Louvre Ceiling

I’m back from Paris and have a lot of images to share. My first set of images are from the Louvre and I’m pleased they allow photography because the ceilings are amazing! These low light images are difficult without a tripod but I managed with the Nikon D800 set at a high ISO. I’m still very impressed by the dynamic range.

Louvre Ceiling

Louvre Ceiling

Seine River in Paris, France

I’m heading off to Paris this week and can’t wait to visit again. Paris is one of those places that becomes addicting and you always find more things to discover. Even though I’ll be there for a week, I doubt everything on my list will be covered.

Here is an image I captured along the Seine River during my last visit 5 years ago. I had this crazy idea of bringing my film camera (Leica M7) for nostalgic reasons. Bringing film on long trips can be risky with x-ray machines not just at airports but also the museums.  Those lead film bags reduce the damage to the film but many x-rays over time will add up. Having it hand checked is best but not always an option with some security people.

My film ended up compromised and resulted in some mucky looking images that were somewhat recovered with digital scanning. My best solution was to convert most of the images to B&W. I’m usually not a B&W photographer and like color but I guess it worked out. Kind of cliché going with Paris B&W photos but this time I’m going digital.

Leica came out with the M9 digital camera a couple years ago and I no longer have excuses. I’m all stocked up on media cards ready for a great time! I’ll have lots to share when I return.

I’m very fortunate to be photographing a beautiful B&B in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and it may take a few months to complete all phases. Since this project is complex and open to my creative direction, I felt the need to visit during daylight and evening hours. Projects like these don’t come along often and I want to be sure I’m exploring all options. The scouting shots looked good and I’m able to see items that need to be fixed for the photo shoot. Most of all, I like being able to do test compositions and have a good amount of time to think about more options.

More to come once the lawn and trees green up in the coming month. Great interiors too!

B&B In Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Flatiron Building NYC

I had a nice opportunity to photograph the Flatiron Building in NYC recently. I was scouting for a future photo shoot and the rooftop had great views of the Flatiron Building from across Madison Square. I’m glad I brought the telephoto lens because photographing across Madison Square is rather far and I wanted to get a tighter composition.

The Flatiron Building was completed in 1902 and was designed by D.H. Burnham & Co. It is also called the Fuller Building because it’s the original name. This is a must see if you’re visiting NYC and the nearby parks are nice to hang out and relax.

Hopefully I’ll be back at the location in a couple months for more views during spring season. Stay tuned!

This is a nice project at Boston College I recently photographed for Visa Lighting. The concentration of the photography is to show the lighting in context of the overall space along with some closer detail views. I was rather impressed with the building and wish I was hired for other areas too. This atrium can be tricky to photograph and perspective control lenses are absolutely needed. I did some views from the 1st floor but like the feel of 2nd floor views. The atrium comes to a sharp point and this creates a very dynamic composition.

I enjoyed this project and look forward to working with Visa Lighting again in the near future. Great project!

Atrium Interior Architecture

Atrium Interior Architecture

The High Line

A lot of people think architectural photography is about wide angle lenses and large cameras setup on tripods. For my commissioned work this is often true but I find this to be a formal approach with everything highly polished. There is an informal approach that I feel is often overlooked because we don’t always realize these structures are about people. It’s rare to be commissioned to photograph a building 20+ years after it was built. In the commercial photography world this may not be practical because the design is priority for portfolio and marketing needs. If you think about it, having images of a structure while it’s new is something rather special because it won’t be new for long.  However, the effects of mankind over the years develops a character that is unique and worthy as fine art all in itself and this is what I’d like to explore much more with my personal work.

Two of my favorite photographers are Eugene Atget and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Atget used large format cameras on tripods but he involved people and activity in his well composed views of Paris during modernization. He accomplished something very important, a real look at everyday life during his time. Buildings may stand for hundreds of years but the people and culture that inhabit these structures will change with time and will often be forgotten.

Cartier-Bresson was more interested in capturing people during the “decisive moment” but you will see that his images involve the surrounding environment. Once again we have context and a view of real life but people are the primary subject. Cartier-Bresson took photography to another level by being invisible with a Leica rangefinder so the subject matter wouldn’t react to being photographed. His intent was to capture an authentic moment in time, no posing and no acting.

We can approach this from two directions based on if the structures are the primary subject or the people are. This gives plenty to think on but is the main reason I updated my Leica system. I want to capture structures as my primary subject matter much like Atget but I want to be invisible showing a spontaneous element much like Cartier-Bresson. Having a small rangefinder camera allows me to look like a tourist, not a photographer. People don’t react the same way and this alone changes everything for me.

Below are images from the High Line in New York. I was interviewed by Leica Camera about my use of the M9 for architectural photography and you can see the video here. I kind of lost the element of being invisible with someone following me around with a video camera but I think it went well because I moved around lot. See more High Line photos at www.psbphotography.com.

The High Line

The High Line

The High Line

The High Line

Rockefeller Center

My wife & I had a crazy idea about visiting Rockefeller Center to see the tree and holiday decor …….. on a Saturday evening! It was packed as I could ever imagine but everyone seemed in good spirits despite the crowds. These views were taken handheld with the Leica M9 and metering wasn’t so bad with so many holiday lights around. We saw 3 proposals at the ice rink. Very popular place I guess for getting engaged.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season and 2012!

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center

Moravian 1762 Waterworks

I’m originally from the Bethlehem, PA area and tend to get a little homesick this time of year. With its rich colonial history, beautiful buildings and great restaurants, it makes for a wonderful place to visit during the holiday season.

When I studied Colonial American History at Kutztown University, I wrote a term paper about the Moravians of Bethlehem and it greatly deepened my understanding of their significance in our history. Over a year ago I offered my photography services to Historic Bethlehem Partnership in hopes that I can help their marketing efforts. I admit that this is more for my own personal enjoyment because I love learning the local history and I always wanted to develop a collection of photos of the local area.

These images are of the 1762 Waterworks considered to be the first municipal water system in the United States. Water would be pumped through hollow wood logs up the hill to the community and this saved a great deal of labor instead of carrying the water. The Moravian Waterworks became so well known through the American Colonies that many of our forefathers visited the site. John Adams mentioned in a letter to his wife Abigail in 1777 – “They have carried the mechanical arts to a greater perfection here than in any place which I have seen.”

The Waterworks has been recognized as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark and is also listed as a National Historic Landmark.

Moravian 1762 Waterworks

Interior detail view of Moravian 1762 Waterworks

Interior detail view of Moravian 1762 Waterworks

This is an ongoing project that I’m working on for ArtsQuest located in Bethlehem, PA.  It a difficult building to schedule because it’s a very active venue for all kinds of events from concerts to visual arts.  I decided to start the photography with some exterior views and next visit will be for interior photography.  After spending time at the location, I feel that the building will look great during an event with lots of activity.  Hopefully the next visit will be in January after the holiday season is over.

I decided to go with dusk views because of the colorful lighting situation and it’s interesting to get a sense of the interior.  I should also mention that these views can go wider and show the overall context of the outdoor concert stages and Bethlehem Steel’s remaining blast furnaces .  This will be covered next year during the spring season once outdoor events start again.

Architectural photography of the ArtsQuest building

Architectural photography of the ArtsQuest building

Architectural photography of the ArtsQuest building

It’s been a very busy fall season and I’m still getting caught up.  Lots of projects to share and update to the portfolio soon.  I was recently commissioned by DAS Architects to photograph their newest project at Le Bec-Fin called Tryst and I was excited for the opportunity.  I love restaurant  projects because they are usually dynamic with a lot of details to work with. The restaurant wished to renovate their downstairs bar with a new look and I think the designers did a great job.

I must admit, we had very little time to photograph this project so I had to consider the lighting situation.  Sometimes a photographer can get lucky with the lighting and a well designed project makes the situation much better.  Tryst is downstairs and has no windows, this eliminated unwanted daylight mucking up the colors and causing reflections.  No, this isn’t HDR photography but it sure looks close to it.  I think the metallic surfaces render a certain way that looks HDR but I’m also using a camera with extremely high dynamic range.  The lights are on dimmers too and this allows me to balance the intensity throughout the space. The designer was at the photo shoot and it was important to keep certain areas less noticeable while enhancing other areas that are meant to attract the viewer.  It creates a mood and I think we did well.

As with all my interior design projects, I always try to preserve the intended feel of the spaces and not overpower them by drastically changing the lighting.  Enhance not overwhelm.

Interior design of Tryst by DAS Architects

Restaurant Interior Design of Tryst

Restaurant Interior Design of Tryst

Restaurant Interior Design of Tryst