Bryant Park in December

 Up until recently, the weather has been pretty mild for "winter". I found          myself wandering over to Bryant park every Friday after work, and just walking around people watching. There is something about the way visitors love NYC, that makes me love it even more.                              


The first few visits I took cell phone pictures of the blue Christmas tree and the ice skating rink.

My last visit though, I whipped out the big guns. Bryant Park isn't THAT big but there really are endless photo opportunities, believe it or not. It was the perfect was to end the work day and begin the weekend.

                                                                                                                         

Summer Photo Potpourri

Since the end of Summer is near, I thought I'd post a few favorites that I captured these past few months.

These shots are from Florida, Texas and good ol' NYC!

Memorial Day weekend in Montauk

Ahhh...my favorite place in NY, Montauk! There is something about sitting around on a deck and being able to hear the ocean without actually seeing it, that draws me in. I just love it. Every time I visit, I take a million of the same shots on the beach. I was trying to cut back this time. I wanted to try and branch out. Haaa. Ok, I did still take two photos. I need my fix. 

Each Memorial day, there is an awesome art show in town. Tons of booths with paintings, sculptures, photos and handmade jewelry. This one booth of what looks to be molded sheet metal caught my eye. It was so beautiful! They looked like wind chimes but they made no sound. Even better! They were spinning at a rapid pace all in unison, and it just looks so pretty! 

The weekend wouldn't be complete without a visit the the Montauket. Old, rustic, comfy Montauket. The drinks are cold, the people are welcoming and the view is incredible! It's mostly popular for it's amazing view of the sunset but we made an early visit so I decided to see what was going on inside, since I wouldn't be around for the show later on. Now, I won't lie..you might be scared to sit on a stool at the bar, let alone order a drink. But there something about old dive bars that just make me smile. You can't help but think about what it's seen and who has been there. There almost always has to be a story behind it. I just sat on a stool with my family and snapped.

Here are two from the beach...for good measure!

Cruisin!

I'm feeling a bit depressed with the cold/rainy New York weather right now so I decided to cheer myself up by digging up some photos I took on a cruise to Bermuda back in 2009. I never got around to editing them until now so I just chose a few of my favs. Cruises are the ultimate vacation! You are never bored and there are endless photo opps!

 This was our ship sailing from New Jersey, through New York and on our way to Bermuda! The ship only had a 6 ft. clearance on the bridge!






                                                                                

The last day in Bermuda was a rainy one. We quickly ran off the ship to go to a few stores before we set sail again. I snapped a few photos along the way. You can see how wet the bench was. Even though the rain put a damper on the day, it made for a nice photo!

I shot this one from one of the outside decks on the ship. It's the propeller to the life boats that hang in between the decks. I thought it made for an interesting photo because of the colors and the lighting.

                       

Another one while hanging out on the deck and enjoying the cool breeze coming off of the water! 

These last few I shot while we were checking out the Island, not too far from our ship. 

Just beachy!

Montauk, NY

When most people think of the beach, they think about the hot summer sun and long days spent laying out or swimming in the (almost always freezing) water. For me, I think of watching the waves and observing the footprints in the sand. I would much rather go to the beach in the early Fall when the sun is still warm but the breeze is cool and relaxing. Plant my chair in the sand, grab my camera and just fire away. As much as I love where I live, the city beaches aren't exactly the ideal place to shoot, for me. Too many people for my taste. Haaaa.

Besides Manhattan, my favorite place in New York is Montauk. The beach is bliss! Perfect for doing what I love to do. Couples young and old, walking hand and hand on the shore line, dogs running, children playing and men paddling out to catch some waves.
I spend some time walking and shooting and then return to my chair to take a quick nap. It's just so quiet and peaceful that I can't resist.

There was one other beach that I enjoyed. It was in Florida. I took a trip back in February when of course, my luck, it was 20 degrees cooler than it normally is that time of year. The beach was a little windy but still beautiful. It had the same calm about it, like Montauk.

I don't think I'll ever get tired of photographing beaches, especially since there are so many more I'd like to see one day. On my list: Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Aruba and Tahiti. Hopefully I'll at least cross ONE off of that list before I die.

 



Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

 

I ♥ NY

Who doesn't love NYC? I could spend hours upon hours just walking around shooting pictures. From the sights of the buildings and parks to the people (and we all know how some of the people in NY can be). It's endless!


When I bought my first camera, I didn't really know what I wanted to shoot. I just saw something I liked or found interesting, and took the picture. As the years went on, I started hunting for the things that I wanted to shoot. It made photography THAT much more fun for me! It was like an actual scavenger hunt! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those spur of the moment "gotta catch this on camera" photos too!

When my niece was born, I went camera crazy! It's not that hard to photograph a newborn but once they start to crawl and cruise, all bets are off! I have a fast camera, but sometimes you still miss that moment you were hoping to catch.
 I started to focus more on landscapes. Nothing captures me more than Central Park in the Fall or Spring. No matter how many times I've been there, I always go back during these seasons! I've yet to take pictures in the Winter with snow because unless you get the fresh snow, it's just not the same. Maybe one day...

Last year, High Line Park was introduced over by Gansevoort Street and the meat packing district. Old elevated freight railroad spurs were redesigned and planted into an aerial greenway. The city preserved some of the original tracks, which I thought was pretty cool. The debut of this thing was almost as big as those huge waterfalls that were strategically placed throughout the city (which I never got a chance to check out).
 Being that I went on one of the first weekends it opened, I really couldn't stop as often as I liked. I kind of had to keep moving because of the heavy traffic of people. The tourist were out in full force that day. Every single person had a camera and took a picture of every bit of the entire "park".
In all honesty, I really didn't take that many pictures that day. I spent more time looking at the view from the park rather than what was going on in the actual park. I think I was more fascinated that I was able to see the  Diane Von Furstenberg building and was secretly hoping that I'd see Whitney Port come walking out and snap her photo (for all of you non MTV reality show fans, Whitney Port is from the show "The City").
I did however, take one of my favorite photos that day (My other fav. being one taken in Central Park).

Fav. #1- High Line tracks

                      Fav. #2- Central Park, Fall

 I'm always searching for that one photo that I want to blow up and hang on my wall in my apartment. I'm not sure I've gotten there yet but I'm certain that it will be of something "New York".  I think I find one that I love enough to hang on my wall but after a week or so, I say "Nope. Not it"
Out of 100 pictures I might take on any given day, I usually end up only loving one or two and that could be considered a good day! Here are a few from Central Park in the Spring and Fall and High Line Park.