Photography Series: Up Above

Our surroundings so rarely change. The buildings, the cars, the people – they all remain largely the same as they were yesterday, the week or month prior. I think that's why when I've been shooting photographs lately so little of the frame actually focuses on buildings, highways, people, mountains or any other type of stationary object. When I'm shooting wide-angle, most of my photos are focused on what's above us. It's not necessarily something I do deliberately, but when I'm looking through the viewfinder, and tilt my camera ever so slightly upward, I end up liking what I see more than whatever may have been the intended subject. It's something about the colors, the changing cloud patterns, or even cloudless skies, and the idea that there's so much out there above and beyond our daily existence. There's a daily interaction between the land and the sky, turning similar images into entirely different ones depending on the lighting, the clouds, or with the presence of an awe-inspiring sunset.

It all makes me want to take flight, or at least snap another photo.

Los Angeles, from The Getty. November 2011.

The Jesus, from Taco Surf, Baja California. November 2011.

Oil Platforms off Newport Beach. July 2011.

East Village, Manhattan from Williamsburg. November 2011.

Dana Point Harbor. November 2010.

Huntington Beach Pier. January 2010.

Catalina and the Pacific, from Strands Vista. October 2011.

Sunset over Salt Creek Beach. March 2011.

Project 365: Week II - Horses & Skyscapes

My one wish in pursuing this project is that I had a backup point-and-shoot because lugging the SLR around proves a bit difficult on a day-to-day basis. But I'm still going strong. I had to resort to the Blackberry one day, but it's a photo all the same. Some days it's been bliss to shoot away, others it's been a last minute scramble to ensure that I stay on track. Below are the results of the past 8 days, and from here on out I'll be providing Friday rundowns of that weeks results.

You'll notice there are recurring themes in my photos of the past week – horse racing and skyscapes. With my Master's project hitting the homestretch (I have a draft due on Tuesday), I've been spending a lot of time out at the horse racing tracks. And in regard to the skyscapes, we've had mostly clear skies since I've been back, which has led to some dramatic late afternoon lighting. Enjoy. (You can see all the photos on my Flickr page.)

Day 8 - "Last Race at Aqueduct" - I'm new to racetracks. Before my time in New York, my knowledge of horse racing was what I took from 'Seabiscuit.' Now the track is a favorite spot in NY. (Taken with my Blackberry.)

Day 9 - "Into the Paddock" - Thoroughbreds are truly magnificent creatures and incredible athletes. For the first several years of their lives, if they have a lick of speed, racing is all they know.

Day 10 - "Dusk in the Square" - My goal on this evening was to go somewhere new. I'd been in the area around Washington Square, but never in the park. Nice lighting. (Note: Apparently WS is the place to score weed. I was approached twice in 10 minutes.)

Day 11 - "Tree of Lights" - College Walk on the campus of Columbia University has it's trees dressed for the holidays.

Day 12 - "Joe Pulitzer" - He's the reason the Jschool exists. So he gets a bust and quotes all over the building.

Day 13 - "Three Years" - Somethings from the lady. It's true 3 years together on Jan. 12. The painting was by her hand and a reminder for me of home.

Day 14 - "In Flight, In Pursuit" - It's because I'm still so new to the sport, but every horse race blows my mind. The creatures are an example of poor anatomical contruction, but damn, they can move. And no wonder making a career as a jock is so brutal; I've heard the war stories and every stumble or crash has the power to alter someone's life forever.

Day 15 - "The Mig" - Mr. New York Racing. Not only is Mig, Richard Migliore, one of the winningest jockeys in NY, but in the top 20 in history. He's been the reason I'm at the track week after week and he's got quite the store to tell.