Monday, December 29, 2014

Self Portrait 2014

With Heartfelt Gratitude

2014 has been an amazing year thanks to some very special people. 

To everyone who helped me in both small and massive ways - I can never hope to repay your generosity and kindness. Please let me know if I can do anything for you in return.

To everyone who encouraged and inspired me - you have been a joyous and important blessing for my heart and mind and soul. I love and appreciate each and every one of you, and I couldn't have done half of what I did this year without you.

To anyone who's ever put up with me while I stressed over a project (or several) - thank you for being there and for accepting me on my bad days as well as on the good ones.

To my friends and my loving family - whether you know it or not, you set my standards. Every project that I tackle carries the hope that you'll take pride in knowing the fellow who managed to pull it together. 

And to anyone and everyone who stopped by to have a look at my work - whether I know you or whether we have ever met, you are very important to me. I hope that I have been able to offer something of interest in return for your time.


a photo self portrait of photographer daniel south


Happy New Year! Don't let anything hold you back from your dreams.


Camera:    Nikon D800E
Lens:        Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
Light:        2 x Nikon SB-910 Speed lights (modified)


Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved






Saturday, December 20, 2014

Winter Sunset - Death Valley

The Magnificent Majesty of a Desert Turned Cold

We tend to think of deserts as hot places. It might be better to think of them as surprising places.

In the winter months, cold weather prevails. Even in the spring and autumn, nighttime temperatures can drop toward the freezing point and beyond despite balmy daytime weather.


a photo of zabriskie point at sunset in death valley in winter
Winter Sunset - Death Valley


If you visit a desert region during the cooler months, please take these potential temperature swings very seriously. You'll need to be prepared for almost any type of weather. If you're exposed to frigid overnight temperatures without proper clothing, you'll find yourself in grave danger. I shot this photo wearing the same clothes that I wear while shoveling snow, and I was very happy when I was able to climb into my waiting car.

But along with that unexpected chill, you might experience some unexpected beauty, some magical light, and the magnificent majesty of a rugged landscape that holds surprises for intrepid travelers all year long.

Happy Winter Solstice, everyone! And safe travels!

Camera:    Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:        Canon TS-E24mm f/3.5L II 



Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved



Friday, December 19, 2014

Blue Gate - Cinque Terre

Entrance To A Garden in Corniglia

The Cinque Terre ('Five Lands') were once isolated fishing villages situated along a rocky coastline in Northern Italy. Thanks to heavy promotion by the travel industry along with a convenient new rail line, the area now attracts a lot of tourists. 

The area is still charming. There aren't many hotels here, mostly just rooms for short-term rental, and everything closes early. Just don't expect an undiscovered wilderness. 


a photo of a blue garden gate in corniglia in the cinque terre coast region of italy
Blue Gate - Corniglia - Cinque Terre


There are surprises around every corner in the Cinque Terre. If you're willing to take your time and stroll a bit, and you'll discover all sorts of lovely secrets here. 


Camera:    Nikon D800
Lens:        Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED 



Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved




Sunday, December 14, 2014

Columbus Circle

Pulse Of The City

Columbus Circle is in constant motion. It's one of the most dynamic intersections in the city. Life races through here twenty-four hours a day.

Would you like to get a sense of what New York is all about? Do you have only a short time? I suggest that you begin at Columbus Circle. Stand here for a few minutes watching.

Watch the traffic. Watch the shoppers. Watch the taxis, the busses, and the seasoned pedestrians.

Watch the tourists try to negotiate the complex crosswalks. Watch the expensive cars and the guests at the grand hotels. Watch the performers at the edge of the park. 



a photo of columbus circle at dusk new york by daniel south
Columbus Circle At Dusk



Spend some time in Columbus Circle, the ultimate gateway to the New York experience.


Camera:    Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Lens:        Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II



Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2014 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved


Sunday, December 7, 2014

Metéora

Mountaintop Monasteries

Imagine a monastery perched atop a pillar of rock several hundred feet above the valleys below. If you want to visit the monastery, you'll need to be prepared to climb a long series of winding stone staircases.


a photo of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity at Metéora
Monastery of the Holy Trinity - Metéora



Now imagine six such monasteries clustered together in a small area, and you'll have an idea what awaits intrepid tourists at Metéora.

a photo of the Varlaám Monastery at Metéora in greece
Varlaám Monastery - Metéora


The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Metéora in Northern Greece has a rugged terrain featuring enormous rock outcroppings towering up to 1,800 feet above the surrounding plane.


a photo of Towering Rock Formations at Metéora
Towering Rock Formations - Metéora


Hermetic monks began to settle in this area in the late Middle Ages. The challenging terrain discouraged visitors and marauders from disturbing their encampments.

Eventually, the monks began to build monasteries on the peaks of the rock spires. More than twenty monasteries were constructed, but only six remain in existence today.

a photo of The Monastery of St. Stephen at Dusk
The Monastery of St. Stephen at Dusk


Metéora is a fascinating destination for any traveler who can manage the stair climbing that's required.

a photograph of meteora at sunset by daniel south
Metéora at Sunset



Camera:    Nikon D800E
Lenses:     Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
                Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II


Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved





Monday, November 24, 2014

New York - City In Motion - Guggenheim Museum

Honoring An Architectural Classic

Frank Lloyd Wright's "temple of the spirit" was built in 1959 and became an instant classic of inspired contemporary architecture. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is one of the most elegant and recognizable buildings in all of New York City.



a photo of the guggenheim museum new york at night with traffic trails
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum - New York - City In Motion


Tourists and photographers flock to the Guggenheim. It's stunning in every season. Photograph it once, and you'll want to come back and capture it at some new angle or at a different time of day.

This photo of the Guggenheim is my favorite so far. It's the very first photo that I took for the City In Motion collection, and I think that it was a pretty good start!



Camera:    Nikon D800E
Lens:        Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED



Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved




Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Red Crosses White Chapel - Santorini

The View from Oia

Words can't describe Oia. So when you go, take lots of photographs. Lots and lots of photographs.



a photo of red crosses on a white chapel oia santorini
Red Crosses on White Chapel - Santorini



Camera:    Nikon D800E
Lens:        Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VRII

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved



Thursday, September 25, 2014

9/11 Tribute Lights - New York 2014

Commemorating the Thirteenth Anniversary



a photo of the 9/11 Tribute Lights in New York
9/11 Tribute Lights - New York



Dedicated to my former colleague, Richard Rosenthal.


Camera:    Nikon D800E
Lens:        Nikon PC-E 24mm f/3.5

Peace for all mankind

Copyright © 2014 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Bridegroom Abstract

Creativity in a Flurry of Documentation

September is Wedding Season!

Weddings place a lot of demands on the photographer. Every moment on a wedding day is precious, and if you miss one, it's lost forever.

You have to pay attention and be ready for anything. You need to know your camera inside and out. You need to be able to work fast and make the most of any kind of light.

Artistic shots aren't the priority at a wedding. (Beware the wedding photographer who talks at length about his creative vision.) While you fiddle with some fascinating creative opportunity, you can and will miss unrepeatable situations that the family might want to have documented.

But every now and then we get a few seconds to "play around" with our subjects. 

an abstract wedding photograph of the groom's corsage by daniel south
Bridegroom Abstract

I snapped this heavily cropped image of the groom's corsage while capturing the formal portraits of the wedding party. The shot only took a couple of seconds, and then I got back to the business at hand. 

The image doesn't identify any particular person but rather a role, the dapper gentleman who's just said, "I do!"

Now if you'll excuse me, I don't want to miss anything.


Camera:
 Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Lens: Canon 24-105 f/4L IS


Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved


Sunday, August 31, 2014

Jazz Guitarist

Concerto Impromptu

I heard the sound before I saw him, the delicate chords of a jazz guitar ringing out with warmth and clarity, strummed with the precise touch of a gifted player. A player like Robert Conton.

As I rounded the corner I found him playing for a dozen or so onlookers. The guitar was new, purchased minutes before from a music store down the street, but she came alive in Robert's hands as though they had been together for years.

I asked if it would be okay if I took a few photos. Robert nodded and grinned warmly.



a candid photo of a jazz guitarist playing on the street in new york
Jazz Guitarist Robert Conton in New York



I took about six shots. I didn't want to go crazy and have the click of the shutter disturb the music. I put the camera away and just listened for a while.

The music was beautiful! The tone of Robert's guitar is so rich and full. Complex chords and dreamy melodies flowed effortlessly from his gifted hands. 

There is nothing like music, good music, produced before your eyes and ears by the hands of a musician of the highest caliber. It's like the moment when a woman falls into your arms and gives you her heart. And you want that moment to last forever.



Camera:
 Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Lens: Canon 24-105 f/4L IS


Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved


Thursday, August 7, 2014

Hikers on a California Hillside

A Synergy of Symmetry

The subject of this image is symmetry. 

There's a curving, grassy hillside in the image, but we don't care about the hill, the grass, or the light.

We notice the lone tree at the top of the hill. If we look more closely, we'll see the two hikers making their way along the trail in the lower left of the frame. But we don't care about the tree or the hikers, either.

What we notice instinctively, however, is symmetry.

If we turn the photo upside down, the green hillside would occupy almost exactly the same space that the blue area occupies now. The blue and green areas are almost mirror images of each other. 



a photo of Hikers on a California Hillside
Hikers on a California Hillside


Further, when we invert the photo, the tree would be where the hikers were initially, and vice versa. The tree and the hikers effectively switch places if you turn the photo upside down.

The arrangement of the components is more interesting than the components themselves. In other words, the symmetry creates synergy. The whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts.

The composition is balanced and, because it's fundamentally simple, easy for the eye to interpret. The green and blue areas create an interlocking pattern not unlike that of the famous Yin and Yang symbols. The view senses their relationship intuitively.

Some viewers have commented on the shape of the tree. What does it look like to you?



Camera:
 Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Lens: Canon 24-105 f/4L IS


Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Dilapidated House - Eastern Sierra

Our Compelling Fascination With Decay

An old house crumbles in a cruel and irreversible battle with time. From disrepair to rot to ruin, it decomposes before our eyes, its elements returning to the Earth, inch by inch, splinter by splinter.

How did you end up this way, Old House? Who lived in you, and why did they leave? Why did they stop repairing you? Do they still drive by? Do they remember living comfortably, protected from the elements by your once-viable roof and walls? 



a photo of a dilapidated old house in the eastern sierra region of california
Dilapidated House - Eastern Sierras


We are compelled to look and to wonder. Perhaps this old house, disintegrating into the elements of a remote and unforgiving wilderness, serves as a metaphor for our own inevitable decline.

Of course I wanted to take a photo as I drove by, but I told myself to keep going. I didn't have much time. The drive to San Francisco would take most of the day. I had to keep on schedule. 

But a mile down the road, I made the decision to turn the car around. I couldn't leave this old house forgotten. I needed to make the photograph, to capture the dignity of this lonely, crumbling house while it still stood.

Thank you, Old House, for sheltering a family, for being someone's home, and for capturing our imagination.



Camera:    Nikon D800E
Lens:        Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S 

(Shot handheld while leaning over a fence)



Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved