Newport, Rhode Island

Just returned from a relaxing vacation in Newport, Rhode Island. These are some pictures taken just after sunset from the grounds of the hotel.

Sunday at Citi Field

My brother and I went to today's New York Mets game. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The Mets beat the Florida Marlins 3-2. This is a picture from our upper deck seats.

My First Game at the New Yankee Stadium

The best baseball stadium I have ever visited is, hands down, the new Yankee Stadium. Last night was my first game there. The Yankees beat the L.A. Angels 7-4.

The New York Yankees have a rich team history. They've won 26 World Championships, more than any other major league team. They began as the "Highlanders" in 1903 and their home field was "Hilltop Park". The Highlanders were renamed the "Yankees" in 1913 after moving to the Polo Grounds. In 1923, the first Yankee Stadium opened. From 1974-1975, the Yankees played at Shea Stadium while Yankee Stadium underwent a major renovation. Yankee Stadium reopened in 1976. The new Yankee Stadium was built next door to the old Yankee Stadium and opened this year.

The new Yankee Stadium does a great job of celebrating their team history. My favorite aspect is the dozens of large photographs above the concession stands that surround the field level concourse. These photographs include action shots from memorable games and snapshots of players in non-game situations. In my opinion, these photographs, more than anything else, connect the stadium to the team.

I really like the New York Mets new stadium, Citi Field, too. However, I hope the Mets use the new Yankee Stadium as inspiration and do more at Citi Field to celebrate the history of the Mets. The 1969 and 1986 championship Mets teams created incredible memories. The Mets fans, who have supported their team over the years, deserve to be able to bask in those memories when they go to Citi Field.


Here is a panoramic shot from my first game at the new Yankee Stadium. I'll post more pics later.

Canon 5D with 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye, 1/160 sec., f/5.6, ISO 800

My First Game at Citi Field

Last Thursday, I went to my first baseball game at Citi Field, the New York Mets' new ballpark. It is a beautiful stadium and a tremendous improvement over Shea Stadium. The concourses are wide and the field is in view from most of the concession stands. My only real criticism is that the ballpark is geared more toward the Brooklyn Dodgers than the New York Mets. For example, the main entrance is called the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, in honor of the Brooklyn Dodger great. Also, the exterior of the stadium is modeled after Ebbets Field, where the Dodgers played before they moved to L.A. While both aspects of the ballpark were well done, my only wish is that the Mets had done more to recognize Mets history including the championship teams from 1969 and 1986.

I've heard others make the same criticisms of Citi Field on the radio and in the newspapers. I'm sure, the Mets will do something in the near future to better emphasize Mets history at their new ballpark. In the meantime, Citi Field is a great place to watch a baseball game.

Here are a few pictures of the exterior of Citi Field.

Canon 5D with 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 24mm, 1/250 sec., f/6.3, ISO 100


Airplanes from the local airports still fly over head.

Canon 5D with 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 34mm, 1/200 sec., f/6.3, ISO 100

Canon 5D with 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 28mm, 1/200 sec., f/6.3, ISO 100

Canon 5D with 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens, 1/320 sec., f/6.3, ISO 100


The Mets did a great job with the Citi Field Fanwalk, the brick area in from of the main entrance of the ballpark. These bricks contain engraved messages from fans.

Canon 5D with 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens, 1/160 sec., f/6.3, ISO 100


This is the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Look at the big smile on the face of guy in the bottom left of the first picture. He's obviously a Mets fan and happy to be in the new ballpark.

Canon 5D with 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens, 1/250 sec., f/2.8, ISO 100

Canon 5D with 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens, 1/80 sec., f/3.2, ISO 100


The Shake Shack is a popular spot to get a good burger.

Canon 5D with 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens, 1/500 sec., f/5.0, ISO 200


This is my favorite picture. The sunset produced beautiful light.

Canon 5D with 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens, 1/160 sec., f/6.3, ISO 400


A panoramic shot from my seat in the upper deck.

Canon 5D with 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens, 1/100 sec., f/6.3, ISO 640


One last shot before going home.

Canon 5D with 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens, 1/20 sec., f/5.0, ISO 1600

Baseball Opening Day is Almost Here!

In honor of the new baseball season in which we will welcome new stadiums for the Mets and Yankees, I'm posting one more picture of Shea Stadium from last year.


Canon 40D w/Sigma 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye lens, 1/320 sec., f/6.3, ISO 250

Clouds on a breezy day

Photo info:
Canon 5D @ 44mm with 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, 1/800 sec., f/8.0, ISO 100, manual mode, high contrast black and white conversion

NYC Pics #4: Midtown Manhattan at Sunset

These pictures of the Empire State Building and Midtown Manhattan were taken at sunset from the observation deck at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

The Statue of Liberty

Here is one more picture I took during last Thursday's boat cruise in New York Harbor. This picture was shot using a Canon 5D at 30mm with a 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, 1/25 sec at f/2.8, ISO 1600.

NYC Waterfalls

This evening I photographed an event aboard the Spirit of New York cruise ship. As we cruised around New York Harbor, we passed by the Brooklyn Bridge which is the site of one of the waterfalls from the New York City Waterfalls Project. The project was created by artist Olafur Eliasson. Check out the artist's statement for an understanding of his vision for this project. The waterfalls are best viewed after sunset when they are lit.

Shea Stadium - 4-12-08

I went to the New York Mets game yesterday. There was alot of excitement in the stadium at the start of the game because it was Johan Santana's Shea Stadium debut. Unfortunately, he gave up five runs and was outpitched by the Milwaukee Brewers' ace, Ben Sheets. The Mets ended up losing 5-3.

Despite this subpar performance, I expect Johan to have a great season with the Mets. I watched him for years when he played for the Minnesota Twins and have no doubt that he will continue to be one of the best pitchers in baseball.

On another note, I was happy to see the progress of the construction of Citi Field. This is the last season for the Mets in Shea Stadium. Next year they move into a new stadium which is being built next to the current stadium. Citi Field is expected to be a smaller stadium with architectural aspects reminiscent of the old Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

Here is a picture I took yesterday. If you look in the distance, behind the outfield, you can see Citi Field.

Urban Decay / Empty Lots in Atlantic City

Click to view larger image

Orange Sky

Mark Rothko was an abstract expressionist painter who used vibrant blocks of various colors to express emotion. In May 2007, Rothko's 1950 painting White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose), broke the record selling price of any post-war painting at a public auction when an anonymous bidder paid $72.8 million dollars at Sotheby's New York.

I took this picture in New Jersey just after sunset. The bold color of the orange sky coupled with the darkness of the ocean and beach reminded me of a Rothko painting.

Atlantic City beach and boardwalk

Aruba Vacation - Day 6 + 7

On day 6, we decided not to do any sightseeing. Instead, we simply enjoyed another quiet, relaxing day lounging by the pool.

On day 7, our last full day in Aruba, we went back to Eagle Beach. This was the first day that we experienced some rain during our vacation. When we first arrived at the beach, we were greeted by a light drizzle of rain for about 10 minutes. At the horizon, we could see heavy rain and ominous storm clouds passing by. Luckily, the heavy rain did not reach the beach and we were able to enjoy the day.

This is my favorite picture from our vacation. I really like how the clouds look and I think the patches of rain in the horizon are very interesting.



After a short while the storm clouds passed and the sun came out for the rest of the day. My nephew enjoyed playing in the sand.



Later in the evening, we had dinner at Chalet Suisse. Our favorite dish by far was the Chocolate "Marquis" which was recommended by our waiter. This dessert, which we shared, was made with dark chocolate, served in a Bailey's Grande Anglais sauce and topped with creamy Hazelnut ice cream. My fiancee described it as a "little piece of Heaven".




Our dinner at Chalet Suisse capped our last night in Aruba. The next morning, we checked out of our villa at 10 a.m. and drove back to the airport for our flight back to New York City.

As is true with most vacations, our Aruba vacation seemed much too short. I can say, without reservation, that I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Aruba. I definitely wish to return again.

Aruba Vacation - Day 5

On day 5 we checked out one of the nicest beaches in Aruba -- Eagle Beach. I immediately noticed that the sand was extremely fine, soft and clean. Furthermore, Eagle Beach is very long and wide, so you never feel crowded even though there are several resorts and time shares along the beach. Eagle Beach was my favorite beach in Aruba.



Another beautiful sunset in Aruba:



I wanted to take some pictures at Eagle Beach at night, but we had dinner plans. This black & white image is my attempt to simulate a night time shot during day time conditions. I set the exposure of my camera to properly expose for the sky. As a result, the ocean and sand came out darker as if it was night.

Winter Blues

It's cold in New York City. The temperature is about 30 degrees fahrenheit, but the wind makes it feel much colder. The temperature will get even colder over the next 2 months. It's weather like this that makes me long for Spring and Summer.

This past Summer, my fiancee and I spent a few days relaxing at the Skytop Lodge in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. These pictures remind me that warm weather will return. I woke up around 5:30 a.m. to take these first 4 pictures of the grounds around the lodge.

The sun is just beginning to rise over the horizon. It's still too dark to see the lake which is at the bottom of the picture.



The rising sun is creating a beautiful glow over Skytop Lake.



This is the view of the lake from the observation tower of the lodge. I like this picture because of the light mist over the hills.



The suns rays reflecting off the moon.



There are numerous hiking trails around the lodge. This is my favorite picture from the trip. The trees kept the forest relatively dark, but we came across a clearing which allowed the sun to shine through.

Verrazano Bridge on a Cloudy Day

The Verrazano Bridge is a suspension bridge which connects the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, New York to Staten Island. When construction of the bridge was completed in 1964, it became the longest suspension bridge in the world. A few other suspension bridges have been built since which are longer, but it remains the longest in the United States. The second longest in the U.S. is the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. Many people today know the Verrazano Bridge as the starting point for the New York City Marathon.

I took this picture of the Verrazano Bridge on a cloudy day last January. This picture reminds me of my childhood. I grew up in Bay Ridge and spent many weekend afternoons bike riding with my father and brother along this bike path. Since this is Thanksgiving weekend and I am thankful for my family, I thought I would post this picture.