Texture Adventure

In Sandy’s wake, we have limited access to the beach and consequently, our favorite photo spots. For the past couple of months, we’ve been very slow with our own personal photo work. The work that we do for our clients aside, we also enjoy just going out with cameras and capturing whatever it is we choose. In an effort to get back into our own personal photo adventures, we took some visits to local parks to get some shots – with an emphasis on textures and patterns. Being that we usually don’t shoot the woods or winter very often – it was a fun exercise. It also proved that you can find textures and patterns in nature pretty much anywhere you look.


Here are a couple favorite shots from the adventure. You can view the whole set on our Facebook page.


Initially, the woman in red in this photo irritated me. She was ruining my shot! I initially had planned to just clone her out – but I ended up liking the pop of red she provided.

These posts are really nothing special, but I really loved the clean, uninterrupted way the snow was sitting on top of them. While I initially included just the first post – I decided I liked the perspective effect the rest of them had behind it.


This was literally ice in a mud hole on the ground. I stepped on a lot of it before realizing how much like shattered glass it appeared.

If you were a 90’s kid, you surely remember Legends of the Hidden Temple on Nickelodeon. This pattern in tree bark reminded me a lot of Old Mec.



As always, be sure to check out our site (newly renovated) and ‘like’ us on Facebook for even more!

Ortley Beach: 80 Days After Sandy

Just about 3 months after the storm, visiting Ortley Beach, NJ still feels like a different world. This post is going to be a bit photo-heavy, but it can serve as a dedication of sorts to the town that Ortley once was, and what it will be again. It’s difficult to describe what it’s like to go to a town you once knew so well that you could probably describe the streets house by house – and be met with what feels like no landmarks to identify what street you’re standing on. The rubble is extensive, the streets are buckled, and there are enormous masses of tangled rope and the fabric of people’s lives washed up on the shore. These are really the only photos I’ve taken thus far since the storm – I’ve only been back twice. Ray has been back several more times than that. The beach in Ortley is closed, and not wanting to tempt fate we didn’t try to sneak up so I could get some photos of the now-infamous fallen JetStar. In the last shot of the first grouping, Ray is feeling the water – not something we get to do every day anymore.











These photos are from the same street in happier times.

This is a favorite shot of the pier and JetStar – taken standing on the old ramp that used to lie at the end of the street.








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Staying Grounded

 

We photograph a lot of the same things again and again. Living on a barrier island, this is unavoidable unfortunately. There are only so many ways you can do dune grass – only so many wave shots you can take – before everything begins to look the same.

 

On a walk to the jetty this weekend, I decided to test some of the limits of my new 5d Mark ii and get on the ground. I had old jeans on, so it wasn’t too huge a production to pretty much lay in the sand for some shots.

 

 

 

Ray was attempting to get low, also:

 

 

Anyway, it was a really gorgeous day for some faux-macro photography of ordinary things!

 

 

 

 

 

This is How We Roll

I am sorry for the lack of posts! Lots has been going on with our business (check out the site if you haven’t already, www.deepsixphotography.com – and ‘Like’ us on Facebook!!).

Here is a behind the scenes look at what was going on when I got some shots the other night!

The main goal of the evening was me wanting to catch a cow-nosed ray. I suspected it would be easy to do this, since they are visible in the waves from shore right now (you can see them kind of surfing the break). I pretty much figured the second that I tossed my bait into the water, I would have one on the line. I wanted to be the girl fighting the huge fish on the beach while all the bennies watched.

Unfortunately, the rays weren’t picking up what I was putting down, and I instead decided to venture off and get some photos.

It was great, and I was getting some nice shots.

Here’s what our set-up looked like. Ray was staying pretty still, so I figured I’d try to sneak some HDR in and do something a little different.

That is pretty much our set-up. Camera bag, orange bucket, and two poles. It was such a gorgeous night, and the colors of the sky were so beautiful.

As I was photographing, I kept looking at my pole. There was nothing doing.

All of the sudden, I heard the tell-tale squeal of Ray’s drag, and it was fish on. I actually took a video of him reeling it in. It is not the best quality video (and I apologize for strange camera angles) – but you’ll get the idea. I’m going to try to embed it here:

Long story short – when he was done, he pulled in this cute little bugger:

Yes, they have stingers. I was a little nervous this thing would pull a Steve Irwin and stab Ray through the heart, but luckily nobody was injured, and this ray swims free.

Here’s just one more quickie. I made Ray cooperate for this:

Feathered Friends

I think I might have spoken in an earlier post, about how I love the time of year when baby ducks and geese starting running around. If I haven’t mentioned it before – I absolutely love it when this happens. I try not to be too intrusive, but I love seeing the little ones running around and being all fluffy and adorable with themselves. I had a chance to take a couple of snaps of some fuzzy little goslings this weekend, so I’d like to pass along the cute.

I kind of had to shoot through a fence, so I was impressed that I held steady for a couple shots.

Here’s another cute little fellow, in keeping with my avian theme.

Additionally, have you visited our new site?

If not- go now!

www.deepsixphotography.com

Play Ball!

I interrupt this post to make an announcement: THE NEW SITE HAS BEEN LAUNCHED!

Visit www.deepsixphotography.com

This may sound un-American – but I had never been to a baseball game prior to this Sunday. Well. That’s a little bit of a lie. I had gone to high school games (which I’m not sure count) but I had never been to an actual baseball stadium. If you only believe that major-league baseball games count – then I still have not been to a baseball game.

Anyhow – this Sunday I went to go see the local minor league game at a real life baseball stadium. I apologize if I am using terms incorrectly. It should be clear by now that I have no idea what I’m talking about when it comes to sporting events. All I knew, was that I wanted a hot dog and a beer – and I wanted to sit down, eat my hot dog and drink my beer while there was baseball being played. Easy enough.

Lucky for me – it turned out to be a beautiful day, I got my beverage and nosh (it turned out to be a sausage sandwich, which was arguably better then a hot dog) and watched some baseball get played. Also lucky for me, the home team won (I was root, root, rooting for them – of course).

Here are some shots from the game. Please note that I was holding a beer while taking these.

There were more balls in the stands during this game than I was told was normal – so I was living in fear that I was going to take a line drive to the face. I had my jaw dislocated by a softball in middle school – so I am extremely shy about any kind of baseball-like ball coming at me.

It’s a Zoo in There.

I’ve done quite a bit of animal shooting lately. I usually count wildlife photography as one of my specialties, but find zoos and pets difficult. Any animals worth shooting at a zoo are in a cage. It can be difficult to do magic tricks with the bars to make them disappear. Pets are another story. My own hates to be photographed, and I have little to no practice feeling out the rhythm of other people’s pets unless they are incredibly well behaved.

I had the opportunity to do a teeny impromptu shoot with some very special puppies. Here are my faves from the bunch.

How handsome is Jetzon?

These guys were incredibly fast.

Then, I went to the zoo. Here’s a favorite:

I know. Not exactly a glamour shot. But you have to admit that this guy was working for the popcorn.

A Shot in the Dark

I recently made an investment in a new lens for portraiture with a super low aperture.  I’ve been taking quite a few photos with it, so I want to share a couple. For the record – the ones I shared yesterday from the parade were taken with that camera. Though I feel that these photos show off the capabilities far better. Well the first one does.

This was really the first photo where I successfully used the clone tool in Adobe Cs5 for something useful. There was an obnoxious construction sign on the top of the bridge that I effectively removed – thus rendering the finished image cleaner and nicer. I am really quite proud of myself since Adobe Cs5 scares the crap out of me.

This is Topaz. She is my 14 year old mini schnauzer, and effectively the love of my life. She’s always there when I need her, and she’s always happy to see me. She doesn’t like posing for photos, and she really doesn’t like flash. Luckily with the new lens, the aperture can fly wide open even in low light conditions and maintain a sharp shutter speed. She didn’t mind that I was snapping away at her this morning. Well. She minded a little. But she cooperated. This is her thinking pose.

Men (In Skirts)

I’m not Irish, and for this reason typically don’t harbor that much love for St. Patrick’s Day. I will admit to loving Shamrock Shakes, but that is really as far as I go. We went to the parade this year, and it was mostly as expected to be. Very crowded. Not enough bathrooms for thousands of people. Oh yeah – and lots of beer. None of the beer was green, which was disappointing. All the above factors considered, the fact that any photos at all from the event have surfaced is quite amazing.

Here are some shots from the notorious Seaside Heights St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Meanwhile, check out our site – newly updated!

Personal Favorite

Every now and again I stumble upon one of my shots that I think is really awesome. Don’t get me wrong, I generally do like all my photos. It’s just that occasionally there is one that I fall absolutely in love with. It usually ends up not being the favorite of everyone else – but I typically love it all the same (and can’t understand why no one else ends up loving it like I do.)

I recently took my new favorite. It may be my favorite of all time, I’m not sure yet.

Ready? OK!

It doesn’t always happen where my vision of the photo I am taking, matches the reality. Here, the two lined up. The bird stood still. He was in the perfect place. The sunset was just understated enough.

 

So yeah. Really proud of this one.