learned this building’s exterior dome is the largest granite dome in the world. I can’t wait to go back! All images were shot with the Olympus OM-D EM1 MkII paired with either the M.Zuiko 7-14 f2.8 PRO, ED 8mm f1.8 Fisheye PRO or the ED 12-100mm f4.0 IS PRO.
A couple of weeks ago my friend Dave Rehrig and I decided to head over to Muhenberg College and photograph the Chapel. I have never seen it before and I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised. It had a very gothic feel and as such, I thought the images would be best viewed in a black & white. In order to capture the glass windows behind me, I used the Olympus OM-D E-M1 MkII paired with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f1.8 fisheye PRO lens. Take notice to the light fixtures. The subsequent images of the fixtures were shot with the M. Zuiko ED 12-100mm PRO IS lens in order to give me some compression with the shot.
Hopewell Furnace is a restored iron plantation built in 1771 and is a national historic site located in Berks County, PA. I have always been intrigued by this place. As a young boy, I remember my parents taking me here. I have photographed this place before, but never in the middle of winter. The day was very cold and filled with periodic rain, sleet & snow. Not the ideal conditions for a photoshoot, except that it is great for not having many people in your pictures. All of the images were shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II.
A couple of weeks ago I did the “Behind the Curtain” workshop & photo tour at the State Theatre in Easton, PA. This is always a fun event, particularly, since we are granted unobstructed access to this incredibly beautiful gem of a facility. I tell people, as photographers, we get to see the intricate nuances of the various design components in this theatre. Most people, and rightly so, go to the theatre to see a particular performance. However, for me, as a photographer, the main show is in the many incredible masterpieces within the structure. During this event I also had the opportunity to use the new Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera. The reason I mention this is I always tell my participants to bring a tripod because of the low light. I now may need to rethink this position. All of the following images were handheld for between one second and 1/60 second at ISO 6,400. The image stabilization and image quality at this high ISO has surpassed all of my expectations. Take a look and you be the judge.
I recently had the pleasure to lead a workshop with Creve Coure Camera which was sponsored by Olympus at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson, MO. The following images were taken during the workshop. This was my first experience at this location. I have photographed the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia many times, so I was somewhat familiar with what to expect. There were many similarities, but there were equally as many differences. One of the differences was that this facility had it’s own gas chamber. I must admit, I had a very eerie feeling in here. The prison operated from 1836 – 2004. Many of the images were processed in-camera with a monochromatic filter and a couple of them in HDR. The equipment I used was the Olympus PEN-F paired with the M.Zuiko ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO & the OM-D E-M5 MkII paired with the M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO (an amazing combination).
Welcome to the Gas Chamber
A few weeks ago I did a couple photo-walks & presentations for Creve Coure Camera in St. Louis. The event was sponsored by Olympus. The first photo-walk was at the Cathedral Basilica. The following images are from the day’s shoot. I have traveled a lot domestically/overseas and have photographed my share of Cathedral/Churches and this one is at the very top of the list, as far as beauty and wow factor. The cathedral was built over a 100 years ago and was designated a basilica in 1997 by Pope John Paul II.
On Sunday, June 12, 2016 Bogert’s Covered Bridge celebrated its 175 Anniversary. Bogert’s is located in the Lehigh Parkway which is part of the Allentown, PA city parks. This is a location I enjoy shooting. There were many groups present for the celebration. I especially enjoyed the reenactors. I was fortunate to have met Gen. U.S. Grant (aka Ken Serfass), President Abraham Lincoln (aka Rich Neely) and Fife player (aka Chris Zimmerman). These three gentlemen were a pleasure to photograph. All images were shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II with the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro or the 7-14mm f2.8 Pro lens.
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