Light Happens

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

New York - City In Motion - The Flatiron Building

New Light On A Photographic Icon

The Flatiron Building is one of New York City's most recognizable landmarks. It's been featured in movies, posters, television programs, and in the galleries of painters, illustrators, and famous photographers.

a photo of the flatiron building at night with traffic trails new york

Flatiron Building - New York City In Motion

I wanted to photograph this iconic building in a new and exciting way.

Camera: Nikon D800E
Lens: Nikon PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5

Light happens. Be ready. Shoot hard.

http://www.dansouthphoto.com

Saturday, November 16, 2013

New York - City In Motion - Welcome!

See The World. Differently.

The New York - City In Motion gallery is receiving lots of positive feedback. Thank you everyone for your generous and thoughtful comments.

I have received only one negative comment so far. Someone felt that I was featuring too many taxi cabs in the photos.

a photo of a bike and cyclist in front of the dakota in new york

Cyclist At The Dakota - New York - City In Motion

I would like to thank that person for their thoughtful observation - I appreciate that they took the time to comment - but I'll have to apologize. I had several reasons for including taxis in many the photos.

First, yellow cabs are a well-known symbol of life in New York City.

Second, the vibrant color of the taxis enhances photos shot in dim light.

a photograph of the guggenheim museum new york with traffic trails

Guggenheim Museum - New York - City In Motion

And finally - those taxi cabs are everywhere! I'd still be standing out on those street corners if I had to shoot scenes without cabs! Brrr! :-)

New York. City In Motion. See the full gallery at our website.

Dakota: Nikon D800E, PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5

Guggenheim: Nikon D800E, 24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S

Light happens. Be ready. Shoot hard.

http://www.dansouthphoto.com

Saturday, November 9, 2013

New York. City In Motion. 11/12/13

Big Apple. Re-imagined.

Light happens. Be ready. Shoot hard.

http://www.dansouthphoto.com

Monday, October 14, 2013

Downtown Manhattan

Website Revitalization Project

Earlier this year, I decided to redesign my photo website and move it to a new hosting site. I didn't migrate photos from the older site automatically. I wanted to review each image and upload only the ones that I felt represented my best work.

At times, the review process had to take a back seat to new projects, but work continues. I am pleased to announce that my new Downtown Manhattan gallery includes both new work and my favorite images from the original website.

Here are some samples.

Chinatown

Red Cube

New York Skyline Under Pink Clouds

Please visit the main website to see the full collection of photos from Downtown!

Thanks for your continued interest and support!

Cameras: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Nikon D800E

Lenses: Various

Light happens. Be ready. Shoot hard.

http://www.dansouthphoto.com

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Using Flash In Daylight

Managing Contrast and Exposing Detail

When should you use flash?

Your camera might try to answer the question for you. When light levels are low, some cameras will enable their flash feature automatically. Sometimes this is helpful, and sometimes it's a bad idea.

Flash can ruin a photo when it overpowers available light, especially when the available light has a quality that works well with the photo.

Conversely, we might want to add flash to photos taken in bright light. Flash can expose details that would otherwise have been obscured by deep shadows.

A camera set to "automatic mode" isn't smart enough to suggest all of the available options. If we want to use flash creatively, we need to make our own decisions, take control and override the camera's recommendations.

Compare the images below. See if you prefer one over the other.

a photo of a cyclist at the obelisk in central park

a photograph of a cyclist near the obelisk in central park

I like both photos. The second photo with the cyclist in the shadows is intriguing. The rider is anonymous and mysterious.

The first photo, where the cyclist is illuminated by flash, shows more color and detail.

There's no right or wrong way to use flash or to choose to omit it. The outcomes will be different, but that's the magic of photography. We can render our subjects in different ways.

When do you use flash? When it will help you to create a photo that looks the way that you want it to look.

Flash can modify photos in many ways depending on the direction, quality, and intensity of the light that it adds to the scene. The more we understand about what flash can do, the better we can decide how and when to use it.

Gear:

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon 24-105 f/4L IS
Canon 580EX II Speed Light

Light happens. Be ready. Shoot hard.

http://www.dansouthphoto.com

Thursday, August 1, 2013

On The Edge Of A New Idea

I have an idea, something that I would like to express with my photography over the next few months. It's not all that complicated, but I've never tried anything like this before and it runs somewhat contrary to my usual approach. It will require an investment of time and effort.

At the moment, the idea exists only in my head. There's always a gap between concept and reality. Some ideas fly and others flop. It's exciting to stand on the edge of that realization not knowing which way it will go.

Public Safety

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM

Light happens. Be ready. Shoot hard.

http://www.dansouthphoto.com

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy Independence Day, America!

Washington's Statue at Federal Hall, New York

a photo of the new york stock from federal hall

New York Stock Exchange from Federal Hall

I would like to extend a very special 'Thank You' to all of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, bold men who risked life and limb and property for 'truths we hold self-evident', and to those who supported and participated in the American Revolution, wagering all that they owned and held dear for a new standard of equity, prosperity, and rights for the individual.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Lens: Canon TS-E24 f/3.5L II

Light happens. Be ready. Shoot hard.

http://www.dansouthphoto.com