Saltydog Photography

Stark

2012-01-08T22:50:00.004-05:00

Bare branches at dusk, starkly silhouetted against a cold yet beautifully colored winter sky

I ventured out on one of the coldest days of the season to date with entirely different intentions, namely to capture a picture of the Big Duck in it's Holiday dress. I passed my turn-off and ended up turning around at a this dead-end street overlooking Flanders Bay. I was enchanted by the evening sky and picked this tree to provide a focal point. Goes to show you that you never know what to expect. The Big Duck pictures didn't come out at all, but this one's fast become one of my favorite landscape pictures of all of 2011!

New Beginnings

2012-01-01T22:18:00.009-05:00

First sunrise on the first morning of brand spanking new 2012

After a rather intense 2011, which also kept me quite busy with work, I decided to stop posting here and on Flickr for a while. But if you know me at least a little, you will also know that I will never stop taking pictures no matter how busy I get. Part of my New Year;s resolution is to revive this photo blog and what better picture to choose than the first sunrise of the year. Taken at Montauk Lighthouse, the easternmost point of NY State. Montauk has long been one of my favorite places to get away from it all and so I came here to spend a peaceful New Year's Eve away from the crowds and the madness,, give 2011 a little kick on it's way out the door and welcome 2012. Cheers to you all!

Tethered

2011-07-26T01:09:00.006-04:00

Lobster Skiff tethered to Northport Town Dock

Gosh, it's been a while although I have been taking a ton of pictures for both work and pleasure. But work got the upper hand and I haven't really gotten around to posting many pics of my new surroundings, as beautiful as they might be. Northport is one charming little town and it's become somewhat of a new custom to take a stroll down Main Street each Saturday morning, coffee in hand, down to the Northport Farmer's Market and the town docks, listening to live music and taking pics. The above Oyster Skiff is the result of one of those Saturday morning strolls. For more pictures of Northport, visit me on Flickr.

Ghostly

2011-06-06T21:31:00.006-04:00

Seemingly abandoned "ghost ship" in thick early evening fog

Lagging a little behind in the season with my posting, but oh boy - I've been wanting to take a pic of this decaying wooden house boat ever since I first moved to the area almost 7 years ago. But somehow it just never seemed compelling enough,until one very foggy April evening three days before moving again, across the Island, to the very different environs of the North Shore. Taken with my little Lumix at that, but I love the shot, love the mood - love the blues :D !!

Spring Springing Soon

2011-04-03T12:21:00.005-04:00

Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park in Oyster Bay Cove

Fluffy clouds traveling along blue skies, a yellow sheen on the still-bare branchbes and grass turning green again all hint at the imminent arrival of spring. I cannot wait...!

Stark

2011-03-13T20:44:00.007-04:00

Midday sun shadow sculpture

In sharp contrast to the delicate and subtle early morning light in the previous shot, here's a somewhat harsh and stark photograph of one of my favorite subjects - those dune fences. I love how different lighting conditions can generate such different moods...

On the Road

2011-02-27T22:37:00.007-05:00

Roadside morning at the shore

I just love the somewhat gritty yet melancholy vibe that comes with road trips and motels and off-season seaside resorts. So I decided that in light of the very tumultuous start of the year 2011, I deserve a little treat and took off for a four-day trip down the Jersey Shore. I took this pic getting ready to hit the road again after my first night which I spent in Pt. Pleasant and it pretty much embodies the lone wolf traveler romanticism which makes road trips so attractive in my eyes :)

Drab'n Dreary

2011-02-02T13:33:00.007-05:00

Old, gray and lonesome vessel on a Brightwaters canal

I have decided that there's only one way to fight this horrible winter weather we've been having along with the unemployment blues and that is by "shooting back"! So I put on an extra warm pair of socks, grabbed my camera bag and headed out the door. I thought the sight of this gray boat on gray water under gray skies next to this bright red stop sign summed up the mood just perfectly. STOP with this weather already... This by the way is not done via "selective coloring" our world really looks this drab these days. Oh well - according to Phil the Groundhog, spring isn't too far away. Let's hope he's right!

All My Swans in a Row

2011-01-31T18:24:00.006-05:00

Swans heading into the setting sun

Suffering from a bout of cabin fever after yet another snow storm moved through the area, I headed out for snow pictures in Gardiner County park as soon as the roads had been somewhat cleared. I arrived at the bay just around sunset and some remnants of dark storm clouds were still lingering in the western part of the sky. A lot of swans were hanging out along the eastern part of the beach, and as dusk started to fall, they suddenly began heading towards the shore. This group flew for a short stretch and my heart just stopped when they suddenly settled right on the darkest part of the water in a perfectly straight line. I had to run to catch up and wasn't looking where I was going, and ended up crashing through the frozen slush at the edge of the bay. But in my opinion, this shot was worth my cold wet feet ten times over :)

Silver Lining

2010-12-13T21:13:00.007-05:00

A sliver of light and color at the end of a drab and stormy early December day

I know it's been a while since I've been posting one of those ocean shots, but once in a while I just have to sprinkle one in...Here, the storm clouds gave way to a small band of orange at the end of the day. I just loved the speck of otherworldly red in the sky, but oh boy was it cold! I specifically drove down with tripod and all my gear to take photographs, and this is the only (& handheld) picture I took before running back to my car shivering like crazy!

Long Island Beginnings

2010-12-06T23:45:00.005-05:00

The tip of Long Island, as seen from Gantry State Plaza in Queens

High Rises aren't exactly what you'd first associate with suburban Long Island and people are often confused why Long Island is so boldly written across old container lifts at Gantry State Plaza in Queens. But as a matter of fact, not only Queens but Brooklyn as well technically are part of Long Island indeed. Even though both boroughs are a far cry from suburban lawns and picket fences. Incidentally, this part of town - with it's spectacular Manhattan views - has been booming for a few years and it's a far cry from the Queens I moved to in 1998. None of these buildings existed back then, and the park had just opened!

Global

2010-11-12T20:15:00.008-05:00

The Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Corona Park

In my opinion, the impressive Queens Unisphere is one of the most under-appreciated landmarks in NYC. I am simply awed by it,but it is always hard to convey how gigantic it really seems. It is 140 feet (42+ meters) tall and you feel truly dwarfed standing in front of it. I always pass by it on my way into NYC but never stop. This time I did and hopefully will do so many more times.

Caught

2010-11-08T18:06:00.005-05:00

Nathan's Famous, Coney Island, NY

Normally I only post photos taken very recently on this blog. But for this one, I am making an exception. After a major computer meltdown a few weeks ago, I was lucky to be able to rescue most of my photographs, but a few were irretrievably lost. This here is one of them and probably my favorite. The reason I can show it here is because I had previously uploaded a very much downsized version to Flickr. I love unpredictable street shots like this and am bummed that I won't ever be able to print it for my collection at a decent size.

First Light

2010-11-01T14:00:00.008-04:00

Fishermen walking into the first light of the day at Robert Moses Field 5

There are few things in life which I find as magical and enchanting as experiencing the sunrise at the ocean, no matter what time of the year. These days it feels quite fresh out here by the water, but the sun rises late enough that it is easy to catch. Photographers and Anglers are the only crazies you will find out here at this time of day.

Pumpkin Season

2010-10-29T20:17:00.014-04:00

Pumpkin Farm on Long Island's North Fork

Fall season has undeniably arrived on Long Island, even though the weather has been incredibly kind to us here in the Northeast. While fall is definitely my favorite season of the year, I have surprisingly few fall photographs. That's why I packed up my camera gear and went on a little road trip to the North Fork, Long Island's most rural environment. For more fall pics, check out my Flickr Gallery

Gone Fishing

2010-08-25T21:33:00.004-04:00

Gone Fishing on the Great South Bay

After a crazy hot summer, we suddenly experienced some sort of "fall preview" during the second half of August. Low temps and cloudy skies prevailed for almost a whole week and the beaches remained pleasantly empty. Shot this on a calm and peaceful Wednesday afternoon :)

Last Take

2010-07-23T19:47:00.007-04:00

Taken from the 12th floor of 40 Park on my last day at work

Yoohoo - I couldn't wait for this day to come and then it was almost sad... I worked here on and off over a span of 7 years. Although I've come to truly despise Midtown Manhattan with it's bland personality and ongoing dusty, noisy construction projects along with sidewalks full of stuffed corporate suits and clueless tourists - it felt odd to leave it behind for good. This is my parting shot, taken with my little Lumix point-and-shoot. That's looking north, up Park Avenue, with Grand Central Station dwarfed by the Met Life Building in the background, and the Chrysler Building in the upper right.

Fossilized

2010-04-02T20:49:00.008-04:00

Fossilized and vandalized Dial-Up Telephone

I see this phone every day on my way to work and have been wanting to photograph it forever. It speaks of truly bygone times. I am not sure that the children of the 2010s will be able to recognize it by sight. It also speaks of a story, especially if you zoom in closely and spot the three variations of the same telephone number carved or keyed into the outer casing. Since I wont' ever be able to find out what it's all about, I just might make it up...

Heartfelt

2010-03-21T18:44:00.007-04:00

With heartfelt apologies to all of our customers...

Besides the beautiful, I'm always drawn to all the little oddities on the side of the road so to speak; and this one certainly is a perfect example. The owners of this closed Getty gas station have decorated all their now defunct gas pumps with big and bright red cardboard hearts. Why the hearts I do not know, but they certainly make me smile every time I drive by.

Handled

2010-03-14T23:04:00.004-04:00

Playground Play

Oh Boy - it certainly has been a while. Had some major spamming problems, meaning I suddenly had all these comments on my posts, but they were just really lame advertising. I cleaned most of it up and here I am back again :) !

This one was shot at a little beach playground I passed this afternoon and I really liked the combination of texture, repetition and color. And, it's not even blue; go figure. Hope you'll like it too!

Shootout

2009-11-23T21:27:00.006-05:00

Shootout at Robert Moses Field 5

Okay, now here's a beach picture of a somewhat different kind. I love taking people pictures at the beach during the colder months, they often have a strangely "staged" feel to them. And yes, these ladies cracked me up. As much as I love photography, I kind of resent people who drag around big-gun equipment when they really don't know what they are doing at all and worse - don't even know that they don't know anything (at least I do ;). These three ladybugs arrived at the beach huffing and puffing just when the sun was hovering a couple of fingers above the horizon. Like synchronized swimmers, they all stopped moving at the same time, planted their feet firmly in the sand, then whipped out their Nikon D-SLRs. They never moved, never checked their displays, never changed a setting or a lens. And although it was neither windy nor cold, as soon as the last sliver of sun had disappeared, they turned on their heels and marched back to the parking lot without so much as giving the beautiful water and sky another glance. Oh, but what really got me was the one who kept firing the little pop-up flash on her camera - with nothing to illuminate in between her and the setting sun 93 million miles away. Sigh...

At The Same Moment...

2009-09-25T10:14:00.003-04:00

...my ferry departed, the helicopter took off.

I am not sure why these words intrigue me, but it certainly was a surprise to find them sprawled across the otherwise very businesslike NY Harbor ferry slips. I remember my first visit to NYC at the age of 15, and an evening spent on top of the Empire State Building after dark. I could not stop staring at the seemingly endlessly stretching strings of flickering lights and tried to imagine the millions of life's scenarios playing out at the same moment far below. I felt jealous, privileged and very small at the same time. It was then that I fell in love with New York City, and maybe it was then that I fell in love with photography as well. Every picture is one of a million moments and one of a million possibilities.

Sailing through

2009-09-21T10:23:00.003-04:00

Beautiful Sailboat alongside NY Watertaxi in front of Manhattan Skyline

The other day I finally managed to visit Governor's Island, something which had been on my to-do list for quite some time. Governor's Island lies only a five minute ferry ride from lower Manhattan smack-dab in the middle of NY Harbor and it is from said ferry that managed to sneak this shot on a very picture perfect day.

Hot Coals

2009-09-15T22:29:00.004-04:00

Jones Beach BBQ Area in Field #6 after one too many weekend storms

I am always a sucker for the surreal and when I discovered this bright red overturned barrel against a flooded Jones Beach picnic area, I just had to click that shutter.

Pink on Blue

2009-09-01T21:51:00.004-04:00

Pink shirted Austrian tourist taking photographs at my favorite museum in NYC - P.S.1 in Long Island City, Queens.

Maybe it's because I took thousands of "people pics" as a paid gig during late spring and early summer, but lately I find myself pointing my camera at people more often than not. I have always been intrigued by the off-beat 1/500 of a second shot capturing the odd as well as the beautiful. Here, I love the odd expression and the beautiful light and colors...

Dashing

2009-08-31T21:09:00.002-04:00

Dancing with the waves

Yes it's true - after more than a six-month hiatus, I have decided to revive this blog. There are many reasons why I stopped tending to it - not having a car to get around, not being able to process .RAW files any longer, my husband's hospitalization, our sudden move and my sudden overkill freelance work schedule for three different jobs are just some of them. But, I am excited to be back and I hope that some of you will return and stay with me!

This shot was taken at my favorite Robert Moses Beach field 5 after tropical storm Danny made for high surf warnings and a lot of people came out to watch the waves. I shot a whole series of this kid and his friend running through and from the surf. But this crisp silhouette shot is my favortite!

Hats Off

2009-03-14T18:09:00.007-04:00

Psychedelic swirl shot on my kitchen floor

No, this is not some Photoshop experiment gone wrong - it's what happens when I am trapped at home all day long. A good thing about having that photographer's heart beating inside me is, that I rarely get bored, because there's always something to play around with. A bad thing about it is, that non-photographers often wonder "why" and roll their eyes... But just in case anyone out there wonders "what" and "how" - this is an empty red wine goblet sitting atop my rather colorful hat, LOL. I wish I had a better macro lens, mine's something of a cheapy and won't render ultimate sharpness no matter what. But I greatly enjoyed playing around with those psychedelic optics, hopefully so will you. Straight out of the camera, no Photoshop or post processing involved.

Feline Noir

2009-03-12T21:30:00.004-04:00

Cat Ashes in the sun on the kitchen floor

Here's something a little different for a change. Still having to manage without a car on most days, I am beginning to suffer from photography withdrawal and have to look closer to home for pictures worth taking. This morning, I spotted my cat Ashes, who loves the warm bright squares the sunlight shining through the windows creates on our floors. Yes, Ashes is gray, but I thought the lines and shadows created the distinct "noir" look of movie fame. And that parted fur looked pretty cool to me too!

Spiraled

2009-02-21T17:50:00.005-05:00

Standing inside the base of the Fire Island Lighthouse looking up

Ever since my first visit to the Fire Island Lighthouse about 10 years ago, I've been wanting to climb up the tower, yet for one reason or another never got around to doing it. Until yesterday, that is. The views from the top (where you can even go outside) are truly fantastic and the view from the bottom can be quite - eerie. Down here, the walls of the lighthouse are 11 feet thick and a metal staircase leads upwards for 182 steps. While large windows create a rather airy atmosphere higher up, the single dim light bulb illuminating the old bricks makes for a somewhat unsettling "dungeon feel" at the bottom.

Redbird

2009-02-19T21:12:00.005-05:00

Old subway car type 'R36' at the NYC Transit Museum

This is the interior of an old # 7 train, a line which runs between Times Square and Willets Point/Shea Stadium in Queens. Although technically a so called "Redbird", this train car actually still retains it's original color scheme on the outside, meaning it probably was retired before the year 1985, which is the year many cars of this type were painted a dark red color to combat a worsening Graffiti problem. This model is old enough to sport windows which could actually be opened, and built in ceiling fans instead of air conditioning.

Pipe Dreams

2009-02-07T18:42:00.005-05:00

Pile of rusted pipes glowing Electric Blue

Although I frequently play around with my shots in Photoshop, I rarely post the results here or on my website because I really do not take it all that seriously. But, as some of you might now, I am currently without a car and therefore somewhat limited in my photo choices. I found these rusty pipes outside a construction site and was intrigued. Even more so after with the help of some adjustments in Photoshop, they began to glow in - did I mention I love the color Blue :D ?

Frozen

2009-02-02T18:30:00.005-05:00

Ice and ice floats cover the Moriches Bay Inlet by West Hampton

We've had a truly cold winter so far and even after a couple of warming days, the south shore bays between the Atlantic Ocean and the barrier islands are almost completely covered by ice. The water level rises and falls with the tide, leaving behind these pretty cool looking huge icy chunks. Contrary to the fact that they will float, even the smaller ones are incredibly heavy. I could not find one that I was actually able to lift.

Powdered

2009-01-20T12:17:00.006-05:00

Branches looking cotton candy pretty after snow fell all night

Yesterday morning I awoke to the classical views of a winter wonderland. Snow had fallen all night long, and it was the right kind of snow, the one that sticks. By mid morning the sun had melted most of the snow on roofs and trees so I hurried out before it all disappeared. The best spots still remaining were unfortunately the ones in the shade, so this image didn't turn out as sparkly as it could have, had I gotten myself out of the door a little earlier.

Benched Again

2009-01-15T11:59:00.004-05:00

Lonely benches bathed in beautiful evening light

Boy, I am lagging a bit behind here as I have recently been shooting a lot, despite the rather unfriendly temperatures. One of the things I most appreciate about Long Island is the often unique and beautiful light and here's one of my favorite photos from the past week. Two lonesome benches sitting somewhat forlorn in the middle of Short Beach on Long Island's north shore. They probably don't look familiar, but I have posted them here once before. Check out my entry from November 20, 2007 if you really want to see how much photography is all about the light!

Goosed

2009-01-09T11:01:00.003-05:00

Geese settling in for the night on the Nissaquogue River

As much as I often curse life in suburbia, sometimes I cannot help but feeling enchanted by the many beautiful spots which still remain and continue to defy the steadily progressing development of Long Island. This was a chance encounter with some geese and some magical evening light, and although I did not have my tripod handy, I simply had to stop and take a shot.

Merry Christmas 2008

2008-12-24T17:28:00.003-05:00

Montauk Lighthouse dressed for the holidays

For the first time in 211 years, the Montauk Lighthouse at the Eastern end of Long Island's South Fork is decorated for the holidays. As soon as I heard about it, I made plans to drive out there and take some pictures. It really looked beautiful and for those of you who received a Christmas Card from me this will look familiar. I am wishing everybody a wonderful Christmas. Here's my personal Christmas wish to everybody who sees this. Amid all the frenzy, the shopping, the food overload and gifts, lets take some time out to remember that Christmas is really and truly about love! Merry Christmas to all!

Ranched

2008-12-03T23:25:00.006-05:00

Deep Hollow Ranch, the oldest cattle ranch in the US

You might think that I went way out west, but actually I went all the way east, as far east as Long Island will go. Ended up in Montauk, a favorite destination of mine and only a 90-minute drive away. Of course there are many ocean or lighthouse shots I could post here, but this is a little different. Few people realize just how many rural elements still remain along the island, and this, the proclaimed oldest cattle ranch in the US, is one of them. Loved the late afternoon light, it seemed to suit the subject matter well.

Setting

2008-11-21T23:15:00.007-05:00

Sun setting between dunes

It's been a while since I've posted here and it's been a while since I posted one of those ocean shots, so hopefully, I'll get away with it. I felt as if I was just on a roll, when some horrible injury befell my beloved Black Lab Boris. It's called "Fibrocartiligous Emboli" or FCE for short and basically paralyzed his hind legs. Thankfully, in his case the prognosis was good and 5+ weeks later, he's made an astonishing recovery. But for the longest time, I couldn't take him along on my photo excursions and it simply felt wrong to leave him behind, therefore I didn't really go anywhere at all. But now that he's much much better, our first outing was to our beloved beach, and although some stupid park rangers prevented me from taking him all the way down to the water, I managed to take some poster shots of the sinking sun. It really was a nice sunset, and that dune grass helped a lot to prevent the usual overblown glare. The clouds were pretty cool too!

Tungsten

2008-10-10T21:13:00.005-04:00

Yellow light glows warm and inviting from inside a doorway in cool and wet Quebec City

Here's another one from our trip to Canada. A cozy doorway on a cozy Quebec street. There's something incredibly inviting when a light bulb glow yellow behind a window or door. If the outside is blue, I am definitely hooked :) !

Inverted?

2008-10-09T11:57:00.004-04:00

Whitewater rafting boats in Montreal Harbor

Boy, it's about time for an update, isn't it? I've been on vacation, a beautiful road trip through upstate New York, the Adriondacs, and all the way to Canada where I visited the cities of Montreal and Quebec. Needless to say, I've got tons of pictures, but this is one of my favorites. It looks like some elaborate Photoshop manipulation but isn't. These are very brightly colored boats in Montreal Harbor, which take tourists on a whitewater rafting experience on the Riviere (Fleuve) St. Laurent.

Re-cycled

2008-09-16T21:23:00.007-04:00

Retro-cycles as seen here in Kismet are the main means of transportation on Fire Island

Today I went for a what I thought was going to be a short walk along the beach, but the cloudy yet warm weather seemed perfect for a longer excursion. Starting at Robert Moses Beach, I walked all the way to the first little vacation village on the Fire Island National Seashore (appropriately shortened to "FINS"). Since no cars other than Ranger and emergency vehicles are allowed anywhere on Fire Island, bicycles are the main means of transportation and can be found everywhere. Mostly they are so-called "beach cruisers" and of the old-fashioned kind, as this lovely pair in pink and blue so nicely illustrates.

Strange Reminder

2008-09-11T12:08:00.004-04:00

Looks like my alarm clock was trying to tell me something...

I did not even realize today's date until the front page of the newspaper reminded me that yet another anniversary of this infamous day in history has rolled around. A short time later I glanced at my clock and saw - this. Thought it makes for an appropriate picture of the day.

Factory Work

2008-08-30T14:32:00.005-04:00

Old factory sign behind chain link fence

Enough with lofty aspirations such as freedom and liberty, and back to the daily grind. On my way to the Copiague post office today, I had to drive through the 4 block "industrial part of town", if one can call it that. While gray and rainy skies to match loomed overhead (and being somewhat bored with ocean pictures as of late), I decided to see whether some photos were hiding here. One of my finds was this old sign. I like to discover things from the past and this is certainly one of them. The factory has long since closed it's doors and the sign looked like a remnant from an era before employment agencies and internet job searches. I am pretty sure they wouldn't call it "factory work" nowadays either, but maybe "manual assembly service agents wanted".

Liberated

2008-08-26T02:30:00.005-04:00

There are many different ways to "see" the Statue of Liberty in NYC

Sticking with the current theme once again, here's another shot of the Statue of Liberty, this one straight off a tour bus, which nevertheless will get you there eventually - after a boat ride, of course, and my guess is that it will cost you extra, but I really don't know for sure.

Framed

2008-08-13T21:58:00.005-04:00

Distant Statue of Liberty, seen through a window on the Staten Island Ferry on a hazy day

Since I am at it, I thought a shot of "the real thing" might be in order. Despite the fact of having lived in or near NYC for more than 17 years and having taken many many photographs, it just recently occurred to me that I have very few shots of all the classic landmark buildings and locations. Yet, the typical tourist shots bore me and therefore mine always come out a little different. In this case, I was actually much more enamored with the turquoise worn out window frames.

Meltdown

2008-08-11T22:13:00.007-04:00

Statue head coming down at NY Metro Balloon Festival

As much as I don't want to mix photography and politics, my fingers are itching to photoshop this picture and mark the handler's t-shirts with the very key words which brought on the economic and political downfall the US is in the process of experiencing. Which words should be printed on those shirts? As I said, I don't like to mix politics and photographs, and therefore I'll leave it up to everybody's opinion and/or imagination...

Moonlight Sailing

2008-07-20T21:32:00.005-04:00

Sailing in the Great South Bay under an almost full moon

I saw this sailboat approaching and seemingly waited forever for it to come into view at the right position. Just when it did, the little turquoise motorboat (you can spot it if you squint), sped up and passed by, then stopped, turned and passed again. I was furious at them for ruining my "perfect picture", but they probably tried to get a similar shot of the sailboat as I. I finally managed to capture this one...

Squeaky

2008-07-15T21:11:00.005-04:00

July weather at its best in Stony Brook Harbor

Today was one of these incredibly rare summer days on Long Island when the world seemingly has been cleaned by a squeegy all over. Sparkling sunshine and crystal clear air, not a trace of humidity. Little puffs of "Simpson" clouds in the sky. Colors were brilliant, as you can see in this photograph taken at Stony Brook Harbor, this picture came straight out of the camera, no pp needed to make it glow. Compare it to an evening autumn shot I took on October 22 2007 at the same location...

Twins

2008-07-11T16:08:00.003-04:00

Twin Boats in Greenport Harbor

Morning light, as intriguing as it is, can be quite a bitch when it's not coming from the right direction. But I loved the shape and old-time ring of these two row boats and was determined to get at least something out of this shot. Took it with tripod at various exposures and combined them during post processing. Taken around 6:30 a.m. in the tony harbor town of Greenport on Long Island's North Fork. I like the faded and almost monochrome feel this image conveys.

Glowing

2008-06-07T19:32:00.004-04:00

Janitor's closet at the beach

Something about the washed out turquoise color of the wood in combination with the orange glow streaming from this janitor's closet at Robert Moses Beach appealed to me, but proved very hard to "catch". I tried many different angles and exposures and just couldn't quite capture it the way I saw it with the naked eye. The glow on the other hand was nicely enhanced by the way my camera interpreted the incandescent light while I had set the white balance to "cloudy". It's always fun to play around :) .

Smoked

2008-06-03T21:37:00.004-04:00

Lone cloud system moving past "Short Beach" by Smithtown, NY

Do you guys know the feeling? Sometimes there's just nothing to photograph. You haven't been anywhere interesting, the weather has been blah for days and the sky is white whenever you have some time to spare. That's how it's been for me lately, but today I was determined to capture something somehow with my camera. I went to an odd and out of the way place I found on Mapquest, just out of curiosity. It didn't look like much with the white sky and all. In the very far distance I spotted what I presumed to be a tiny cloud. After walking around for an hour and unsuccessfully trying to shoot gulls, I noticed that the "tiny" cloud started to obscure the sun and was actually quite the dynamic formation. I sat down in the sand and waited for it to move across the water. When it finally did, I took this shot. Not one of my best but I feel like it was at least worth the wait. What surprised me was how the light changed instantly the moment the clouds moved in front of the sun. It was bright afternoon light before and suddenly it looked like sunset an hour ahead of time.

Netted

2008-05-21T19:43:00.006-04:00

Fishermen's netting at a Marina near Hampton Bays

Took a little drive out east today and discovered this fishing marina with piles and piles of netting lying around the yard. This made for very colorful pics but unfortunately I had to stop as soon as I started because rain suddenly began to fall. Will definitely return one of these days to shoot some more. Can somebody please tell me what the official term for the round floaty thingies is?

Rained Out

2008-05-20T22:36:00.005-04:00

Colorful kayaks awaiting sunnier days

We took off for a few days to visit my in-laws in upstate New York. Unfortunately the weather wasn't the greatest but we went on a few day trips in the Adirondacks nevertheless. These kayaks, along Big Moose Lake, in the town of Big Moose, behind the Big Moose Inn, provided a colorful contrast to an otherwise gloomy afternoon. Great name for a town, isn't it? It's really tiny though, just a few houses, but the Victorian style Inn looked great!

Big Duck

2008-05-12T19:58:00.007-04:00

The "Big Duck" just south of Flanders, NY

The Big Duck, as it is called, certainly is a "must-have" shot for every photographer based on Long Island, and I finally managed a drive out there yesterday. It's history is quite amusing: Duck ranches, nowadays almost extinct in the region, used to be a staple and a specialty out here. This duck was built in 1931 by a German duck farmer named Martin Maurer after a visit to California, where he discovered plenty of oddly shaped buildings geared towards advertising the product they sold. He made quite a buck with his unique gimmick, and the duck was moved in it's ducky entirety quite a few times. In 1987 Big Duck fans from all over joined Suffolk County in an effort to preserve the Big Duck, resulting in the then owners' donation of the Duck to Suffolk County. The Big Duck's most recent move in October of 2007 put it closer to it's original roosting place and it now sits on County Route 24 just a few miles south of the town of Flanders.

Nowadays it is a beloved landmark and inside you'll find a souvenir shop selling all kinds of duck memorabilia. Stop in on a Sunday afternoon and have a chat with the lovely and funny Barb who's been the resident "Duck Lady" for over 14 years! The Duck, by the way, stands 20 feet tall and gives you plenty of room to comfortably move around inside.

Cheeseburger Blues

2008-05-08T21:50:00.005-04:00

Burger Joint with Blues Brothers in Wantagh, NY

Yes, as you can see I'm still here and alive :). I know it's been a really long time. I am working again, and it's been hard to make time for pics, but today I got into the spirit again.

This is certainly not one of my best, but I took it for a reason. I love looking at old photographs, pictures taken 40 or 50 years ago. So many things you see there don't exist any more today. And suddenly I thought about all the things we won't be seeing anymore in another 40 or 50 years, but more likely they'll be gone much sooner. Such as little snack joints like this. They will either surrender to zoning laws, or the ever prevailing chain stores and franchises like Burger King or Starbucks. Or they will simply be driven out by the ever rising rents. So I thought I'll start to try and capture what will look "old" and outdated in a not so far away future.

Pre-Season

2008-03-15T16:10:00.007-04:00

"The Beach Hut" at Venetian Shores Bay Beach in Lindenhurst

Boy I know - it's about time to post an update here already. How long can I use that "broken toe" excuse after all...;)!
Well, here's what our bay beaches look like at this time of the year. I am still greatly enjoying the solitude in combination with the gradually warming air. There's also no Parks Department activity as of yet, which means I can take the doggie out to play without repercussions (pssst - don't tell on me!).

Pawed

2008-02-28T19:59:00.003-05:00

"Beneath the Lions" at the MGM Casino in Las Vegas

This is probably as close as I will ever come to a real life lion, separated only by an inch or so of plexiglass. I didn't even know about these lions, found them by accident while looking for the monorail entrance during my recent visit to Las Vegas. Apparently they are a famous attraction, even though I thought that their habitat was a bit small. At one point there is a glass tunnel leading into it and those guys liked to hang out right above. Pretty cool!

Unhinged

2008-02-18T17:10:00.003-05:00

Car doors awaiting conversion into art

Wow - it's been some time since I last posted here. I went to California for a while, but that's a poor excuse. I've also dragged a broken toe around for almost three weeks, which didn't help my creativity much. I'll try to post more often but will mix in a few older shots since in this wintry weather shooting with a broken toe isn't much fun.

The above photo was taken in the California desert, at what is known as "Salvation Mountain", where 76-year old Leonard Knight turns many different things into art. If you'd like to find out more about it check my website and click on a gallery named "Salton Sea 2008". Quite an interesting place!

Neon

2008-01-11T18:48:00.001-05:00

Eastbay Diner in Wantagh, Long Island

This dream in green and blue is located on Montauk Highway and has had me curious since it first opened it's doors about a year ago. This afternoon I decided to give it a try and was served what must have been the biggest Reuben Sandwich ever. Pretty darn good as well but I only managed to down about half of it. When I left there was just enough light left in the sky to take the shot.

Planked

2008-01-03T13:43:00.002-05:00

Walkway through dunes

Okay, after a short hiatus due to "that busy holiday season" I am hoping I can devote more time to this little project of mine again. Unfortunately, is suddenly has turned bitter cold and by that I mean temps with a windchill factor of -3° F . This can put a damper on the joy of outdoor photography real quick! Fortunately it was a comparatively balmy 43° F outside when I took this picture during a dune walk with my dog a couple of days ago. Nothing special but if you live here you cannot help but have a few of these walkway shots in your collection.

Merry Christmas 2007

2007-12-25T17:53:00.000-05:00

Lit-up home in Amityville, Long Island

No, it's not our house but one that I spotted from the train. These people spared no expense, and it's all in "the spirit of Christmas"... oh well. Nice to look at though, I have to admit.

Jaundice

2007-12-18T23:08:00.000-05:00

Empire State Building glowing yellow tonight

I know, I haven't posted much lately - too busy with holiday preps and other things. But, I went to the city today for Christmas shopping, dragged my camera along "just in case". Wish I hadn't because now my shoulder hurts and I didn't really take any pics. But when I stepped outside the Manhattan Mall at 32nd and 6th, I couldn't help but be struck by the fact that the Empire State Building was yellow during Christmas season (usually it's red, green and white throughout all of December). But boy, did it look pretty against the darkening blue sky, so here's my shot for today. It isn't all that sharp because instead of my tripod all I had was a bicycle chained to a lamp post to steady my camera at 1/5 of a second. I still like it though, especially because the camera shake makes the moon look full although it wasn't ;). Oh - and why is it yellow? I had to Google that: "The Simpsons Movie DVD release from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment".

No Lifeguard On Duty

2007-12-11T20:04:00.001-05:00

Lifeguard Station at Robert Moses Beach

Closed for the winter, these beach buildings are looking peaceful and pretty in the evening glow

Blasted

2007-12-05T00:48:00.001-05:00

Sun blasting through sky, wind blasting my face

And I thought yesterday was cold. You have no idea... The temperature was "only" 32 degrees, but the wind chill, at gusts (and steady blows) of 50 mph, I don't want to know. But it was worth it. Was out all day shooting pics and this one, just before sunset, is my favorite. Eyes were watering and ears were ringing, I am surprised it came out as well as it did!

Anchored

2007-12-05T00:06:00.001-05:00

Sailboats anchored in Huntington Harbor under grey skies

Went to shoot boats for a little Christmas project (don't tell my husband :) during a stormy day and froze my butt off. Only to discover I had a hair on my newly cleaned sensor. Notice the dark band among the masts on the lower right? I won't even bother photoshopping it because it's too much of a pain. But I still like this pic and couldn't produce too much else with this thing in the way. By the end of the day, I finally managed to get rid of it by blowing at the sensor one more time from a different angle. Risky! Don't try this at home....;)

Dusted

2007-12-02T16:48:00.001-05:00

Wintry looking canal leading into the Great South Bay

Today was the first day that really felt like winter and it even snowed. Well, it was more of a dusting but by late morning about 1 1/2 inches had accumulated. In this photograph, taken in the afternoon, most of it had already melted away, but a wintry look prevailed. This is a "beef stew for dinner" kind of day!

Branch Out

2007-11-30T21:06:00.001-05:00

Shadow extends tree on warehouse wall

I thought this one looked kind of interesting, and it's not a collage - it's simply a tree, the sky, a wall and a shadow...

Say Cheese?

2007-11-29T18:06:00.000-05:00

30 lbs bells of Auricchio Provolone awaiting cutting

I got comissioned to shoot inside a supermarket today, which proved to be the nightmare I expected due to the dozens of different light sources and the clutter everywhere. I did have fun with close-ups like these though, but unfortunately that wasn't what I was supposed to shoot...

Washed Up

2007-11-28T14:57:00.001-05:00

Seashell fragment on foam-dotted sand

The sand was looking pretty in the tender evening light after the last wave receded and left this part of a broken shell behind

Hanging On

2007-11-27T12:00:00.001-05:00

Raindrops and leaves

Raindrops line up like beads on a string after yesterday's rain finally stopped

Floating

2007-11-26T14:57:00.000-05:00

Floating Buganvilia blossom

I am back from a brief visit to California, where I took this photo of a Buganvilia blossom, floating above a reflection of the patio deck in my uncle's swimming pool. Love this shot!

Benched

2007-11-20T23:19:00.000-05:00

Two lonely benches at Short Beach on the North Shore

I thought I'd stay true to the theme of the past few days and post another "abandoned" shot, this time two empty benches on an empty North Shore beach.

Game Over

2007-11-16T19:18:00.000-05:00

Deserted Game Table at West Point Beach

Abscence seems the essence of this shot yet again. I seem to gravitate toward these lately, although it's not too hard to find deserted places on Long Island's waterfront during this time of the year. I am surprised this shot came out - the air was quite frigid and the winds just brutal. I had the hardest time to keep myself from shivering and holding the camera steady. Ah yes, I finally picked my camera up from Nikon this afternoon!

Footsteps

2007-11-15T20:04:00.001-05:00

Footsteps in the sand at Robert Moses Beach

Although the evidence of people present prevails, the beach was deserted during my sunset walk. You can tell that it has gotten colder by the sight of shoe prints as opposed to bare feet.

Dilapidated

2007-11-14T18:13:00.000-05:00

Discarded boats at a North Shore Marina

Wow - I am not sure whether this was sheer luck, but on my second attempt this picture actually showed up. Hopefully Blogger is back! Unfortunately, my camera is currently at Nikon for a badly needed sensor cleaning but I have enough shots from the last few weeks which I will post here in the meantime.

These little rowboats are being used so people can ferry themselves from the Marina to their larger watercraft anchored in the bay where the water isn't too shallow anymore. Over to the side I found a whole bunch of old ones which seemingly have been discarded and left to rot. If I had a bigger apartment, I'd put one up in the living room!

It's been a while...

2007-11-04T10:14:00.000-05:00

... but I'm still here! I have repeatedly encountered trouble when trying to upload pix and therefore let this rest for a while. Unfortunately, the problem seems to persist, so I guess I will try to contact Blogger once more about this.

I am still taking pictures but haven't been as diligent lately. My November resolution is to put in one last effort before the weather gets too wet and cold. Hopefully I'll be able to post again soon.

Greetings to you all,
J.

UPDATE - I just checked Blogger's troubleshooting page and there are over 300 postings regarding this issue, seems that I am not alone. Currently Blogger estimates that they will have a fix by - MIDnovember!!! Geez, this has been going on for almost a month now. Get with it, Blogger-techies!

Stemmed

2007-10-22T23:11:00.001-04:00

Late afternoon at Cold Spring Harbor

There are countless bays and coves and sheltered harbors along the coastline of the North Shore. This one belongs to a sleepy yet pretty little town called "Cold Spring Harbor", a few miles west of Huntington.

Wheeling

2007-10-22T22:38:00.000-04:00

Paddle boat at Bay Shore Harbor

This one actually floats and can be chartered for weddings, dinner parties and the likes, cruising the Great South Bay. It's not a replica but a restored original! Looked mighty pretty on this blue-sky day.

Lonely

2007-10-22T22:17:00.001-04:00

Stony Brook Harbor at Sunset

I don't know exactly what this area is called but I love this shot. It was taken from a promenade at the historical district of Stony Brook Village right before sunset and the light was just right. Love the way the grass glows!

Bears

2007-10-22T22:02:00.000-04:00

Bears' Choir or so it seems...

Okay, this time I can happily blame it on Blogger for not being able to post any pics - upload didn't work for three days and even now works spotty at best. Anyway, I really got a good laugh out of these chainsaw-carved bears (an Adirondac specialty), I literally can hear them sing - which song it is, I do not know...

Streaming

2007-10-18T23:51:00.001-04:00

Sugar River Falls in Oneida County, Upstate NY

Waterfall shot at 1/8th of a second - I have got to remember that setting because it's perfect. Almost like a painting, yet it's a straight-out-of-the-camera shot. It looks cold but it wasn't. Even in the North Country and a mere 50 miles from the Canadian border, the thermometer boasted a daytime temperature of 66° today!

Absence

2007-10-18T23:28:00.000-04:00

Matching chairs and fly-swatters on the porch

I am one of the lucky ones who loves their in-laws, but this made me laugh when stepping onto the porch in the morning. I stopped laughing halfway through my first cup of coffee, which was when I realized how many pesky flies and so-called LADY bugs I was up against. Due to the incredibly warm fall even in the "North Country", there's no other defense but to swat away as fast as you can! But I loved this initial set-up because it seems to imply people who nevertheless are absent from the scene. The window reflection added to the shot and if you look close enough, you can spot me taking the pic in the center panel.

Trucking

2007-10-18T23:18:00.001-04:00

Trucks at the Mohawk Service Station Upstate NY

Went on a little road trip up to my in-laws for a couple of days and couldn't post until now. Not much time to shoot on the day we left, busy before, dark when we got there. So here is the in between - stopping for burgers and a walk with the dog, delighting in the big rigs parked by the doggie lawn.

White

2007-10-15T19:40:00.001-04:00

Abandoned warehouse in Babylon, Long Island

I was intrigued by the white-on-white colors combined with rust. This is an old warehouse door near the Babylon Town Docks. Ironically my husband, standing far away from the monitor, had a different take on this - he thought it looked like a birds-eye view of a pick-up truck in the snow. The mailbox being the pick-up and the knob and lock lanterns/hydrants or some other sidewalk fixtures, with the newspaper holder below the box making for perfect tire tracks in the snow... Yes, now I see it too - pretty funny

Sundown

2007-10-14T19:00:00.000-04:00

Oyster Bay boats shortly after sunset

Unfortunately this photos isn't all that sharp but it's all I've got for today. Went to the Oyster Festival being held this weekend and was hoping for some fun shots but no, it was waaaaay too crowded and manic to put me in photo mood.. I found this peaceful evening scene at the harbor once I had fought my way through the crowd just after sunset. This, by the way is looking east. Still, the sky was impressive!

Striped

2007-10-13T22:55:00.000-04:00

Shadow of - meee!

Originally, I was going for the repetitive pattern of the handicapped parking spaces. No matter which way I tried, I couldn't get my own shadow out of the way. In the end, I decided to go for it and actually make it "the shot".

Deserted

2007-10-13T22:45:00.001-04:00

Strange exercises at Robert Moses Beach

This is yesterday's picture and the beach is deserted after it suddenly got rather cold. I took my dog there to play and was baffled by this lone walker who kept flapping his arms while calmly walking towards the water...

Grey and Sand

2007-10-11T21:37:00.001-04:00

Rainy skies at Robert Moses Beach

As I have said before, I won't ever get tired of taking pix at the beach. I love the beach when it is stormy but warm like today. If you look closely, you can still see the life guard towers lying in the sand - for the first time in history, the beaches were open on Columbus Day weekend, with temperatures reaching 87 degrees this past Monday! Now it has somewhat cooled off but it was still warm enough to walk along the beach in a T-shirt today.

First Colors

2007-10-11T21:25:00.000-04:00

Lake in Blydenburgh County Park

Okay, it's been a while but I am back. After 40 posts I had to take a break and work myself through the loads of pictures I've been dumping onto my pc from my memory cards each day. Of course I still took some photos in the meantime, and here's one of them, taken last Sunday October 7th. You don't really see a lot of fall foliage on Long Island yet but along some of the lakes the leaves have started to turn. Given the outrageously warm weather we've had it will be a while until the trees peak though.

Webbed

2007-10-04T19:08:00.000-04:00

Morning dew on a mysterious web outside my house

I am not sure what kind of insect creates these horizontal webs which I find in the bushes and sometimes even the grass after a humid night. But it looked fascinating this morning with all those large dewdrops like beads threaded on a piece of elaborate jewelery. I had the hardest time determining exposure and focus on this one. After considering a much brighter shot with more depth of field, I choose this one nevertheless because it retains a certain degree of mystery this way.

Gloomy

2007-10-03T21:07:00.000-04:00

A foggy day on the Great South Bay

The weather today was eerie - very warm but foggy and dark. I went for a drive along the bay and took this shot of metallic sky and water near Bellport, NY.

See Through

2007-10-02T22:56:00.000-04:00

Farm house window with a view - inside and out!

This old farmhouse is part of an outdoor museum called the Bethpage Village Restoration Project. Old buildings from all over the island have been brought here to be restored and be arranged like a village as it could be found in this area in the 19th century. They did a great job and you really feel as if you just have traveled backwards in time.

Pigged Out

2007-10-01T20:11:00.001-04:00

Pig's feet, anyone?

Went to an old country farm and found two happy pigs. Call me crazy but I thought that their feet looked cute - I've never really looked at pigs feet before... Hey, can you tell which one's the boy and which one's the girl ;) ?

Train Spotting

2007-10-01T19:15:00.000-04:00

On the late train home

Spent the day with friends in the city and didn't really shoot anything at all. Until I got on the train back to Long Island without a book. It's just soo boring, so I pulled out the camera and caught this girl while peeking through the backs of the seats. Was way too tired to post this last night.

Rushed

2007-09-29T22:58:00.001-04:00

Museum of Modern Art, NYC

These are two levels of the atrium at the Museum of Modern Art, and this is me in "city mode". Pretty pics go out the window fast and weird stuff pops up. Most people don't like it but, I do ;)

Fallen

2007-09-28T22:46:00.000-04:00

Leaf with dew drops

Yes, the first leaves have begun to fall, although they don't show a lot of color yet. This leaf still looked fresh and bright when I spotted it this morning on our lawn.

Flo's

2007-09-27T19:31:00.001-04:00

Flo's Famous Luncheonette

Flo's is indeed famous and a throwback to the old days, when many of these little shacks serving burgers and fried seafood could be found along the bay. By the way, the food here is surprisingly good. Sadly and despite the unseasonably warm weather, Flo's has already shuttered it's windows, at least during the week. If anyone's curious, Flo's located on Corey Avenue in Blue Point on the South Shore of the Great South Bay, Long Island, NY. See you there next year...

Row Boat

2007-09-26T23:29:00.000-04:00

Old boat tucked away alongside a canal

I spotted this boat during a morning walk through the neighborhood and came back with my camera later in the afternoon.

Bleeding

2007-09-25T21:25:00.001-04:00

Reflection of a boat bleeding into the canal

I was driving along one of the many canals near my house when I noticed the colorful ripples in the water. A little further along I spotted this red boat, which only enhanced the effect.

Fenced

2007-09-24T20:44:00.001-04:00

Fenced dune shortly after sunrise

Another warm morning at the beach, but I thought I'd skip the ocean shot today. Everything looks beautiful in that tender light just after sunrise. The same goes for these fences, which are wrapping themselves all around the dunes for their protection.