It has been an incredibly busy time for me lately with various photography projects (more details later), art shows, and finishing the construction of my new 450 sq ft. studio/workshop. I’ll have some photos soon, as well as info on the setup including the addition of a new Canon 44″ large format printer. Once I get through the long hours of the final finishing details, I hope to return to a more regular schedule here, and even increase the frequency of articles.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am working on a new series of articles around the theme of “finding a landscape photograph” with the goal of providing some insights and tips for photographers and those curious about the process involved. With any luck (and lots of coffee), the first should be ready in a few days.

In the meantime, I thought I would share my opinion on a few recent noteworthy announcements in the industry which are quite intriguing.

Adobe has announced the release in October of Creative Suite CS4, which includes an all new version of Photoshop CS4. You can read the specific details on John Nack’s blog (John is the principle product manager for Photoshop). While the biggest feature in CS3 was support for the new Intel Macs, Adobe has really packed new and useful features into CS4, many of which I will start to take advantage of right away. Among the new features I’m looking forward to are major interface enhancements, adjustment panels and presets, and improved printing capabilities (including 16-bit output at last). All in all, a serious consideration for anyone who uses Photoshop on a professional or regular basis. While my current workflow is spent primarily in Lightroom 2, it’s nice to have access to the improvements in processing that CS4 provides.

The other news was that both Nikon and Canon have announced DSLR’s that can also record full HD ()high-definition) 1920×1080 resolution video. There has been lots of talk lately about the convergence of photography and video since both use similar technologies, and it was only a matter of time before a manufacturer combined the two.. While it will not replace a dedicated video camera in terms of quality and features, it certainly provides the photo journalist or wedding photographer some great opportunities in a convenient and familiar package. For any one who is interested, here is a full featured video made with the new Canon EOS 5D MK II by photographer Vincent Laforet.

As the old saying goes, “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” and in my opinion, never more so than in photography. While the technology continues to evolve and provide new and creative possibilities, emotion and feeling remain the goal for me, and these are just more tools to achieve those goals.

Low tide creates wonderful texture on the Hudson River, and a dramatic sunrise adds color and mood.

I’m very happy to see that two of my images have been used in a full page ad placed by Con Edison in todays New York Daily News (page 43). I’ve seen and read this paper since early childhood having grown up in NYC, and I never imagined seeing my photographs in print. The color ad promotes the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley, as well as the work Scenic Hudson does to preserve and protect much of this area. It looks great, and I hope it gets the message out about how important preservation is for us and future generations.

It’s ironic that Scenic Hudson was founded to fight against plans by utility Con Edison to cut away part of Storm King Mountain near the river and build a pump storage power generator back in 1965. But at least all ended well and we can all agree on a common cause. I am humbled once again in being able to make a very small contribution, but equally motivated to continue to capture the landscapes around me in ways that bring appreciation to others.

In anticipation of my upcoming exhibit at the Hidden Gallery (covered in the previous post), I was interviewed by The Examiner, a weekly newspaper serving upper Westchester County, NY. They published a very flattering article this past weekend about me and the photographs I’ll have on display, and I’m really pleased with the way it turned out. Of course I loved that the images included with the article were published in color, and I even got a front page photo!

I’ve included the full article here for those who’d like to read it, and a printable pdf is also available on the main website.

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I participated in a Scenic Hudson kayak trip last night to the Esopus Meadows lighthouse and other areas along the Hudson shoreline. It was lead by pro kayaker Ray Fusco, who provided equipment and training to those new to kayaking. I had a great time, met lots of new people, and of course brought along my camera for the ride.

With calm water and low wind, it was a perfect evening to drift along the river, taking in the sights of eagles, the shoreline forest, and the sun as it set behind the Catskill mountains…summer at its best.

Nice article today in the NY Times called “Hudson Valley Views” about several scenic hikes in the Hudson Valley, many of which I have hiked and photographed over the years. Included are Mt Beacon and Burger Hill Park, both of which are Scenic Hudson properties. They even mentioned my favorite breakfast/lunch stop in town, Homespun Foods!

These are all great family destinations, and I recommend them to anyone looking for classic Hudson Valley landscapes.

While I am primarily a landscape photographer, I do accept commercial assignments on a limited basis in other disciplines of photography, mostly in sports and the outdoors in general. Shooting something different is always a great way to expand your camera skills, and there is always something new and valuable to learn, from composition to post processing. It also gives me another opportunity to expand my stock portfolio.

I was recently asked to photograph the 2008 Liberty World Outrigger Canoe race, one of the largest sporting events in New York Harbor and one of the premier outrigger canoe races in the world. Hundreds of international paddlers come from all over the world to participate in this exciting race, including many from Hawaii, the capital of outrigger canoe racing. The images are used for media and promotional purposes, and the racers can also purchase prints from me for their own personal use.

It was a demanding 15 mile course which started at the Brooklyn Bridge, rounded the tip of Manhattan, went up the Hudson River to about 42nd st, came back down to the Statue of Liberty, around the back of Governors Island, and returned to the starting point at the Brooklyn Bridge Park. There was a dedicated “media” boat, which I shared with a videographer from Hawaii who was filming a documentary on the race.

I used two cameras, one for wide angle shots, and another for tighter shots of the racers and their canoes. Because I was in a moving boat, I chose to use my Canon 70-200 f/2.8 zoom lens with a 1.4 extender, and shot wide open most of the time to minimize camera shake and get the sharpest images possible. As the boat traffic increased throughout the morning, the water became rougher and made shooting that much more difficult. I really had to pick my shots carefully, and hope a wave didn’t rock the boat at the same time I pressed the shutter (which happened more often than I expected).

All in all, it was a great experience, and I was able to use the New York City Waterfalls as nice backdrops to the canoes. I will also be photographing the Mayors Cup kayak race in October, which also takes place in the same general area, so I’ll share those here as well.  Hope you enjoy the images!