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.

Fall Foliage

My favorite part of the Fall season is when the foliage changes color.

Urban Decay / Empty Lots in Atlantic City

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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

Women's Basketball at Chelsea Piers

Chelsea Piers is an excellent sports facility on the west side of New York City. Here are some pictures from a women's basketball league. These players were very intense.

Seagulls at Rockaway Beach

Old Hollywood Style Portrait

Here is my attempt at an old Hollywood style portrait from the 1930's and 40's. I choose not to convert this image to black and white because I like the reddish background. I used a tungsten light to light the background and a Kino Flo to light the model.

Who is Your Favorite Photographer and Why?

Someone asked me recently the following question: Who is your favorite photographer and why?

I found this to be a very difficult question to answer. For as much as I love photography, I never really considered who my favorite photographer was. Certainly, there are many photographers that I admire, but my focus has always been on the image itself and not the person who captured the image. Rather than try to pick a favorite photographer, I found it much easier to decide what my favorite form of photography is. I choose photojournalism. In my opinion, the essence of photojournalism is to capture images that tell a story. I find that the most compelling images are those that effectively convey a story.

My favorite photographers are some of the great masters of photojournalism who are members of Magnum Photos. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Magnum Photos, here is an excerpt from their website:

"Magnum Photos is a photographic co-operative of great diversity and distinction owned by its photographer-members. With powerful individual vision, Magnum photographers chronicle the world and interpret its peoples, events, issues and personalities. Through its four editorial offices in New York, London, Paris and Tokyo, and a network of fifteen sub-agents, Magnum Photos provides photographs to the press, publishers, advertising, television, galleries and museums across the world."

"Within the library, most of the major world events and personalities from the Spanish Civil War to the present day are covered. There are constantly updated profiles on most countries of the world, covering industry, society and people, places of interest, politics and news events, disasters and conflict. The Magnum Photos library reflects all aspects of life throughout the world and the unparalleled sense of vision, imagination and brilliance of the greatest collective of documentary photographers. In short, when you picture an iconic image, but can't think who took it or where it can be found, it probably came from Magnum."

Recently, I was fortunate to receive as a gift, a copy of Magnum Stories by Chris Boot.

Magnum Stories is a collection of some the photographic work of 61 members of Magnum Photos. I find this book fascinating because each of these photographers discuss their careers and philosophy toward photography while showing key images from their portfolios.


This book allows the photographers to tell the stories behind some of the most recognizable images of the last sixty years. We also get a sense of the very real danger these photographers face when covering wars and other conflicts around the world. I highly recommend you check out this book.

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.