Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Where to shoot a car commercial in California

If you're a commercial photographer with an assignment to shoot a car in a spectacular landscape, chances are this location is on your list for the perfect landscape for automobile photography.

This is the ideal landscape for a car shoot. This is also the ideal location for a car commercial.

If you want to know where it is, well, you'll have to visit my web site, Faces in Photos or call me up. I'll share! Be sure to book the hose-'em-down.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Molyvos Restaurant is wonderful

I had lunch with friends today in my neighborhood at an amazing Greek restaurant very close to Carnegie Hall. It's called Molyvos and it was a delight on every level. Service was tight and professional, the food was beautifully presented and the price is fair. Go there.

If you're looking for a Greek Restaurant in New York City, visit Molyvos in Midtown West, just steps from Carnegie Hall.

Molyvos Restaurant
871 Seventh Ave between 56th and 55th Streets

Friday, October 26, 2007

Mrs. Firefighter with a bun in the oven

I traveled to my old haunt, Sausalito, for a maternity shoot. This woman takes the cake in terms of props. She brought her husband's firefighting helmut and his jacket. He couldn't be there because he was down in Southern California fighting one of the 13 fires near San Diego.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Black and White fine art photography of Marin County

I liked this work so much that I made an entire gallery just of my favorites. The images are all priced at $765 plus shipping. To see more, visit the fine art section of my web site.
Here's an example:

Sunday, October 21, 2007

This champ made Institutional Investor Magazine

It's not easy to do, but this oil & gas hedge fund analyst got top picks from II Magazine.
Congratulations, John!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Kitchen Art Series of Herbs

I have a six-piece set of kitchen herbs beautifully framed and ready to give as gifts. I have lavender, rosemary, basil leaves, thyme and sage. Here's a sample:

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Class in Search Engine Optimization for Photographers

I'm teaching a class at Adorama for ambitious photographers and designers who want to understand the basic principles of Google's search engine.

I will share the Seven Secrets of Search Engine Optimization that will help you optimize your site to target your optimal clients.

For more information, visit Adorama's web site

Photo Plus 2007 VIP Code

If you're still looking, this one is good for all : VIP Code XAAE1

Enjoy - and never stop learning!

My site: Portrait Photographers

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

What to wear to a photo shoot

I've written some guidelines to help you choose what to wear for a solo or family photo session.
Feel free to email me with any questions. If you're wondering how to dress for a portrait shoot, this will help a lot.
What to wear to a photo shoot

Showing work at Sierra Photo Club in NYC tonight

Hey all,
I'm the opener for tonight's photo presentation at the New York Chapter of the Sierra Photo Club.
All are welcome.

St. Paul the Apostle
Parish House
405 West 59th Street (between 9-10 Aves.)
2nd floor, at 6:30 PM

Here's a sample of the work I'm showing:

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Portrait of a Leaf

I do fine art portraiture of nature, too.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Hikes in Harriman State Park

First thing I did after I peeled the feathers off me was shut the wide open window. It was in the 40's outside, it was a crystal clear and gorgeous fall day, finally.

I was up at 6:30am on a Saturday for my third hike with Outdoor Bound. It was labeled a 10-mile, challenging hike with nine peaks, stops at an old, abandoned mine and and a ghost town with a "ghost" cemetery.

We left New York City in Richard's rented hike-mobile at 8:15am and headed up the Palisades Parkway. We took Exit 19 (Seven Lakes), then parked in a small parking lot about one-third of a mile up on the right.

For a map of these hikes, visit the NY NJ Trail Conference site.

Now, the previous two hikes had been moderate and easy. I was wondering how hard the challenging hike would really be...well, it was the longest, most challenging hike I had ever done. It was a seven and a half hour day with one short stop for lunch. I was at the back of every long, steep ascent, huffing and puffing and wondering if my heart was going to explode out of my chest.

At some point, Richard lost track of how many peaks we'd climbed, but we found the abandoned mine at six and a half hours into the hike. Skip it. It's a hole in the ground, filled with water, smells bad and is off the trail. Doodletown was a bit bizarre; lots of signs point out what house was where with photographs of the houses, but not a single piece of house remains except an occasional bit of concrete foundation. Why they razed all those homes is a mystery to me.

We were five hikers and Richard, the guide. We had Eric, a Canadian and owner of a PR company who wants to live in the Bay Area, Babel, a German-born art therapist who has lived in the US for eight and a half years, Aleesa, a twenty-something whipper snapper account executive at Ogilvy who works on the Morgan Stanley account, and a woman whose name escapes me, but she occasionally spends time working at the Four Seasons in their catering area when she's not touring the globe. I don't know how she does it, but she is always taking adventure trips. Her last trip, last month, had her climbing the steep hills around Machu Picchu. She said it was the best trip of her life: she'd been training with the Stacy of Stacy's Boot Camp in Central Park for six weeks beforehand. AND she has a really cool iPhone.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

And this is Rockefeller Center's Ice Rink in the rain

Yup - it was pouring down. Looks more like a swimming pool than an ice rink.

Shooting in the Rain - NYC wet and wild

It's a big pain, but it's totally worth it. When it's pouring, go out and take pictures. If you're in an urban area, look for lots of lighting in the background.
I used a flash on this, set at -2/3.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Two Glasses of Wine

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the
mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of wine...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some
items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly,
he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and
proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles
rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then
asked the students again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it
into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students
responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under
the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want
you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18.

Do one more run down the ski slope.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Then the pebbles. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a friend."

Thursday, October 11, 2007

I'm teaching Search Engine Optimization for Photographers

I'm teaching a class at Adorama on November 13. It's geared toward photographers who aren't afraid to tackle html and update their own websites. It's also about how to properly code your site to place properly in a Google search.

Here's the link to my class info: Adorama Workshop

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Digital Photography Workshops

Don't miss the latest planned trip! This is going to be a creepy one...well after Halloween.
On Sunday, November 18, we're traveling down to the Eastern State Penitentiary for a day of shooting an abandoned prison.

Read more about the trip here: Abandoned Prison Photo Workshops

Monday, October 8, 2007

It's charming, squeaky clean Grafton, VT

I'm still in Vermont and am still loving it. Sorry to be off track of the maternity and pregnancy photography, but this is lovely stuff...

Day Five: Vermont Fall Foliage Photo Tour

It rained all night and was raining in the morning, so we met at 8am all packed up and headed for Grafton. Our first stop was the Grafton Village Cheese company.

Don't expect much in terms of learning about cheese. The salespeople are downright surly and unfriendly and all you get to see is a guy behind a plexi window doing something in a vat.

It was thickly overcast and sprinkling, so we wandered around the charming village, took a few photos, then said good bye.

I drove through Newfane on a circuitous route back to I91 because it was supposed to be a charming town. I missed it. I would skip the town altogether. Route 30 meets I91 at Brattleboro where traffic was stopped dead. It was a long drive home that I started in 60 degrees and ended up in 91 degrees by the time I hit mid-Connecticut. It was hot and humid in New York City - this is really weird for early October.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Still not quite yet maternity photography, but VT is still cool...

Yup - we found these browsing cluster of cows. At $85 a piece, you, too, can have a stuffed cow park.

Day Four: Vermont Fall Foliage Photo Workshop

It was warm and muggy and very cloudy, so we skipped the morning shoot and met at 8am to do the Cornish Colony trail.

We hit four covered bridges, #20-23 and then spent some time in Claremont, NH. The diner there is not to be missed. The owners are friendly and if you sit at the counter, you'll marvel at how beautifully the cook-owner flips her pancakes. It's the Tumble Inn Diner, also known as DaddyPops. The family has owned it for 11 years; the mom cooks, the dad washes, the daughters wait tables and the cousin helps the mom. These folks are youngsters! The mom and the youngest daughter (16yo!) look like sisters and they are adorable! Food is terrific!

After Claremont, we headed over for the 2pm boat tour on Lake Sunapee. We learned about the different villages around the lake, the history (how trains brought hundreds to the lake steamers and the huge, old hotels), and that the lake is spring-fed and very, very clean. It lasted about an hour and forty-five minutes and cost $16.

On the way back, we drove all the way to Woodstock in search of a good sunset spot. It was crystal clear! We ended up at the long covered bridge just east of Woodstock and got some so-so stuff. Sunset is a tough time to find the right place to shoot.

We stopped at a convenience store on the way back. Dinner was a crummy salad and beer, but we talked the hotel front desk into letting us use the meeting room to set up my projector to share work.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Scars on a tree struck by lightning

This white birch was struck by lightning many years ago. Note how the tree scar wraps around the turnk.

This was shot in Marsh Billings Rockefeller State Park in October 2007. There are many wonderful examples of other trees that have been struck by lightning in this park.

The most photographed farm in Vermont

Craig Ferguson says if it's on the internet, it must be true. So, this morning I took my photo workshop to the most photographed place in Vermont, the Jenne Farm just south of Woodstock, VT.

I have to admit, I don't know what's so great about this shot and location or why this is the most popular spot to photograph Vermont. I suppose if the light had been right, meaning clear, low humidity and cool, this would have been better, but....here it is.





I know many of you traversing Vermont in the fall will see this, so when you visit Jenne Farm, make sure you look around. There are many other beautiful scenes!

We're not in Maternity Photography land any more...

and we're not in Kansas, either. We're in central Vermont and the foliage isn't great this year. If you read the Vermont fall foliage reports, they'll probably play down how bad the color is this year. Can't really argue with that; it's still better to be here for even a little while than where ever you're from.

I happened to catch this corn chopper in action. Apparently, the corn stalks are chopped up and the entire plant is fed to animals.

Day Three: Fall Foliage Workshop in Vermont

What photographer in central Vermont can skip Jenne Farm? This morning we headed over to see the gaggle of photographers there to capture the morning light. There were about twenty people already set up and it was pretty light by the time we arrived at 6:45am.

I'm not sure what the big deal is about this farm, but it sure is popular. After the shoot, we headed back towards Woodstock and stopped at the South Woodstock Country Store for breakfast. Their blueberry muffins are outstanding and the coffee was pretty good, too! We had an interesting conversation with the guy who is developing the wind power farm in Nantucket sound and got the low-down on how Ted Kennedy and all the uber-rich are opposing it. For the life of me, I don't understand this operation. With blades turning at 16mph, they're unlikely to kill birds. Planted in on a shallow shelf, it's unlikely to be in the way of boats. With reef-like habitat for fish, it's likely to attract fish. At 13 miles offshore from Nantucket, you'll need high-powered binoculars to see them. Once they're up and running, this wind farm will provide over 70% of the Cape and Islands' power. It's completely green, no omissions, no run-off, no nothing. Who could oppose this?

We then headed for Kent Pond which is at the junction of Route 4 and Route 100. It's a true find. The stream is perfect for placing leaves and there are several waterfalls to work with. It's a good place to go when the sun is high. It's also on the Long Trail.

We headed back to Woodstock for lunch at Bentleys which was a zoo, but we got seated and were able to eat in just about an hour. Great place!

After lunch, we went to the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller State Park for the three-hour, guided ranger tour up Mount Tom. Great tour - and an easy, 3.5 mile hike. The views down onto the town of Woodstock are great. Highly recommend this!

We stopped for sandwiches at Maplesfields (skip it - the food is fast and bad) and headed home.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Vermont photography in the fall

Gotta admit, I miss the pregnancy photography and the maternity photographer in me, but the landscape work isn't a bad substitute.

Day Two: Fall Foliage Photo Workshop

We began the day by leaving WRJ at 6:15am. It was mild and very, very foggy. We headed to the head of Quechee Gorge and took photos of the misty reflections on the pond. It was just ok.

We then headed over to the Farmer's Diner in Quechee. This popular draw was worth seeing...the food was fine.


We then headed up to Rock of the Ages in Graniteville. We got a jolly introduction to the world of granite, paid our $4.00 fee and got on the first bus to head up to the observation platform. It was a Friday, so the place was a-buzz with workers. About 40 workers toil away in the quarry which measures 10 miles wide, 1 mile deep and two miles across. The tour guide says if they continue to quarry stone at today's rate, they'll use it all up in 4,500 years. Now, technology will have to change; as of today, they're unable to lift blocks out of the quarry from more than 600 feet.

Rock of the Ages is a giant, publicly-traded company with other quarries in PA, NC and Ukraine. They are the grandaddy of headstone production.

After the quick tour, we walked to the nearby abandoned quarry which was filled with water. It's kind of spooky to look over the side straight down and see algae-covered, submerged trees.

We left Graniteville for Morse Farm, a sugar house, in Montpelier. This is a major tourist bus stop, so be prepared to see a small barn full of chachka. It also has a charming video featuring Burr Morse.

We then drove back down to Barre and found our way to Pierre Couture's Millstone Lodge in Websterville, VT. Pierre provides detailed trail maps for the 1,500 acres of hiking and biking trails that criss-cross a slew of abandoned quarries, most of which are filled with water. This is a spectacular place. Loved it.

We headed for home in the dark and went back to the Seven Barrel Brewery. It was packed - food is pretty good.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

The Cornish Colony Trail near Claremont, NH

The photo workshop starts tonight at 7pm, and I needed to nail down the agenda.

I headed east after a morning's worth of work and followed the Route 12A trail through the Cornish Colony. Everything you need to know about this lovely area is here:
Cornish Colony: Trail 6

You'll find three covered bridges that are sort of on the main drag, and all are worth stopping to see.

I wanted to see Claremont, the mill town in the midst of renovations that don't really look like they're still under way. This jewel of a historic town is filled with huge, brick warehouses on the Sugar River. The surrounding area isn't so great, but I hope they do fulfill the sign's promise of "Luxury Condominiums."

I then drove through Newport, NH and continued on to Sunapee Harbor. That lake is magical. It is so clear and clean - what a wonderful spot to visit. There was a lake boat tour on the weekends at 2pm and I made a note to include in on the agenda.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Well, it's Vermont and fall is falling...

It's quintessential Vermont, red barn, open field, and nearly 80 degrees in October. Er, what?

First full day: Woodstock, VT

I dragged my sorry self out of bed at 6am and hit the road a little later. I headed west for Woodstock, the charming, very upscale town known for its well-heeled, gentlemen farmers, and meticulously restored downtown buildings.

At 6:45am, the sun was just about to poke above a local horizon and quiet town was filled with blue light. It was about 65 degrees already and a little hazy.

I shot the covered bridge in the middle of downtown and it, too, is in perfect condition and is adorably cute.



I wandered around a little longer then slipped into the bustling Mountain Creamery for breakfast. The place was filled with folks over sixty, and the talk was all local. If you're sensitive to bright light early in the morning, the over-abundant fluorescent light won't thrill you.

The coffee was plentiful, the veggie omelet passable. The toast was completely soggy, but the runny homemade strawberry jam was ok.


During breakfast, I watched the local bookstore owner across the street create her fall display. I strolled over to buy a map and chat with her about where to find a swamp or other likely color hotspots.

She sent me to Garvin Road and Knapp Pond, both of which were charming, but not necessarily photo worthy. I ended up on Morgan Road and found some horse farms....


I made my way back to camp by stopping at the Quechee Gorge (pronounced kwee-chee). I drove to the top of the gorge, parked, then hiked to the pond and all the way down to where the gorge opens up and spills onto a giant spread of rock. It's only about a mile top to bottom and is a very easy walk.

It was too early to get to bed, so I drove over to Hanover, NH to see the Dartmouth campus. After aimlessly driving around, I decided on Murphy's on the Green for a little dinner and a beer. It's a good place; 11 South Main Street, Hanover, NH. Great beers on tap, a friendly crowd and a smug bartender.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Hiking in the Hudson Valley and visiting a Hudson Valley Winery

I hiked with Outdoor Bound. It was billed as a strenuous hike, but in reality, it was too short and not all that hard. After the hike, they bused us over the Warwick Winery which was a zoo and a half. The place was jammed, the pourers bored out of their minds.

Some of the scenery was rather pleasant on the hike, however....

I drove to Vermont today for a Fall Foliage Workshop

I left at the crack of 3:00pm today for the four hour and forty-five minute trip to White River Junction. I was dismayed by how much green there was nearly everywhere.

Leaf peeping is big business in the Northeast, but especially Vermont. The fall foliage season of 2007 has been one big disappointment. Not only has it been dry, but it has been unseasonably warm. My first day saw temperatures in the eighties.

I dropped the bags and headed over to the Seven Barrel Brewery in West Lebanon, NH. There were three customers and the waitstaff just waiting for the clock to tick to closing time. I had a mixed salad (not bad) and the cock-a-leekie soup with two giant puff pastries (mostly air) on top. The soup was fair - a little too much cornstarch for my liking.

I was staying at the Hampton Inn at White River Junction because it was central, less expensive than the B&Bs, and the reviews on TripAdvisor were pretty good. Well, the bed was so-so. It felt like a little mound; if two people had to sleep in it, both would be on their way to their bums half the night. The linens are standard - no luxury here.

The hotel did offer 24-hour coffee which wasn't bad, and they give away breakfast bags for those leaving before the official breakfast hour begins at 6am. The breakfast bag contains a bottle of water, an apple and a granola bar. The official breakfast consists of several cold cereal choices, instant oatmeal, eggs and ham, and a lot of bread product with negative nutritional value and Smucker's packaged peanut butter which is loaded with partially hydrogenated oils which I won't eat.

Monday, October 1, 2007

A cool Nantucket picture of a very dead place

This is the Nantucket graveyard where my grandparents, Jose Formoso Reyes and Betty are buried. It was a beautiful day...and I gotta admit, I'm strangely drawn to cemeteries.