I shot all images in that album while walking back from a +Rick Sammon workshop at the Explorer’s Club to Grand Central Terminal within 30 minutes. All pictures were shot handhold and using fairly slow lenses – the Canon 24-105 f/4 and the Canon 16-35 f/2.8 – I probably shouldn’t call an f/2.8 a slow lens, I know…

The weather was absolutely fantastic as it stopped raining just a few minutes after I left the Explorer’s club giving me awesome, wet reflective roads.

I was using poles and dumpsters as tripods and all are single exposures = no HDR.

Check the original post over at Google+ for more pictures.

If you don’t have a Google+ invite yet, drop me a comment and I’ll get you one.

30 minutes of NYC at night

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We went up to the top of the Rockefeller Center in NYC and had a great time with our kids up there – the light was not terrific but still… When we got down again, we somehow got lost and ended up in a lobby which was totally deserted and all the doors – except for one tiny side-door – were locked.
It was the lobby of the GE building right behind the Atlas statue at 5th Ave. I spent around 15 minutes in there shooting every angle – alone. I couldn’t believe I was not approached by a single security guard.

3 bracketed exposures – handhold, of course.

Exif Info:

• Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
• Exposure Time: 1/5,1/20,1/80
• Aperture: f/2.8
• ISO: 200
• Focal Length: 16mm

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The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is one of America’s leading historic, cultural and educational institutions. Opened in 1982, the Museum has welcomed more than 10 million visitors. The Museum is centered on the aircraft carrier Intrepid (CVS-11), one of the most successful ships in US history, and now a national historic landmark and one of the most unique attractions in New York City. In 1943, Intrepid was commissioned and served proudly in World War II. She went on to serve as one of the primary recovery vessels for NASA, three tours of duty off Vietnam, and submarine surveillance in the North Atlantic during the Cold War. Today she continues her service as a premiere educational center and a monument to all who have served our nation in uniform. Source: http://www.intrepidmuseum.org

This is the view from the bridge towards Manhattan’s West Side. It was shot handhold in Aperture Priority.

Exit Info:

• Exposure Time: 1/250, 1/1000, 1/4000
• Aperture: f/4
• ISO: 100
• Focal Length: 24mm

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The 5th Ave Apple Store in New York City is an awesome example of modern architecture. It looks great during the day but it really shines at night

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New York City is one of my all-time favorite photography locations. I’ve lived in the area for around a year and spent many weekends in the city walking around with my camera. One of the most photographed buildings – besides Time Square and the Empire State Building – is Rockefeller Center. When you google for “Rockefeller Center” and choose the ‘image’ tab on the left, you get over 2,000,000 hits. The majority of the images show the Christmas tree or the Ice skating rink.

While there might be lots of pictures shot from the location I chose, I haven’t seen many good pictures which were shot at night while it was raining. I anyway think that you get the best possible light when shooting New York at twilight during rainy weather.

Here is my take at Rockefeller Center with the Atlas Statue at night in the rain.

Exif Info:

The reason for choosing a very low ISO of 100 was that I wanted to get light-trails of the passing cars in the frame. I was leaning against a lamp post to stabilize myself and the camera. Using that method you can shoot rather long exposures without a tripod and still get a sharp image.

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