roaming pixels

defiant

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 10:08:00 -0800

A lone cross defies the sprawl of the overgrowth in this old graveyard.

Amsoldingen, Switzerland.

Mia and daddy

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 10:14:00 -0800

Have you met my daddy? I think he is trying to hide behind me.

Hünibach, Switzerland.

Cowfish are funny

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:21:00 -0800

Sure, puffer fish are funny, too, but cowfish not only look unlike any fish, they even move differently from any fish I have ever seen. Next time you go to an aquarium, try to catch these little guys in action.

Coney Island, NY.

jellyfish from outer space

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 06:21:00 -0800

Besides conveying a sense of weightlessness and moving with great elegance, jellyfish also always remind me of spaceships in cool movies.

Coney Island, NY.

Secret Ops.

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:19:00 -0800

There should be a book called "Things you would never know unless you become a parent." In it, you would find such pearls of wisdom as this one here, in Chapter 9, page 172:

"Your child's finger and toe nails will grow at an astounding rate and be razor-sharp, unless you trim them at least every other day. Unfortunately, 93.6% of all babies will cry and flail uncontrollably during your futile attempts to do so. You have but one choice: waiting until your child is sound asleep, then going in with a special, night-time baby nail clipper with built in light. Filing after trimming is of the essence, and we recommend you take Manicure 101 at a local community college before even considering having a child."

Hünibach, Switzerland.

Mia plays the piano (this time, in Switzerland)

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 10:15:00 -0800

Ok, forget what I said earlier regarding continuity...this is now the first post from our recent vacation in Switzerland. There will be more postings from before the vacation as well.

As in this earlier shot, she clearly enjoys playing the piano, but look at how much she's grown. We sometimes use it to distract her when she is cranky.

Hünibach, Switzerland.

the jelly blues

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:19:00 -0800

This jellyfish moves with hypnotic grace in his blue world.

Coney Island, NY.

majestic, yet delicate

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:12:58 -0800

I was pretty surprised at the level of magnification that could be coaxed out of my Canon G6 set on "macro" to catch this butterfly. Fortunately, the light was good and I was able to stop down quite a bit. I think this is a Pipevine Swallowtail, but feel free to correct me if that's not true.

We just got back from Switzerland, and I brought back quite a few images, as you can imagine. It was not always easy to steal time away from my family, parents and friends, though. Ah, decisions, decisions. :)

More about that (hopefully) soon. In the interest of some measure of continuity, I have decided to still post a few shots from before the vacation. Please bear with me, I hope to catch up in the next few weeks!

Brooklyn, NY.

Oooooaaaaaaargh!

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:20:00 -0800

Lately, Mia likes to do these long moans. It's really funny, and we have taken to call her 'Miazilla.' Though we are not quite sure why she makes these sounds, she definitely does not seem uncomfortable in any way. She is probably just playing with her voice.

We'll be in Switzerland for a few weeks, and introduce her to my parents (finally), so I will not be posting until mid-September. But I should be back with a few great shots.

Brooklyn, NY.

fishy fish

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:05:54 -0800

There was this big tank with tons of fish swimming around, so I really have no idea what this one is called, unfortunately. Also, it's 1:04 AM where I am, and the 'title' region of my brain has shut down hours ago.

Coney Island, NY.

amphiprion frenatus

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:06:14 -0800

Not that I'm knowledgeable about fish, but this latin name is even funnier to me than its common name: tomato anemone fish.
The curved glass of the tank and the lighting introduced quite a strong color cast, which I actually like here.

Coney Island, NY.

Gotcha!

Sat, 9 Aug 2008 12:21:00 -0800

Mia is getting better and better at grabbing and reaching for things, and then bringing them up to her mouth. As soon as she figures crawling out, we're going to be in biiig trouble....! Here she grabs a tight hold of Mommy's hair, and releases it after a few moments.

After making this it into a diptych, I wondered: Am I crossing the boundary into capturing movement, something that is better done with video? Isn't the art of photography supposed to capture the essence of the moment, even if it involves movement?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Brooklyn, NY.

Mia blows bubbles

Tue, 5 Aug 2008 18:44:20 -0800

Mia recently discovered how to blow bubbles and raspberries, to the amusement of everyone around her.
Actually, technically, that's not quite correct, because she makes the farting noise without using her tongue. We think it should be called Brooklyn cheer.

Happy Birthday, my love - you're 5 months old today!

Brooklyn, NY.

Safe

Sat, 2 Aug 2008 09:26:00 -0800

Whenever I look at this, my mind comes up with a great many different stories about this place.

This is the first time that I tried PS's built-in HDR function. It's not perfect, but you can definitely get some tonal improvements out of it, and save the time of painting detailed layer masks.

Wolftown, VA.

All good PCs go to Heaven

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 06:23:00 -0800

With its seemingly endless number of computers and the suggestion of infinity, this image is reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" to me. Kubrick would have turned 80 on July 26th, and this is my small tribute to a great pioneer in modern filmmaking.

No PC has been harmed in the making of this image, and there was no cloning involved.

New York City.

All American Hydrant

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 01:22:00 -0800

This hydrant has lost quite a bit of its original shine. However, it makes for a much more interesting photo this way.

Perhaps a symbol of the US image around much of the world these days.

Staten Island, NY.

Sunday in the park with Nate

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:32:23 -0800

Here we have a double portrait of Mia and Nate, who is the son of friends of ours. Nate is about 1.5 months older than Mia. Even though they were lying just a foot or so apart, the two shots are very different in color temperature, due to the different backgrounds, no doubt.

Owl's Head Park, Brooklyn, NY.

Mia at the piano

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:25:35 -0800

Mia shows a keen interest in music. Here she is at her grandparents' piano.

It seems best to discontinue the roman numerals I've been using for images of Mia, after all, who wants to decipher something like "XLIX" - not to mention that it doesn't really look that good.

Somerset, NJ.

Metro-sexual

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:18:11 -0800

In some ways, the processing on this image is a pretty radical departure, but sometimes you itch to push your own boundaries a bit. I have done similar treatments before, but it seems I go back and forth between minimal adjustments and a more creative approach. I like the end result quite a lot, but I don't know how well it would work with other subjects.

What do you think?

Oh, and by the way, the title is a word play on the location and the fact that everything about this man seems to set him apart from the setting.

New York City.

The secret

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:40:25 -0800

Lest some of you might begin to think roaming pixels only has black & white images anymore...

Oh, and I finally figured out (quite by chance, if there's such a thing) how to preserve my EXIF data - thanks to an excellent photographer called Julien Roumagnac. Try as I might, I had not been able to find any info on that online, until now.

Go check out his photoblog for great images, and also look at his Articles & Tutorials page.

Rockefeller Center, NYC.

Screened Stephanie & Mia

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:34:41 -0800

Stephanie and Mia, as they stand behind a screen door. Perhaps a good metaphor of how protective I feel towards them. (Credit goes to our Alexander teacher, Jan Baty, whose keen eyes noticed this scene).

Madison, VA.

Mia XI

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 19:32:29 -0800

Mia works on her crawling - she's almost there!

I apologize for the scant number of new posts recently, but I have a very good excuse (well, pretty good): I misplaced my Wacom tablet pen. Our whole house is just a tad chaotic currently, and you know how it goes: one minute you're working on a layer mask, the next you're jumping into action for a diaper change.
After looking for it for a couple of days, it's back to working with the mouse...sad.

Therefore, quite a few planned posts had to be moved to the back burner; please bear with me as I hope to find a used pen on ebay or some such place.

Brooklyn, NY.

Blue Ridge mountains

Fri, 4 Jul 2008 14:33:24 -0800

The Blue Ridge mountains, doing their name justice in the evening light.

Wolftown, VA.

Mia X

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 12:34:00 -0800

Mia in her car seat. Can there ever be too many pictures of babies sleeping peacefully? Me thinks not.

Wolftown, VA.

Paradise lost?

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:23:00 -0800

I hadn't seen a beautiful rainbow like that in a long time...but still, the swings were empty.

Madison, VA.

Late afternoon

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:22:00 -0800

The Empire State Building against the late afternoon light.

New York City.

Silo

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:56:00 -0800

Hmmm. I'm not quite sure why I like this, but I do. Probably because of the tones in this version.

Stephanie & Mia

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:24:00 -0800

Owl's Head park, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

high-strung

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 12:21:00 -0800

...that's a looot of wires!

the holdout

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:53:14 -0800

Apparently, this one tree didn't get the memo...

Mia IX

Fri, 6 Jun 2008 09:02:57 -0800

Frequently, Mia is wise beyond her actual age (she turned 3 mos. old yesterday!) :)

Here she is giving herself Jin Shin Jyutsu® self-help, and also doing her Yoga practice. This is called Happy Baby pose.

Peace Lily

Tue, 3 Jun 2008 10:24:00 -0800

Another shot of a flower shot into the light, similar to Spring (up). I like the luminescent quality.

before ego

Sat, 31 May 2008 16:10:31 -0800

When I looked at this recent shot, I suddenly was reminded of the idea that we switch gender with each incarnation. So while the reflection of myself (hand, camera, shirt) wasn't exactly planned, it did bring up this thought: Would there be less of a "war between the sexes" if we all considered this to be true?

For those of you who are not interested in such esoterics, hopefully you'll see just an experiment resulting in an unusual image.

Mia VIII

Wed, 28 May 2008 19:40:11 -0800

As Mia is growing so fast, we really wanted to get some pictures of her feet before too long.

Mia VII

Sat, 24 May 2008 16:13:13 -0800

Mia squeaks in delight as she talks with Mommy and swings from side to side in her swing.

Finally I was able to tear myself away and grab the camera in time to catch our girl smiling! The light was pretty low, so I had to swing with her as I shot at 1/15 sec., wide open.

Jungfraujoch

Wed, 21 May 2008 12:23:00 -0800

Skyscraper, the natural kind.

blinding rut

Sun, 18 May 2008 09:54:40 -0800

Everyday routine can make everything seem the same: sleep, eat, drink, work, dream, repeat.
With apologies to King Crimson.

Mia VI

Wed, 14 May 2008 17:04:13 -0800

Not sure of what to think about that black thing with the shiny glass center in front of her face, Mia regards it with a certain amount of skepticism.

Our Lady of the rock

Thu, 8 May 2008 15:33:05 -0800

This old church is in the Verzasca valley in Ticino, Switzerland.

"Our Lady if the rock" is not the actual name of the church, but rather a working title, since unfortunately I don't have the info. I got really carried away with the gorge and the vanishing point, and never wrote down where exactly I was. Bad photographer, bad!

Ticino is the southern part of Switzerland, which borders on Italy, and the people speak Italian.

Extreme Layout

Sun, 4 May 2008 17:58:48 -0800

This former rhythmic gymnast was an amazing model to work with, and I hope the result speaks for itself. I am especially grateful to her because our collaboration was very gratifying to me as a former dancer, since she could do things I had only dreamed of - and more.

Mia V

Thu, 1 May 2008 10:22:21 -0800

Mia yawns - and quickly glances over at Daddy.

She just recently started to smile at us, which is really adorable! I am usually too mushy to think straight and grab the camera, though, so it hasn't been fully captured yet.

Brooklyn, NY.

Spring (up)

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:02:00 -0800

It's hard to believe that this was taken only steps away from the Flatiron building on Manhattan's 22nd Street. I also took some shots with the building in the background, but this more ethereal version won out.

Cops on a hot tin roof

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:39:22 -0800

To safeguard Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to St Patrick's Cathedral last Saturday, there were lots of cops posted not only on the streets, but also on rooftops along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

I don't think these three cops would have caught my attention, had it not been for the title to this image popping into my head. Titles of photographs and other art works have long fascinated me...I simply don't think that "Untitled #41" cuts it, especially if you compare that to the clever and ingenious titles chosen for their works by the likes of Magritte, Klee, etc., which make me enjoy them that much more. They can make you see things you would never have thought of, and guide your understanding of why the artist did what he or she did.

"So what about your 'Mia' series, then?" you might rightfully ask. Those titles were intentionally kept simple to restrain myself from getting to corny/carried away on the one hand, and on the other to make clear that each one is part of a series.

PS: Just to clarify: I am in no way comparing myself (or my titles) to Magritte or Klee.

Mia IV

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:27:41 -0800

Sometimes it's hard not to only post pictures of Mia anymore...Anyway, hopefully you enjoy this most recent post (almost) as much as we, her parents, do.

going places

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:19:00 -0800

This gentleman seems poised to take on the world.

Near Thun, Switzerland.

Mia III

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:42:48 -0800

Mia is growing and changing in leaps and bounds!

Here I'm experimenting with muted tones, and quite liking the result.

Disparate Worlds

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:03:30 -0800

Sometimes, waiting for the subway can give you a glimpse into a totally different world - but only a glimpse.

Roadside Chat

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 21:19:00 -0800

One from the Thailand vault. I wasn't sure about posting this, but the unusual and relaxed poses of the two men won me over.

Near Doi Inthanon, Northern Thailand.

Cabin Fever

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 20:13:58 -0800

As the sun sets, the buildings opposite are bathed in warm sunlight.

Brooklyn, New York.

Golden Mia

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:52:00 -0800

Depending on the temperature of the (low) ambient light, Mia's hair looks either blonde, or more auburn.

Either way, I love her expression in this image!

Maternal Bliss

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:25:00 -0800

Tired but happy, Stephanie look on as Mia naps peacefully.

The old chapel

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:21:00 -0800

The old chapel seems to be standing at the end of the earth.

Thun, Switzerland

Disheveled and disgruntled

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:27:29 -0800

Guess which is which...

Ok, so technically I didn't take this photo, although I could have. Hope nobody minds.

It was a dark and stormy night...

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:44:52 -0800

This was taken on an evening stroll. It's amazing how soothing a walk in the forest is to me.

Hünibach, Switzerland.

Hope

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:40:21 -0800

It might be the birth of our daughter. Things seem to be shifting...my focus, my outlook; others, coming to a head, decisions waiting just around the corner.

At any rate, simplifying life seems like a really good idea right about now.

Mia II

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:09:23 -0800

This was taken on day three, and we are all getting some much needed z's.

Mia

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 02:29:40 -0800

Our daughter is here! And with her, my new favorite subject for the foreseeable future!

Social Club

Sat, 1 Mar 2008 23:25:04 -0800

This social club in Brooklyn has obviously seen better days. I liked the old-fashioned language on the sign, and how well it still looked compared to the rest of the building.

Our first child can arrive any moment now, so my postings are a bit more sporadic than they usually are.

43rd St. Exit

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:24:00 -0800

More architectural details, this time from the Chrysler Building in Manhattan.

Recently, I thought to myself: What if I were to leave NYC tomorrow? Would I feel I captured the essence of it, so I would remember it the way I see it today?

Boardwalk

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:26:00 -0800

Bay Ridge boardwalk in the late summer evening sun.

Stand-off

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:15:00 -0800

Stand-off on the 4 train.

91st floor

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:23:00 -0800

This is another example of the processing technique I used in Balcony. So far it's just a fun experiment.

go

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:23:00 -0800

The fact that this is the MetLife building is really rather secondary in this instance. Sure, it's a cool building, but there are surely many better images of it out there.

Instead, there were other things that intrigued me here. The green for "go," in context to my previous post, for example. Another thing is the near symmetry...things are just a bit off, and don't quite line up, which makes it more interesting to me.

no go

Fri, 8 Feb 2008 18:21:00 -0800

The secret language of subways has always intrigued me, and I made several attempts at doing it justice.

on the move

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 18:21:00 -0800

Rockefeller Center, New York City.

What interested me was the static, symmetrical setting vs. the blurry guard moving.

Golden Lead

Sat, 2 Feb 2008 21:34:00 -0800

Another take of the same architectural detail at Rockefeller Center (click on the photo above to view).

I frequently wonder about vertical vs. horizontal formats, and I notice my own preference for verticals. Unfortunately, they are less convenient for online viewing. Which do you prefer?

Diagonals

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:23:00 -0800

Handrail at Rockefeller Center, New York City.

Recently, I walked around the lower level of Rockefeller Center and stumbled upon this and some other interesting architectural details. It makes me want to find out more about its architecture.

The lever

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:18:00 -0800

You know the lever in horror movies, the one that you know will make horrible things happen if touched? That's what this sign and lever reminded me of.

Glimpse

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:56:00 -0800

Emerge

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:22:00 -0800

Balcony

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:21:00 -0800

Carnegie Hall, New York City.

The station

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:22:00 -0800

A train station in New Jersey, taken from within the train.

Beacon

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:17:00 -0800

St. Patrick's, as seen from W. 51st St. in Manhattan.

The color of love

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 18:18:00 -0800

Who knew roses came in such a variety of colors?

Midare

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 20:21:00 -0800

New York City Ballet's Peter Boal in Leigh Witchell's Midare.

One from the archives.

De-construct

Sun, 6 Jan 2008 20:14:00 -0800

A study in contrasts, both in color and brightness.

Murten

Thu, 3 Jan 2008 17:32:00 -0800

The rooftops of Murten, Switzerland, in the waning daylight.

Happy New Year, America! (party in my pants)

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 13:25:00 -0800

Back when Superman used to be G-rated...

But that was then, and this is 2008 - Happy New Year to all of you!

Thanks to Richard for making pixyblog possible & thanks to all of the folks who have visited and commented on roamingpixels.com.

Thank you also to all of my fellow photographers here on pixyblog. Your work keeps inspiring and teaching me all the time, and it's great to be in the company of such talented and creative minds from all over the world.

Portrait of three religions

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:23:00 -0800

From left to right: Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam.

Visit to Area 51

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:23:00 -0800

This menacing looking alien is really just the shell of a crab.

The power of your letter

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 20:13:00 -0800

There's currently only one friend that I write to regularly, but we both really value each other's letters a lot! It's wonderful to get a letter from a dear friend, and an email simply cannot compete...

The glow of the egg really caught my attention. Very little post-processing was done for this photo.

Reclining Buddha

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 15:21:00 -0800

The Chaukhtatgyi reclining Buddha in Yangon, Burma. (70m long)

Although it's housed by something more akin to a hangar than a temple, as long as it has a sacred buddha in it, it's still considered a pagoda.

We met in a dream once

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:15:00 -0800

The experience of catching a fleeting glimpse of a stranger and having the weird feeling of knowing him/her from somewhere...

The shell

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:21:00 -0800

It started out as a simple photo, and via a duo-tone I arrived at this version, which I really like. What do you think?

Equanimity

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:11:00 -0800

Another one from the studio shoot with dancers. This pose looks deceptively simple, but fortunately my subject was a great sport and indulged me.

Journey into the unknown

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:23:00 -0800

Subway tunnel, New York city.

This shot was taken under pretty difficult circumstances: low light, lots of shake, and through a dirty window. Considering all that, I'm really happy with the outcome; the circumstances ended up becoming part of the final image.

As it is above, so it is below

Sat, 8 Dec 2007 14:17:00 -0800

As it is Above, so it is Below.
Mary Burmeister

Be merciful

Wed, 5 Dec 2007 19:41:00 -0800

An old bench in a church in Blumenstein, a tucked-away, small village, not too far from where I grew up. It's in the canton of Berne, Switzerland. The church dates back to 1285.

The inscription begins with "Be merciful to me..."

Royal Ontariao Museum

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 19:19:00 -0800

This modern part of the Royal Ontario Museum, called the crystal, was designed by Michael Lee-Chin.

Inferno

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:22:00 -0800

On the road to Toronto.

The clouds are original, but the fiery character of the sky is Photoshop.

Passed By

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:23:00 -0800

New York City.

A solitary figure is getting bypassed by the express train.

Shwedagon Paya

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 23:19:47 -0800

Shwedagon Paya in Yangon, Burma.

Nuns are a pretty rare sight, compared to monks. Here we see a novice nun about to leave an open hall with golden budhhas.

Man, chickens

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 04:43:00 -0800

A man stands shyly in the background, while we tourists visited his farm. Men in Burma still wear the traditional longhi instead of pants.

Twante, Burma.

Fly Ballet

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:25:00 -0800

"Three's A Crowd" - Ballet for three flies and bread crumb in four short acts:

Act I: A scrumptuous feast

Act II: The intruder

Act III: Size does matter

Act IV: Things get out of hand

Paranoia

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 02:28:06 -0800

A creative experiment, attempting to visualize the concept of being paranoid.