Jack's World

It's Christmas shopping time even if you only have 99 cents.  

Jack's World

The Platform

I've had some non-traditional commuting patterns in the month after the great hurricane.  I don't usually take the subway.  So, new environments lead to new types of photos.  Here is the 14th Street station.  I had to manage the shutter speed to minimize motion, the low light, and the different color temperature. 

The Platform

Taking Shots in the Dark

Since the sun is down again when I leave the office, my subjects during the evening rush hour are pretty much in the dark.  But, my new NEX-7 camera is a bit better in low light compared to the larger Canon DSLR I had been using, and I've been experimenting with the high ISO settings.  Boosting the level allows more sensitivity in the darkness but also generates a lot more noise (speckles) to the photo. This can, however, be cleaned up in post-production.  I use Lightroom 4 (another recent upgrade) and it does a suitable job enhancing the photos.  So, the ultimate quality can be quite good.  

Another advantage of shooting in the dark, is that nobody notices you... since its dark.  This helps to capture that candid street photography sense.  Instead of grabbing a quick snap, it's possible to linger a bit longer to wait for that great moment.   

Below, I framed out this newsstand bordering City Hall Park.  The neon and the roof lights attracted my attention.  I selected my composition and waited for people to enter the shot.  Here are some Halloweeners doing the Flintstones thing.  

City Halloween

I boosted the ISO a bit more from 3200 to 6400 and got the shot below, which I like so much that I think it is a candidate my 2012 Top 10 list, which will be coming out in a few weeks.  The post-production work tends to add just a touch of surrealism to it, and I like the arty after effect.  

City Hall Newsstand

Cape May, New Jersey

I only visited Cape May for the first time a few weeks ago.  This is the southern most tip of New Jersey.  In direct path of devasting Hurricane Sandy, I read that it escaped major damage unlike many of it's neighboring Jersey shore towns to the north.  So, the sights and personality are hopefully intact for futured generations and return trips.  

Here's what it looked like in mid-October.  I took this shot from the balcony of my hotel.  

Cape May Beach

I couldn't sleep the next morning, and walked along the boardwalk that borders the beach and grabbed a few quiet shots.  

Welcome To Our Beach

This is another way to the beach.  The contrasting lighting in the shot need a lot of work to even it out in post-production.   

To the Sea Beyond

This restroom reminded me of a country barn.  

Rest Rooms

The town, of course, has an antique feel to it with Victorian architecture featuring many porches.

Cape May Night Porches

Also many opportunites for compositional photos.

Cape May Steps

Victorian

I was waiting outside a tea shop and spotted this guy seemingly bored across the road.

Antique Thinker

I took several shots of this figure moving along the beach against the highlights of the sea.  This one caught the break of a wave.

Cape May Figure