Last night I went to Quincy Adams Station with Chris Rocco (@chrisrocco) and Matt McNulty (@heymcnulty) , and I was honestly overwhelmed the second I stepped foot in the station.
The lights and architecture were otherworldly. Every level of this station seemed to have something to offer.
Portraits here with some external lights could really be amazing. I will be back here for sure.
Yesterday Rowan (@rowhaus) and I went to the Dan Flavin Gallery in Bridgehampton to shoot some conceptual portraiture. The installation inspired me to shoot a 'futuristic' styled set of images, and I am very happy with the results.
Note, I did change the colors of the lights from mainly yellows, greens, and pinks, to either blues or purples. This was entirely based on preference, and the exhibit is naturally beautiful as is.
The installation was in one room, but was divided by walls, and as we revolved around the different aspects of the piece we each began to have new ideas for poses and concepts.
Rowan is a yoga instructor at The Giving Room, and she pulled off some amazing hand stands that really made some great images. Not to mention that earlier that morning she was the instructor for my first yoga class, and I would highly recommend checking it out at The Giving Room if you are on the North Fork of Long Island.
Between the exhibit's otherworldly features and Rowan's creativeness, I think that this set of images really captures exactly what I was going for, and I am looking forward to doing more work with her in the future.
At the tail end of my spring break, Babson College asked me to come home early to shoot the basketball team for winning the NCAA D3 Championship at a Celtics game. On the drive home, Chris (@chrisrocco) gave me a call, asking to shoot at a spot right outside of the city.
This spot we had been to before, but we went back in hopes of clouds. Unfortunately, we had clear skies, but there was an enormous glowing cross there, so I decided to mess around with some self-portraiture.
As we were leaving, I realized that I needed gas, and we remembered that there is a Shell station that has an amazing sign that could be great for some pictures. Unfortunately we found out that it was closed, and that we had to look elsewhere to fill up.
After going back to Boston, we decided to shoot near my apartment. I was very happy with the images, but still I wish that we had some clouds to work with.
On a side note, Chris is working with Leica Boston, promoting their Test Drive, where you can take out a Leica SL for a few days to see what it is like. Chris is creating photographs through this program, and if you haven't seen them, make sure to look on @leicacamerausa to see some of his work.
We decided to shoot the shell sign, but we had no idea if it was illuminated all night or not. It was 2:30am and we decided that there was nothing better to do than to go to this spot.
Luckily it was shining bright, creating a really surreal scene.
The temperatures were dropping, and I was too tired to really concentrate, but by some stroke of luck, I was able to capture a few decent shots here. I will be returning in warmer weather, and I really want to shoot some portraits here.
So this set of images came from a quick little shoot that I did with Julie (@julievangorden) around Mattituck (a very small town on the North Fork of Long Island for those of you who have never heard of it).
After shooting cityscapes and the streets of Boston, normally working with clouds or man made lighting, I felt a bit out of place shooting harsh light portraits in the 'country'.
I grew up in Mattituck/Cutchogue, so with this challenge, I wanted to capture just a taste of the farm life. Because of this I was drawn to Oregon Road, which is scattered with farm equipment and old work trucks. These mixed with the vintage style of Julie made for some interesting shots, that I think are very eye catching. Traditionally I like to have images with desaturated colors, or just a touch of color among grey in order to really make the whole image pop. With this harsh light, I decided to try out a new style, that was more colorful, and using the dead space of the sky to my advantage.
After shooting on the trucks, we decided to move to a large red barn on the side of Route 48. This again was difficult because of the lighting, but I was really trying to capture the red, green, and blue of the scene, with Julie right in the middle of it all. This portion of the shoot went well, but it was primarily a learning experience for me. It helped me really visualize how to work with the sun and made me very conscious of shadows.
Lastly we went to the Mattituck Train Station, which is where I took photos back in high school for a photography class. Going back was nostalgic for me, but with Julie it was an entirely different experience. We were really showing off the denim jacket that she had patched up with all of these striking words or images. I was aiming for a vintage feel to match her style in the edits.
I had Julie stand in the window, because it felt like a really futuristic image. I really liked how it was coming out, but pinpointing the focus was difficult because of the extremely bright light of the sun.
Shooting with Julie is always a great time, and because we have shot a number of times before we really have a good workflow. She is always eager to try out new concepts, and she helps move shoots in a direction that always ends up producing amazing images. Not to mention that her style and look are extremely photogenic.
In the end it was a good quick shoot and I definitely learned a lot from it. I need to work with direct sunlight more often, and I hope to translate what I learned here to some street photography in both Boston and NYC.
One week before my spring break from college, and I am lucky enough to have my classes interrupted by a snow day.
My initial plan for this day off was to sit back and catch up on some leisurely reading, but after seeing other photographers on social media out in the snow, I realized that lounging could wait.
I dressed as warm as possible and took out an old pair of shoes and a few plastic bags to cover my feet. Even after living in the northeast for the majority of my life, I still don't own a pair of legitimately waterproof boots, so for now, grocery bags will have to do.
I step outside and am pleasantly surprised that the temperature is not too severe. Unfortunately, my face was being pelted by small balls of ice that were falling from the sky in lieu of snow.
I walked down to the Hynes Convention Center memorial because a few days ago I saw an exterior corridor that seemed to have potential. After actually shooting it, I was not happy with how the images were coming out, so I decided to move on.
I decided to go on top of a nearby parking garage to get a better overview of the city. Looking out on Backbay was a great sight, and once I had my shot framed up, I was lucky enough to capture a passing fire truck.
I wanted to switch from my 14mm to a 24mm, but outside the ice and snow was falling at a rate where if I changed lenses my sensor would most likely get wet. I decided to step inside the garage to make the change, and I remembered that there is a spiral staircase there. I honestly don't like taking spiral staircases anymore, because there is really nothing to it. I still took the shot, because there is nothing to loose by taking a picture.
Back outside, I start to think of some surreal scenes that I could try and make using the bleak snowscape mixed with strange looking structures. I am not entirely happy with the images, but I think that it is always worth it to try out new ideas and concepts.
Tired of the spot, I decided to move on. I began wandering down Mass Ave. and eventually, I came to a bridge. The water was rough, and the pellets of ice were being hurled at me from the high winds. The colors looked good, but I took shelter under the bridge to change lenses. Here I saw some great lines and colors, and I began to shoot for a bit. I got lucky and saw a couple walking up the ramp, and was able to use them as a way to scale the size of the bridge.
I then ventured out from under the bridge, and shot as quickly as possible, because my lens was constantly getting soaked, and I am not a huge fan of water spots on my images.
Then deciding to come back home, I was very happy that I had weathered the elements because the images that I was able to capture are some of my favorite snow shots to date.
Sarah (@sarahleyva) and I met a while ago through a shoot for a mermaid blanket company (@shopaquavida), and decided to do a quick fashion shoot.
I was lucky enough to have been given a credit for Breather by my good friend Sarah (@sarahcebulskiphotography), so I could rent a beautiful exposed brick space for two hours.
For those of you who don't know what Breather is, it is a room rental service that allows you to book spaces for only a few hours at a time. This dynamic is amazing for shoots because it's cheap, and the spaces are generally nice and well decorated.
Anyways, we began feeling out the room and playing with lighting. Our only shoot before this together was for a product, so I wanted to take a little time figuring out what poses would work well, and what overall style we were going for.
After 30min we developed a fun and very casual style that we were aiming for, that was showcasing a few different outfits.
We wanted to shoot outside for a little, and we found a brick alleyway in the north end that paired perfectly with the gray coat that Sarah had. Unfortunately, after about 15 minutes outside we were getting chilly, and we wanted to fully utilize our timeslot in the breather.
Towards the end of our shoot, we were really getting some great shots. The lighting was changing frequently, allowing for a few amazing sun flairs, along with soft even lighting.
I think the shoot went very well for such a short period of time, and I am happy with the results from it!
The past snow day I had spent about three hours shooting, and I was dissatisfied with the shots to the point where I have still not reviewed them for editing.
This time around I wanted to really get some spectacular shots. I met up with Chris (@chrisrocco) to go shoot near the paramount sign. I was really trying to capture the light in a street shot. Basically, I was aiming to capture someone who was miserably walking through the snow, in contrast to the bright warm purple lights.
A few attempts went by, and I was still getting basic, sub-par shots. In the first shot that was halfway decent, the subject smiled at me, which was funny, but ruined my intended image.
As I was walking away from the sign, a man with an umbrella came in my direction. I tried to focus on his face, but the composure that I wanted came out with the focus on the umbrella.
In post I decided that I could fix the miss focus by darkening the subject, and creating a very moody image. In the end I realized that I liked the focus on the umbrella, because it was more essential to the image than the face of the man.
Then Chris and I decided that we should go on some parking garages to get shots of the snow from a little higher up.
After shooting for a while, and having our cameras soaked, we decided to call it a day.
Shooting in the snow is a challenge because everything is wet. The lens gets covered in water, and if you are shooting with any high apertures, the snow and water will show up on the image.
Furthermore, the cold makes it difficult to stay out shooting for prolonged periods of time. Such a huge amount of energy is used by walking and staying warm, that breaks are needed. However, the shots are worth the effort.
This set of images is honestly one of my favorites that I have ever done. I want to explain how it all happened, and how there are photo opportunities literally anywhere.
This day, Julie (@JulieVanGorden), Danielle (@mixmediaplus), and I were doing a shoot with Porsche, and we were looking for locations to shoot at. Initially we wanted to do work with a real estate company to cross promote the cars, with Julie, my photography, and Danielle's social media marketing. After trying multiple real estate companies, our locations fell through.
Danielle took us to her office studio, which was very clean and modern. We did a bit of product work with a scarf, and the sun was beginning to lower in the sky. As blue hour approached, a corner of the office space caught my eye.
This corner was illuminated on one side by natural blue hour light, and the other side was illuminated by a yellow tinted bulb on the ceiling. Immediately the contrast between the two gave me an idea. I wanted to illustrate a person coming from one stage to another. At first I was focused on splitting the light down the middle of Julie, with a softer more straight forward look. Eventually we got creative, and one of my favorite shots was made.
I told Julie to peer around the corner, like she was startled by something. Her pose was perfect for the image that I wanted. It gave off a bit of curiosity, and an eagerness to move forward. The combination of this and the lighting situation worked so perfectly that I kept pushing forward with new concepts.
It was great to have Julie and Danielle there, because they both would introduce ideas that would spark even more concepts to be executed.
It just goes to show you. Anywhere, even a corner in an office, can be a great location to create images.
Another day shooting Boston. A cloudy afternoon, and Chris (@chrisrocco) and I decided to go back to South Station to re-do a shot that we were previously dissatisfied with. I had shot it at night, and after posting it twice to instagram, I actually began to hate the image more and more. This time there were clouds, even lighting, and I already knew what I wanted.
We then moved to shoot a train maintenance center on the red line. Chris knew the spot, but it was both our first time actually going there. Chris had a Leica SL, courtesy of the Boston Leica Store, who loaned Chris the camera in exchange for some Boston photographs for their new store. I had never used a Leica before, and the SL was very similar to a Sony A7rII, with an illuminated viewfinder, and highlighting what is in focus. The camera was probably the most solid feeling body that I have ever held, and it really delivered some crisp images.
After shooting one overpass, we moved to another bridge that was slightly more distant from the city. We then went on a nearby parking garage after meeting up with another friend. From there the city began to look small, and it was dark and cold. We decided to go home for a little to regain some energy.
Later that night we went to an overpass that had a small view of Boston. We had been here a few days earlier, but the clouds were not working with us, so we decided to give it another shot. Luckily we had some nice clouds, but again I was freezing, so I only got one shot. In hindsight, I should have used my 50mm or 85mm instead of my 24mm, but the image is interesting, and I had a good time playing with the colors in Lightroom.
This shoot was for Jeep Southampton, and was organized by Danielle Franz (@mixedmediaplus), the social media director for Jeep and basically every other dealership in the Hamptons.
This was my second time shooting with Julie (@Julievangorden), which helped a lot because we both understood each other's style and workflow.
We started off with the huge Wrangler Rocky Ridge edition, which was seriously fun to cruise around in. Personally I get excited about sports cars, but this shoot opened my mind to what its like to drive around in a huge lifted truck. Julie on the other hand was right at home in the Jeep, which made the shoot even more fun!
We shot exterior an interior shots of a Jeep Trail hawk, along with some Jeep merchandise. The harsh lighting made it a bit difficult to keep even tones, but we took our time and made it work.
We took out a Jeep Wrangler Sahara edition, and we were blessed with a beautiful somewhat overcast golden and blue hour. With great colors, we worked on creating images that really reflected the Jeep lifestyle, and those shots were my favorite from the shoot.
After we had finished with Jeep, we went to a studio with Danielle, who was meeting with other clients of hers. Traditionally I don't shoot in studios unless I am working with products, but since Julie and I had it our disposal, we decided to mess around and take some pictures.
After we left the studio, Danielle and Julie helped me sort through the countless photos that I took, which seriously impressed me, because sorting is my least favorite part of the process. At the end of the day, we had captured some great images, drove some amazing trucks, and had an all around good time. I have done work with Danielle and Julie in the past, and will be sure to work with them agin in the future!
Shots from a quick shoot with Radar (@darealradar) for some potential album covers. Chris Rocco (@chrisrocco) introduced us, and between the roof and interior shots, I think that we made some great images.
Radar was amazing to shoot, not only because his look is wild, but because he makes the whole process energetic. Watching him get hyped off of a picture that we just took makes me want to do even better with the next shot.
As I lay in bed and dream, the noise of the world is gradually becoming muffled by a fresh layer of snow. I wake up to a whiter light than what I am use to creeping in through my blinds. Outside I begin to clear the driveway and my car, which gave me a taste of the severity of the cold.
Julie VanGordan (@JulieVanGordan) was ready to whether the elements, so we decided to shoot in Greenport. The trip there was slow and slippery, but once we reached the water the horizon was hidden by falling snow in the distance creating a feeling of endlessness. Sitting in the warm car we planned out a few concepts, revolving around the bright reflections of light from the snow and Julie's insanely blue eyes. We ran out of the car, and trying to work as fast as possible we shot for about 10 minutes. Realizing that my autofocus was not functioning and my beard was frozen, we retreated back to the car, reviewing shots and thinking of more concepts. This process was repeated twice more, until we needed a change of scenery.
We drove to a nearby shipyard, and at this point the wind was really taking a toll on us. Between Julie's torn jeans and my lack of legitimate boots, we were freezing. Towards the end of the shoot, I was trying to bring in new concepts, but my numb extremities and face had overridden my usual thought process. We went back to my car and defrosted the windshield and ourselves. With the sun dipping below the non visible horizon, we decided to head back home.
This was my first time shooting with Julie, and she was extremely enthusiastic about creating great images. Her background in art adds elements to concepts that I normally would never consider. Julie's craving for expressing her creativity and uniqueness translates into her look very well (keep your eyes pealed for our shoot with Jeep).
When editing this set, I was trying to add a focus and intensity to her eyes, and a mixture of dark and light photographs. A lot of these images are not perfectly in focus, because I was relying on my auto focus at f1.4, and the cold was causing problems. Personally, I like photographs to be tack sharp, but I am trying to accept that the image does not need to be perfect if it still conveys the message that I was aiming for.
Robert Hayes, one of the Bachelors on The Bachelorette was in NYC for a few days, and I was lucky enough to be connected to him by Sarah Cebulski.
Waiting to meet Robert, Sarah, and Jack Love, I wandered around Penn Station, eyeing out potential locations to shoot. Luckily it was overcast, where the light is soft and diffused, so decided on spots that were naturally lit well. Robert gave me a call, and after searching through the crowds of people, we finally met up. He informed me that he had about an hour and a half to shoot, so I decided to start immediately.
Staying close to Penn, we aimed to capture the cold weather with Robert's winter outfit, which is a bit abnormal for him, considering he lives in Florida.
He was very professional, and ready to try new concepts and ideas. We were shooting through glass at the New Jersey side of Penn when we met up with Sarah and Jack. We all decided to walk around a to get some more street photographs.
Time was running out, and we all decided to go to a local roof that I knew of for a quick 10 minute shoot. Luckily I had been there before, and I had my concepts planned out already.
After ten minutes on the roof Robby had to leave. We were both satisfied with the outcome of the quick shoot for what it was. It is always great to work with people who are down to shoot anywhere, and really make the best use of our time.
Dorean Grey Gallery in Watermill on Long Island features pop art, street art, painted exotic automotive hoods, a custom Ferrari F430, and features artists such as Keith Haring and Mike Mozart. For this set, I was asked to capture the summer evening. With eyes filled with art, ears saturated with music, and mouths full of conversation, the gallery became an entity of its own. Everyone, including myself, was absorbed into the atmosphere, creating memories that I could only attempt to isolate.
So as I am always trying to visit new locations to push my photography, @chrisrocco and I decided to go to Connecticut to shoot an abandoned factory and an abandoned theater. The night before we had reached out to another instagram photographer in Connecticut, who showed us how to get to these remote locations. Unfortunately, we could not meet up, but we are very thankful for all of the help!
The first location was an abandoned Winchester arms factory. The size of the place alone was overwhelming. After exploring for a while, we began to shoot on the second and third floor. After making the decision that the floors were not safe to walk on, we decided that it was time to go to the next location.
At this point, we were hungry, dirty, and craving a good hand washing. We stopped at a local Burger King to regroup. We decided to go to another factory, this time Remington.
Once we arrived at the factory, we realized that it was being lived in, and that there were no interesting aspects that we could see from the outside, so we retreated to the car.
Now we were running out of daylight, and we decided that we both wanted to go to this abandoned theater. Then began the race against the clock.
We went to a beach, and as the sun was setting we were speed walking for about 20 minutes to get to the location. We walked through a tick-infested field and finally made it to the abandoned theater.
Inside there was not too much damage, but the roof did have a lot of holes. The strangest thing for me was the carpets were still there. It was an odd feeling walking on carpeted floors, while the seats and stage were falling apart. Another strange aspect was the fans on the ceiling. They were almost melted, either from the heat or just rot.
After we finished shooting, we went back to the car and began our trip to New Haven to meet up with @_7vn .
Once we met up, we shot in union station, where the architecture was a portrait paradise. After shooting for about 30 minutes, we went to a parking garage to get some skyline shots. Unfortunately, the security guard working told us that we had to leave because we did not have the proper permission from the garage. Because of this, we decided to drive to a local lighthouse to get some shots.
The lighthouse also stopped us in our tracks, because it was not lit. The temperature was dropping, and we were all tired, so we tried for one more shot on the beach, but I was not in the right mindset to really make anything interesting, so we decided to split up.
On a side note, @_7vn was very inspiring to meet, not because I was familiar with his work (I had just recently seen his content from @chrisrocco) but because of his drive to get shots. Every second he was looking for a new spot, and he was more than ready to pose or shoot at any given moment. Interestingly enough he got into photography from film, which I respect greatly, because I know very little on the subject. If you haven't seen his work, check it out, it is well worth it!
On the ride home, even though it was only about 10pm, I was beat. I knew that I had gotten some good new content, and that kept me awake as I was driving back home. All in all, it was a good weekend trip, and it was eyeopening in the terms of how accessible traveling is, especially if you split the cost with a friend.
Acadia has been on my to-do list for over a year now, and I am glad to say it is finally checked off. @ChrisRocco and I decided to leave on a Friday at 8pm, to arrive at Acadia Mountain at around 3am, so that we would have time to hike to the peak and catch sunrise.
As we were climbing the smells of the forest were unbelievable. It legitimately smelled like a candle or air freshener it was so strong. As we made our ascent it was pitch black, and we had little idea of what was in store. Once we reached where the map told us was the peak, we waited for the sun to reveal our landscape.
Throughout the car ride to Maine, we were under the impression that we were going to experience a good amount of rain throughout our trip, but we were pleasantly surprised with a beautiful spread of fog.
As the sunlight began to illuminate our surroundings mountains began to come into view, along with lakes that we had not acknowledged on our climb up. The fog made it a bit harder to capture the miles and miles of park, but it helped in adding depth to our skies and the landscapes.
We then checked into the Anchorage Motel, and got a little sleep.
Still delirious from sleep deprivation, we met up with @SomeGuy , who had been staying in the park for the past week. We drove around the park, and to the peak of Cadilac Mountain to capture some more images. The cloud cover and wind made it difficult to shoot, but the dramatic lighting made it more interesting.
That night we made our way out to a lighthouse, that was boasting a red light. From the rocks we could capture the extent of it's beam among the stars that were very visible. The tide began to come up, and we were tired, wet and cold. We decided to turn in for the night, so that we could catch sunrise the next morning.
Sunrise was decent, but it was colder the second day, and we were ill-prepared for this type of weather. I also realized that water had gotten inside of my camera screen and my 24mm when a large white dot was appearing on every picture. We decided to lighten our moods with some pancakes in Bar Harbor.
@SomeGuy left after that to return to DC, so @ChrisRocco and I drove around and shot for the rest of the day. The temperature restricted our hiking, but we got a few shots of the roads with the fall foliage, so I would still call it a successful day.
I would recommend this park to anyone looking to capture the fall foliage, but make sure to make it during peak foliage. During this trip we missed the foliage by about a week, and a lot had fallen off of the trees by the time we arrived. Still well worth it, and I will be returning next year.
A good friend of mine is a pilot, and when he offered to take me up I couldn't refuse. At the airport we took out a small 2 person aircraft and decided to fly to Poughkeepsie. Flying in a small aircraft with the windows open is such a liberating experience. Looking out the window it is apparent how marvelous flight is, because you can see the wing and body of the aircraft, and you realize that you are traveling in a giant hunk of metal.
After reaching our destination, we decided to take off again, because neither of us were hungry or needed a stop. By the time that we returned to Long Island it was around 10am. Suddenly a strong craving for breakfast overcame us, and we raced back to Mattituck for eggs and toast.
All in all, I would say the morning was a success.
Waking up at 4am to chase the sunrise is always a liberating experience. Most people are sleeping, and you feel like you are the only human on the planet. It really allows you to clearly visualize how small you are in relation to the world.
For this Orient Point sunrise, the park was closed off for vehicles, so I ended up walking to nearly the end of the road because I wanted a shot without the ferry visible. This was problematic because sunrises are extremely time sensitive. Every ten minutes the lighting drastically changes, and walking added about 35 minutes to my commute to the spot that I had envisioned.
After arriving, I like to look around for at least ten minutes to figure out what my subject will be, or how I want to compose my landscape. I initially wanted a picture of the road as a one point perspective, and after I got that shot I still saw potential in the location. I ended up climbing down on the rocks and shooting close to the water, to give a more immersive feel to my photos.
As the sun gets higher in the sky, the contrast will increase at an alarming rate. The rocks began to glow orange, which I tried to capture, but that was in the other direction than the sunrise and the clouds, which I could not pass up. At the point when the sun rose above the horizon, the clouds were sweeping across the sky, creating great directional lines for a vertical shot. After capturing that scene, I was content with that location and decided to move on.
I stopped briefly in Greenport to capture a staircase leading down to the Sound. It was now overcast out, which is one of my favorite situations to shoot in, because the light is diffused nicely. I had the goal of creating an almost mysterious image leading down the stairs, kind of making the viewer want to go down to see more. I think I pulled it off, but there is always room for improvement.
I wanted to continue shooting, but I was tired, and after shooting from 4am to 9am I was ready for a sausage egg and cheese and a rest.
