Stella!

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/500sec, 1600ISO, 40mm

Winter storm Stella hit NYC yesterday. I had to go to work in the afternoon. The train was deserted. Manhattan was empty of cars and people, very few people were out. I grabbed my camera and threw the 40mm pancake lens on with the intention of capturing some snowy images on my commute. 

Long Island Rail Road M7 pulling in
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/10, 1/320sec, 640ISO, 40mm

I didn't take my camera out of the bag until I got to the train station. The snow was falling, it was cold and breezy. My camera worked fine, I tried to keep it dry, but it did get a little wet. Putting it in my bag or jacket pocket after use caused it to fog up the viewfinder a bit, so some of the photos I was shooting were basically done blind, hoping that the composition and focused was spot on, and hoping the exposure wasn't blown out or too dark. 

Older style MTA Logo on the rear door of the F-350
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/320sec, 1600ISO, 40mm

The Joyce Theater
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/640sec, 1600ISO, 40mm

Graffiti and Greek Food
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/320sec, 1600ISO, 40mm

Clearing the streets
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/500sec, 1600ISO, 40mm

Penn station was empty for a weekday rush hour time. I wish it was always so empty. 

Tuesday at 5:36p, usually very limited space to walk around the waiting people in the area
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5.6, 1/100sec, 320ISO, 40mm

When I got off the train at my station, the lens got some condensation on it, and I failed to notice until I reviewed the photograph of the station and train.  Oops.

condensation on the lens
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5.6, 1/160sec, 1250ISO, 40mm

My wife had sent me a text stating that the lights were flickering in the house and half the wall circuits around the house weren't working. And when I got close to home, I noticed a burning electrical smell, with lots of FDNY trucks present. Black smoke was pouring out of a subway grate (not for a subway though). FDNY left, then ConEd showed up with their emergency service vehicles. A manhole cover near the grating popped a short time later, I hear it as I was trying to shovel the sidewalk and driveway. Flames started shooting up, and a couple more pops. We ended up loosing all power a little while later, but ConEd was able to get it restored around 3am. 

Smoking!
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/100sec, 2000ISO, 40mm

Winter Advisory in Effect!

Plow on the Move
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/400sec, 400ISO, 40mm

Here in New York City, we are bracing for the arrival of a blizzard. This winter has been pretty mild, with very little snow overall. The last time we had a lot of snow, well, really the only time we got a lot of snow this winter, was February 9th, though we got a bit on Friday, the roads were warm so it wasn't a mess. 

Confused Blossoms?
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/250sec, 400ISO, 40mm

I was home for the first part of the day on the 9th, so I decided to grab my camera, with the shorty forty lens, and head into the elements to get some snaps of the neighborhood.

Ornate FDNY Call Box
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/4.5, 1/1250sec, 400ISO, 40mm

All around NYC, there are FDNY call boxes, some also have a NYPD call button, but the majority of them around northeastern Queens are strictly FDNY. There are a few different varieties, I was able to shoot one of the older, more ornate boxes, as well as a more modern one.

More Modern FDNY Call Box
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/400sec, 400ISO, 40mm

Most people were staying indoors, there were very few cars on the road, and the people out and about were mostly working on clearing snow. 

Snow Blower Jealousy from afar
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/500sec, 400ISO, 40mm

Some shops were open, such as the Bagel Club, and as the day wore on, the snow stopped falling and roads were cleared as people resumed their normal lives. 

Greek Food and Butcher Shop Open for Business
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/250sec, 400ISO, 40mm

Hope you stocked up on liquor before the storm!!
Canon 5D Mark III, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/250sec, 400ISO, 40mm

I have a big event that loads in tomorrow morning, so I really am not looking forward to this storm. NYC Department of Education has already closed schools for tomorrow, but the event is still on! So hoping my commute in the morning will be uneventful and I get where I need to go. 

#tbt Autumn in Central Park two years ago

Central Park Detail
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/125sec, 200ISO, 40mm

Two years ago in October, the company I formerly worked was illuminating a wedding at the Central Park Boathouse. My day consisted of me stopping by the venue to ensure quality was top notch, and interface with the client and the venue contacts. The event setup went well, the crew had no real issues. I can't remember if I took photos of the setup for that wedding or not, but I had taken my camera with me, and the lens of choice for that day was the 40mm pancake lens. 

Central Park Autumn Evening
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/10, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 40mm

If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you will notice that I mainly use three lenses. I use the Tokina 11-16mm f2/8 lens a lot for work, and it is usually the lens for my Wide Angle Wednesday posts. When I purchased my first dSLR, it came with a kit lens, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, which is my third most used lens at this point, it is the lens I use when I know I will want wide angle shots and a little telephoto action. But my pancake lens, the EF 40mm f/2.8, might be my favorite. 

Boats and the Boathouse
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/10, 1/250sec, 640ISO, 40mm

The small size of the shorty forty means that the 60D doesn't feel as bulky or heavy, so I am more apt to throw the camera in my bag and take it with me. I also like the challenge a prime lens offers, as I have to think more about composition, and use my feet to zoom. 

8th Ave Looking South from Columbus Circle
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 640ISO, 40mm

That day two years ago in October, I walked from the west side of the park to the Boathouse, which is closer to the east side. Afterwards, I walked back out to the west side and down to Columbus Circle to the ACE trains, and then down to Penn Station. I was glad to have taken the camera with me, as my walk to and from work became a photo walk, allowing me to stretch my photographic muscles. I also captured a few of the photos that have become favorites of mine, such as the second one in this post, and the final one below.

LIRR Penn Station Clock and Flag Entrance
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/4, 1/160sec, 1600ISO, 40mm

Springtime!

This past Friday was the Spring Equinox. It was also another snow storm. That didn't stop us from heading out to Planting Fields Arboretum State Park. One of the best values as a New York State resident is purchasing the Empire Passport, which allows unlimited entry to all of the state parks. We take advantage of it, just by our visits to Jones Beach over the summer.

First Day of Spring!
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/400sec, 320ISO, 40mm

Snow was still covering most of the grounds, and the trees haven't awoken from their winter slumber. However, the greenhouses on the property both have most of their plants in bloom.

Dangling Texture
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 400ISO, 40mm

There were two greenhouses we visited, the first was the main greenhouse, which housed cacti and succulents, houseplants, ferns, orchids, amongst others. There were so many different orchid blooms, so these are just a small handful of the photos I shot.

Orchid
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 400ISO, 40mm

The lighting conditions outside were grey and overcast, though not to dark. It created a nice soft light inside the greenhouses. In the main greenhouse, I also used an LED ring light attached to the front of my shorty forty. 

Tower of Orchid
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/125sec, 640ISO, 40mm

All shots are handheld since monopods and tripods are not allowed in the greenhouses. 

Orchid
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 640ISO, 40mm

The struggle was to keep a fast enough shutter speed to have sharp photos, but have a small enough aperture to get as much depth of focus when shooting near macro photos. 

Orchid
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 640ISO, 40mm

I wish I had taken pictures of the nameplates, so unfortunately, I am unaware what each of these orchids are named.

Orchid
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 640ISO, 40mm

That is something I should work on, as I often forget the names of the animals after a trip to the zoo as well.

Orchid
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5, 1/160sec, 640ISO, 40mm

I have always enjoyed greenhouses. It has always been cool to see exotic flora.

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5, 1/160sec, 640ISO, 40mm

After the main greenhouse, we visited the Camillia House with its many roses.

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 40mm

There was a sign outside this greenhouse that lighting equipment was prohibited, so I did not use the LED ring light. I still need to use it as more before I make a decision, but so far I am a little unimpressed. I was hoping it would be a little brighter than it seems to be.

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 40mm

Once again, I failed to take note of the names of each of these flowers.

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5.6, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 40mm

I also noticed that a circular polarized lens would have helped a lot in these conditions, as it would have eliminated the reflections off of the leaves and petals.

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5.6, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 40mm

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5.6, 1/125sec, 640ISO, 40mm

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5.6, 1/125sec, 640ISO, 40mm

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5.6, 1/125sec, 640ISO, 40mm

Frozen Smoke

I have started getting in the habit of trying to take some personal shots on my way home from photographing an event. I'm out already with the gear, might as well take a little time and try to capture some great images.

Frozen Smoke
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 13sec, 100ISO, 40mm

 The shorty-forty lens was used to take this shot. I always grab it and take it with me if I have another lens attached to the camera; that's the benefit of the pancake design. The long exposure makes the smoke from the large chimney look frozen.

New York State Pavilion Open Gate on Opening Day 50th Anniversary

Springtime in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/500sec, 100ISO, 40mm

Wednesday I posted photos from April 22nd of this year through the wide angle lens (World's Fair Wide Angle Wednesday). Today, I am adding some of the photos that were captured through my shorty forty (EF 40mm f/2.8 STM), and one from an old zoom lens I inherited (EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM). 

There is a Long Island Railroad station that serves Flushing-Meadows. It opened for the first World's Fair in 1939. When I first moved to Queens, it was the Shea Stadium stop, but now it is called Mets-Willets Point. This station is only operational during the US Open, and during Mets home games. Since the fall, the LIRR has been utilizing tracks 3 through 4 as a parking lot for some of the trains during the afternoons. 

Red Bird in the wild
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/10, 1/500sec, 100ISO, 40mm

I spotted a Red Bird (9343) in the Corona Yard, the storage facility for the MTA's New York City Transit's 7 Trains. Though referred to as Red Birds, the R33 World's Fair cars were originally light turquoise and white. This car was delivered by the St. Louis Car Company in October of 1963. These cars were taken out of revenue service in November of 2003, so I did get a chance to ride the Red Birds after I moved to NYC. Some of them now serve as artificial reefs down the Atlantic Cost, a few are being preserved, and some, such as this one, serve as work cars.

Also visible in that photograph are the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where the US Open is held, and the Unisphere, and the Observation Towers of the New York State Pavilion. The larger stadium is Arthur Ashe Stadium, which is the world's largest tennis specific stadium. It opened in 1997. The smaller stadium is Louis Armstrong Stadium, named after the jazz musician who lived close by in Corona, Queens. It served as the main stadium from 1978 until 1997 when Arthur Ashe Stadium opened.

Silver, silver, black and yellow
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/200sec, 100ISO, 40mm

I walked further south making my way to the Pavilion and took a quick shot of a work train at rest. It is never a good sign when you see one of these barreling through a station at night, so I prefer to observe a work train in these conditions.

Unisphere looking North towards Arthur Ashe Stadium in Springtime
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/9, 1/250sec, 125ISO, 40mm

The Unisphere is one of the most iconic images of Queens, if not New York City as well. It was built on top of the Perisphere's foundation from the previous World's Fair, and was a gift from United States Steel Corporation. It features three rings, one to represent the orbit of Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space (Russian Cosmonaut), John Glenn, the first American in space, and Telstar, the first active communications satellite. 

Dry Unisphere and Queens Museum
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/400sec, 320ISO, 40mm

The Unisphere is located just outside of the Queens Museum, where I spent some of the time waiting. The thing is massive! The people in the above photograph give you a sense of the scale. It is 140' tall, and weighs 700,000lbs with a 100ton inverted tripod. 

LGA, Riker's Island, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, College Point from the "air"
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/3.5, 1/80sec, 1600ISO, 40mm

As I wrote previously, the Panorama of the City of New York is where I spent some of my time waiting. The following are some more detail shots, since they weren't taken with the wide angle lens. 

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park from the South looking North
Canon 60D, EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM, f/4.5, 1/320sec, 6400ISO, 40mm

When the Fair closed, the Panorama remained open to the public, and the map was updated regularly until 1970. It wasn't updated from 1970 until 1992, when 60,000 structures were added. Beginning in 2009, the Museum decided to try to keep it updated more regularly. People and organizations can donate money to adopt an accurate scale model of their building. The first updated model was the Mets' CitiField, which replaced Shea Stadium in 2009.

Downtown Manhattan
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/3.5, 1/125sec, 1600ISO, 40mm

One of the buildings that no longer exist in the skyline, the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, still remain on the map. They will be replaced when construction at the site is finished and the new buildings are complete, rather than a hole in the map.

Waiting...
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5, 1/320sec, 125ISO, 40mm

After heading back to the gates of the Tent of Tomorrow, I waited outside for our number to be called. Hardhats were required once inside. I noticed they had placed blue decorative balls ontop of the rods just above the entrance, as it looked 50 years prior. And a flag was hung there as well.

Towers through the Tent
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/1000sec, 125ISO, 40mm

I finally made it inside! We were told we had 10 minutes, so I tried to make the most of it, capturing some images with my shorty forty and switching to the wide angle lens. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.

West Entrance with Texaco
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/250sec, 125ISO, 40mm

They had restored some of the signage, such as the Texaco sign.

 

Planters
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/250sec, 125ISO, 40mm

And the Restaurant sign as well...

Stitched Together
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/250sec, 125ISO, 40mm

I took several photos and used Microsoft's Image Composite Editor to create this large image above. 15 images were combined to create the final product.

My time was up, I left and headed back to the LIRR to head home to Northeastern Queens. As I passed the Unisphere, I turned around and captured one final image of the Pavilion. One final image that day, as I have returned multiple times since April to the park and always seem to photograph it. 

Remnants of the World's Fair in Spring
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/400sec, 320ISO, 40mm