The March 2012 Free Desktop Wallpaper is now available for download. The Bear Mountain Bridge was opened in 1924, and at the time was the longest suspension bridge in the world (record held for 19 months) and was the first automobile bridge to cross the Hudson south of Albany. It sits at the southern entrance to the Hudson Highlands (40 miles north of NYC), and is surrounded by great hiking trails with fantastic views.
As always, come closer to nature in the Hudson Valley.
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Instructions:
First determine your screen size. Your Current Resolution Is:
Then click on the link for the correct size. When the image opens in a new browser window, right click on the image and select “Set as Wallpaper” (on a Mac, select “Use Image as Desktop Picture”).
I spent the weekend in NYC visiting a few museums and galleries, and enjoying some quality time with the family. The MET just opened the new American Wing that has a great collection of paintings from the Hudson River School. I wanted to go see the paintings, as well as take some photos and do some research for an upcoming article I’m working on. But really any excuse to get into an art museum is always a good thing, there is so much to learn and get inspired from.
While walking the streets of NY, I noticed how I was constantly studying the light, seeing how it interacted with different surfaces and shapes, and how it changed at different times of the day. I find that the more I practice photography, the more I see things in terms of lines and shapes, and notice the quality of light much more than I did in the past. These are critical skills to develop, regardless of whether you shoot landscapes, wildlife, or still life. Plus the architecture in NYC is really cool, so I had a good time working with a different subject than I normally do.
These were all shot with my Panasonic GH2 (my favorite street/pocket camera), Panasonic 20mm pancake lens, and processed in Lightroom 4.
Last year I was contacted by REI, one of the largest outdoor retailers in the country, about licensing a few of my images for new stores they were opening in NYC. They specifically wanted images that conveyed and connected them to the beauty of the Hudson Valley. The images were to be used in two retail locations, one in the Soho district of NYC, and the other in Paramus New Jersey, and would be printed very large, upwards of 15 feet.
I was very happy and honored to help them out, and I am extremely pleased that they licensed a total of 4 images. I provided them with high-resolution files at the sizes they specified, and they took care of the rest. The stores finally opened this fall, and I finally made it down to the Soho store this weekend to check out the installations. One of the images was placed behind the main counter, and into a lightbox, which is basically a back lit enclosure with the image printed on a translucent film that allows the light to pass through the print.
I have to say it looked amazing, similar to a lcd display in terms of brightness, but better because it is a print, so the resolution and detail is much higher. I have been aware of light boxes for some time, but after seeing one this big, I’m looking into making this a presentation option for my prints together with canvas and framed. I’ll share what I discover here.
I have not had a chance to visit the Paramus store, but will post photos here when I get a chance.
