The New Landscape: New Jersey Fine Art Photography

I’ve always been a believer that Mother Nature is a cruel but beautiful mistress, and that the ocean deserves the utmost respect. When disasters happen, I can’t help but often feel like the ocean gives and takes, and that the way it leaves things is often the way it wants them.

The jetty down at Island Beach State Park has long been one of my favorite spots. I remember being in middle school and walking down with some family friends for the first time. It’s a mile or so of a walk, so to get there by foot you really have to want it. I found an enormous, perfect whelk shell. It was like finding GOLD. I was awed at the time that I just happened to be passing by the spot where that beauty washed up. I have never found another. I’ve found other neat things, and I do harbor an intense love of perfect scallop shells. I used to intently search for a perfect, pure white one. Believe it or not – they’re actually insanely difficult to find. Mostly they’re black, or reddish, or an assortment of colors. Over many years of looking I only ever found one that was truly white. I display it in a velvet ring box – perhaps as a reminder that even when the ocean flings things like Super-storm Sandy at the coast, it also produces small, perfect miracles. But I digress.

The landscape of the jetty changed significantly after the storm. Oddly enough, it now makes for more beautiful photographs thanks to a lovely tide pool that is somewhat reminiscent of what it looked like many years ago. I don’t know that us humans will allow it to stay that way for long, but I can’t help but enjoy the beauty that is there now.

Without further ado…

Spring Lake, NJ New Jersey Wedding Photographer

 

Prior to being a photographer, I felt like I never really got to go to weddings. It’s quite amazing that now I get to share in the joy of people that I’ve just met and be part of their special days. It is even more amazing when said special day is the evening before a superstorm is priming to hurl itself into the coast.

 

All morning long we observed the weather. There were road closures, evacuations, and a million other terrible things going on. The weather was deteriorating quickly, and everyone was buying gas and anticipating what we were told were going to be weeks without power. While I was anxious and scared of getting trapped someplace that wasn’t home – I knew we had to go shoot this wedding! So out we went, to brave the wind and rain, to Spring Lake, NJ. I couldn’t have been happier that we did.

 

 

To say that the atmosphere was warm, cozy, and full of love was an understatement. Whispers Restaurant in Spring Lake is small, quaint, and lovely. The couple was absolutely beaming, and it was such a comfort to see true love prevail against even the worst storms. Making the best of what we had – we had to forgo all the sweeping landscape photos we originally had planned. Landscapes or not – it was clearly evident that this couple was just happy to be married – all circumstances aside. It was an honor to attend!

 

 

To see the full set, visit our site – www.deepsixphotography.com or visit our Facebook (and ‘like’ us!) facebook.com/deepsixphotography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sky’s The Limit

Before you read this  post, have you visited our site (www.deepsixphotography.com), and ‘liked’ our Facebook? If not – do these things now!

Ray and I go to a handful of ‘regular’ sunset shooting locations depending on time of year. In the summertime, one of our key spots is a little dead end, where you almost have to kind of sit on someone’s bulkhead to get the shot. We’ve never been apprehended doing this, so I assume it’s legal.

Anyhow – while getting this shot, we were approached by a duck gang. They excitedly came up to us, trolling for bread. We don’t usually carry bread when we shoot – and the ducks were incredibly persistent. Lesson learned: bring bread.

Anyway, here’s the shot.

The Creepy Man: How I ended up in Seaside Park

So the other night, Ray and I were going to see sunset at our usual spot because we were feeling lazy. Just as we pulled up, Ray totally balked and suggested we go someplace else, because ‘the creepy man’ was there.

Ray had told me about a week ago, that he’d been fishing at our favorite sunset spot, when a guy approached him and began talking out of nowhere. Ray said the man looked like a 17 year old boy in a 50 year old’s body, and had a very Of Mice and Men feel to him. After Ray had finally gotten away and escaped to the far side of the dock, he said that he could hear the man talking very loudly to himself, and seemingly becoming enraged by whatever he was saying to himself. Ray felt so uncomfortable that he left, saying he felt like the man was going to pull out a knife and stab him any second.

Anyway, when we pulled up the other night, I immediately saw a disturbing silhouette, and instinctively knew that it was the man-boy. So yeah. We went someplace else.

I’m glad we did – because I got this awesome shot:

Perspective

Every once in a while I end up having a really epic sunset session, where it feels like everywhere I look there is an awesome photo opportunity. I especially like it when each opportunity presents a totally different photo experience – almost to the point where you might think that each of the photos was taken on a different day.

So basically I’m going to present to you a sunset that was lookin’ good from the front, the side, and even the back.

Front. Lovin’ it. And it wasn’t all for show.

Side. Look at that form! What beautiful cloud shape. I also love when the sky reflects off the water and kinda makes it glow. It’s totally happening here, and I’m digging it.

From the back. You can see Ray taking some pictures inside the gazebo. I really didn’t think this would turn out. I love how crystal clear the bay looks. Drink it in now, because in two months the bennys will have yucked it all up. I just love the glow the sun was shining on the wood of the gazebo, and the nice orange-y blue-y tones.

So yeah. Lookin’ good Lavallette. Lookin’ good.

Visit our site for more about DSP. We’re now booking spring shoots – so if you need photos drop us a line!

Bonus Material

Sometimes when I’m going through a day’s pictures, I kind of have to triage and decide what I think is worth working on at the moment. Occasionally some potential photos end up slipping through the filter until months later when I really get a chance to go through my shots with a fine-toothed comb. I’ve done a little of this recently, and come up with a few that I didn’t think would work initially, but with a little love, have taken on a life of their own.

The shot below I really did not imagine working. I had gotten a bunch of really awesome shots from that day, because the sky was completely epic – so I didn’t really care much about what was going on in the other direction. However, the bike and camera bad nestled into some super golden green foliage is pretty cool.

Not bad, right?

The one above took a bit of tweaking. I had gotten a couple other nice shots from that night, and decided to try and go back and snag one more. The sky color was really dynamic and great, and I’m pretty happy with the way the ‘bonus material’ turned out.

On a whole, I’m glad that I had a chance to go back and pick out some other goodies from my heaping pile of unprocessed photos!

 

I keep on shamelessly promoting: but don’t forget to check out our site – www.deepsixphotography.weebly.com. There is a bunch more of our stuff there! Additionally, don’t forget that if you’re on the market for engagement or wedding (or graduation, event, or basically any other type of photography) we are ready to book you! Since we’re still building our portfolio, our rates are reasonable and we are ready to work! We’re New Jersey based but willing to travel.

Cloudporn.

I see the ‘cloudporn’ get tossed around quite a bit. There is also sunsetporn, and skyporn, for those with varying tastes. Frankly, I like all three. Not all sunsets meet the criteria of the -porn designation. Some of them are pretty, yes – but in order to be in the upper echelon some real magic has to be happening. The other day, even though there wasn’t any sun – I found a little magic.

This particular sunset was interesting, because I believe that it transitioned from cloudporn to skyporn over the duration of the sunset. I have a feeling that’s a rare thing.

And while we’re here, if you want to see more from DeepSix Photography, check out the newly re-vamped site I’ve been fiddling with: www.deepsixphotography.weebly.com

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.

Evolution

I’ve really been hitting my groove lately, when it comes to the sky. I find that I’m out shooting just about every day possible, and that doing the work pays off. Case in point, this sunset. It was awesome from start to end. Check out the way that it progressed from heavenly, to even more heavenly over the course of roughly 20 minutes.

If this doesn’t prove that evolution should be taught in schools, I just don’t know what does (kidding).

If I wasn’t there putting the time in, I never would have seen this. This is the sunset that I’m typically hoping for when I go shoot. This one didn’t need anything in the foreground (I eventually tried different angles as it progressed) to be absolutely amazing. Coming off a really tough week (a sick dog, and denial of my dream job – I went on an interview and found out that I didn’t get it), I need some really gorgeous things. Happily, the sky has always been a really huge source of joy for me, and it is an easy commodity to come by.

Oddly enough, that thing that looks like a tumble weed (but is really a dead shrub) looks cool, here.

Totally different flavor by the end, but still just fabulous.

It’s All About the Sky

I think the nicest compliment I ever got on my photography work in general, is that I capture beautiful skies. If you haven’t gathered it by now – I am all about the sky. I was all about the sky before I started taking photography seriously, and have hundreds of photos from pre-digital photography days. I thought I would share some of the older stuff in this post, as I am feeling a bit nostalgic. I haven’t scanned the really old ones, but I do have some from my little point-and-shoot camera that had a memory card large enough to hold only 16 photos, and the camera I eventually got after that.

 

This sunset is, and probably always will be – one of my all-time favorites. I remember it distinctly, because I was taking a ride over to the island (that’s Seaside – home of Jersey Shore, for those of you unsure about what island I am referring). I saw the sun going down as I was crossing the bridge – and I knew it was going to be incredible. The sun was a perfect hot pink circle, and it was going down in a wash of fiery oranges and reds and pinks and purples. I pulled over on the first side street I could – and parked in front of someone’s house. It was February, it was freezing, and I wasn’t dressed for the weather (surprise) – but the sky was so amazing I had to put that aside. I eventually trespassed on someone’s property in order to get the shots, creeping quietly into a yard. It must’ve been fate – because I ended up loving the way their dock played out in silhouette in the photos. I often shoot from the same locations repetitively – but you will never see these docks again in my photos. It was one of those times I couldn’t wait to get home to check out the pictures. They didn’t require any post-editing.

This photo surprised me. As many of my stories start off – I hadn’t been planning on going to see sunset. The sky looked crazy overcast, and I didn’t really think there was going to be one. For whatever reason, I went to check it out anyway. Right away, I noticed that there was what seemed to be a peak of clarity beneath all the clouds. I wasn’t absolutely sure, until I saw the sun poke out beneath them and put on a brilliant show just moments before a full descent. One of my friends who saw this photo said it reminded her of ‘the birth of fire’ – and the name stuck. I always think of this one in that way.

How cool is it that both of these shots are capturing the same thing – just on different days. They look diametrically different. Thus is my obsession with the sky.