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Walking In Soho

Design7 — Sat, 19 May 2012 20:36:09 +0000

This photo shows a winter street scene in Soho, one of New York City most popular shopping districts. Soho offers everything from discount street vendors to the ultra-exclusive designer labels to New York’s material-minded young. As neighborhood real estate soars in value, grungy discounters and cafe’s are slowly giving way to to a pantheon of sleek upscale temples of commerce. I like the palette of warm, earth-tone colors captured in this early afternoon setting. I shot this image with my old Samsung GX 1S and kit lens a couple of years ago. Photo by Don Peterson

The Joys of Spring!

Design7 — Sat, 19 May 2012 14:55:12 +0000

The light, the color, the exuberance of spring are all expressed in this tiny spring blossom. I shot this photo at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Brooklyn, New York during the unusually early spring we have enjoyed in 2012. While we are happy to see the spring season in any year, the near absence of winter this past season in the NYC area, and the unusually warm weather trends worldwide should give us all cause for concern. This is not normal. Global warming trends cannot be ignored. Sadly, the real news regarding such alarming issues is too often drowned out in the media by trivial matters and celebrity gossip. We are rapidly changing our planet, and not for the better. The inertia of greed and materialism in human society makes it unlikely that we will change course fast enough to protect our home and our lives. It is of note that in the Bible, at Revelation 11:18, The Almighty promises to “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.”

The Simple Things

Design7 — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:48:46 +0000

I had a simple but very satisfying lunch today. So satisfying, that decided to photograph it! The cheese is a fine cheddar from Ireland, aged (like a fine wine) for more than two years. It was delightful, with an intense flavor and very appetizing odor. The bread is fresh milled from whole grains with a dense texture that perfectly compliments the cheddar. The apple rounded out this simple lunch, and it was all washed down with a cool glass of water. Simple, filling and tasty. Donald Peterson, http://newark1.com

Canon Rebel XS, Canon 55-250mm EF-S lens.

Conservatory Wedding

Design7 — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:04:12 +0000

This impromptu photograph shows a scene from a wedding in The Conservatory, Central Park, New York City. It was captured on a beautiful spring day in one of the most beautiful sections of Central Park. Located in the uptown section of Central Park, near Harlem, The Conservatory is home to elegant, well manicured English and French style gardens in a quiet setting well removed from bustling tourist traffic. It is also quite popular for wedding photography. I captured this scene as a wedding party setup for a posed photograph. It has a wonderful mix of spring colors and bright accents provided by the red dresses.

Wedding, The Conservatory, Central Park, New York City Photo by Don Peterson. Canon Rebel XS, Canon 55-250mm EF-S lens.

Early Spring, Central Park

Design7 — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:44:10 +0000

This Central Park, New York City photograph was captured in late April. New York City would not be nearly as desirable or liveable without the woodlands of Central Park. They are the breathing heart of the city, restoring calm ebbed away by the relentless hubbub of commerce. The sprightly green color of early spring foliage, not yet dulled by the humidity and smog of summer, is on full display in this photo.

I captured this image with my Canon Rebel XS and 18-55mm EF-S kit lens, a budget priced DSLR that provides excellent image quality. I used a tripod and stopped down the lens to F22 to insure that everything was in sharp focus from the foreground leaves to the distant foliage. If you listen to some pixel-peeping “gearheads,” they will tell you never to go beyond F16 due to diffraction effects. Well, that is advice I have discarded to some degree. In doing so, I am getting much sharper landscape images. The need for overall image sharpness throughout the frame is more important than the tiny bit of diffraction that can only be seen by enlarging pixels on a computer screen. At least, that is what my experience is showing. As I print images at 16×20, I am not seeing any noticeable aberrations from stopping down to f18 or f22 when needed.

Budget DSLR Deals

Design7 — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:59:20 +0000

In the market for a value-packed budget DSLR camera? I have recommended the Canon Rebel XS (used to photograph the photo above) as an excellent basic DSLR with exceptional image quality. Its 10 megapixel CMOS sensor produces superb image quality, and it comes mated to a sharp Image Stabilized 18-55mm kit lens. I have used the Canon Rebel XS extensively (much of the photography on this site is created with the Canon Rebel XS) and can attest to its ability to produce professional quality results. In fact, I have created beautifully detailed 16×24 prints with ease from this modest but highly capable camera. If you are looking for top image quality at a budget price, Adorama.com is currently selling the Canon Rebel XS kit for the exceptional price of $419.95. That is a great deal on this camera, and possibly the lowest price you will find on a new DSLR. Click here for more info on this value-packed limited time offer.

However, if you are looking for a new DSLR camera that includes HD video and all the latest bells and whistles, I highly recommend the newly introduced Nikon D3200 (read my review). At a suggested retail price of $699.00 it offers excellent specifications for a low kit price. You can pre-order your Nikon D3200 from Adorama.com by following this link.

In Bloom Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Design7 — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:40:34 +0000

This beautiful flower was captured in full bloom this week at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Brooklyn, New York. I don’t know the name of this flower (I should pay more attention) but it is captivating none the less. I shot this image on an overcast day, ideal weather for flower close-up photos. The soft, even light on overcast days reveals the full detail and subtle color palette of flowers.

I used Raw Therapee 4.0, a very capable free raw editing software to convert and process my raw Canon Rebel XS file for this photo. Learning to master the Tone Curve Tool is critical to getting great results in Raw Therapee (and other raw processing software as well).

Prints of this image are available. Photo by Donald Peterson.

Spring, The Reawakening!

Design7 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:22:20 +0000

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. —Proverb
This photo captures a spring blooms as it awakens on a late April day. I captured this image at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on a most pleasant spring afternoon. Hints of spring’s beauty to come are in abundance, and it is always a delight to watch its colorful emergence. I make it a point to immerse myself in a local wooded park or botanic garden at least once a week. Its a great way to counter the stress of urban living, and an opportunity to learn from Jehovah’s creative works. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Brooklyn, New York) is one of my favorite haunts.

Overcast days are perfect for flower photography. The soft even light eliminates harsh shadows and glare, allowing the full detail and color of flowers to be captured by the camera. A moderate telephoto zoom lens in the 50-300mm range with macro is perfect for this type of photography. Camera: Canon Rebel XS, Canon 55-250mm EF-S lens. Photo by Donald Peterson.

Times Square Photography

Design7 — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:25:10 +0000

It is one of the most photographed places in the world. Yet, New York City’s Times Square can be an enormously challenging location to capture a pleasing photo. Most Times Square photos look like they were photographed by the same tourists standing in the same location during the same time of day. However, with a bit of forethought, you will capture unique photos of Times Square with much greater visual appeal.

With a bit of forethought, you will capture unique photos of Times Square with much greater visual appeal.

Times Square is place of constant visual distractions, each trying to outshine the other in an effort to capture your attention. When visiting Times Square for the first time, most photographers simply start shooting everything they see, thinking that their excitement will naturally translate into a great photograph. In most cases that is simply not true. Paying attention to the quality of light, the strength of the composition and subject is what will yield a good photo. So take a few eager snapshots if you must. But to get your best photos, you will need to allow the flush of initial excitement to wear off a bit, and then study your surroundings to find pleasing photographic opportunities.

What is the quality of the light and shadow? Is it the best time of day to shoot? Can you isolate an interesting subject or composition? What angles or viewpoints will make for interesting photos? When you take a moment to pause and start to ask yourself these questions, you become more deliberate, and focused in your photography.

Decide what you want to focus on in your Times Square photos. Do you want cameos of interesting people? Perhaps you can focus on pleasing patterns, color combinations, or architectural details. Seeing great photo opportunities requires a disciplined and focused eye. Scout out Times Square during your initial visit, making a mental note of the places and scenes you want to record. Come back ready to shoot when light and conditions are just right.

Personally, I like to shoot in Times Square during the ten minutes or so of twilight just after sunset. The glow of post-sunset light is perfectly balanced with the colorful lights of Times Square during that time, filling my photos with glowing color. If I wait any longer, the sky turns black, and street colors become hard and garish. So, to make the most of that short window of opportunity I need to know beforehand what I want to shoot. By doing a bit of scouting beforehand, I am in place and ready to shoot my best photos during the short time when the light is perfect.

Learning to see what is around you and thinking about how to capture it at its best will help you to get memorable and pleasing photos of Times Square. Let the initial excitement of being in Times Square subside a bit before taking your photos. Think about what you want to record and the best way to present it. Then shoot. You will come away with memorable and pleasing photos. Enjoy your visit to Times Square!

Donald Peterson

Web Design With Attitude

Design7 — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:55:50 +0000

Oh yea, I have an attitude! So do you. We all have unique facets of our personality that make us memorable or likeable. What about your web design? Is it a bland collection of facts and figures mixed with the occasional generic stock photo? Or, does it a personality or attitude? Think about the television commercials that seem to stick most in your memory. Most likely, its because of a colorful personality portrayed in that ad. If you want your web site to be memorable or likeable, it should have a bit of positive attitude!

This is a recent web design we created for a New York City based copywriter. It reflects the spirit not only of her business, but her own personality as well. She loves classic typewriters and rich earth tone colors, and both are reflected in the design of this web site. The photo on the home page is not your typical generic business stock photo. It was chosen for its unique ability to mirror the personality of this small business.

Giving a small business web design a warm and appealing personality is not easy. It often takes quite a bit of research and design work to develop a look and feel that brings the web site come to life. To find the quirky, colorful photo used on this home page, I went beyond typical stock photography sources. This photo was purchased from a gifted amateur photographer in Brooklyn who posts her personal photos on Flickr. In fact, we were the first to buy one of her photos. The extra effort made to find just the right photo paid off . It really breathes life and spirit into this web design!

So, get some attitude! Don’t let your web site be a generic, forgettable fact sheet. Make it real. Give it the human touch! We can help you at http;//newark1.com