New York

Best Photos of 2023

It's time once again for my annual photography year-in-review. A chance to pause for reflection. To look back at an entire year's worth of fractions of seconds and discover what themes emerge.

Then take those random moments, psychoanalyze them like an armchair therapist, and try to conflate their meaning into something profound.

This year's selection does not disappoint.

They say photography holds up a mirror to both the photographer and the subject. Given the less-and-less-hinged state of 2023, it's fitting that this year's collection of images reflects that.

In January, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease—an autoimmune disorder that makes it dangerous to eat even trace amounts of gluten (wheat, barley or rye). And, therefore, dangerous to eat in most restaurants due to cross-contact.

As a man whose diet consisted mainly of gluten on gluten with a side of gluten, who arranges entire travel itineraries around rumor of a particularly promising bagel, this diagnosis was a very bitter gluten-free pill to swallow.

It would be melodramatic to say that it turned my life upside down. But it certainly turned my lifestyle.

Between this personal lifequake and the *waves-hand-at-the-state-of-the-world*, it's not a huge stretch to read meaning into this year's photographs:

Disorienting images that raise more questions than answers.

Photos that grasp for different angles, perspectives and ways of seeing to try to make sense of it all.

A search for tranquility.

Let’s break down the threads.

Late last year I started an ongoing New York project called Post No Bills. The images are unintentional artist collaborations between Advertisers and New Yorkers. The construction wall is their canvas and the layers of peeled-off posters create serendipitous art through reduction. A collage in reverse.

Looking at this year's photos, there are a lot of images that feel inspired by that project.

Last year also marked our ten-year anniversary of living in New York.

Having taken tens of thousands of images of the city, my goal now is to show New York differently.

No longer how it looks, but how it feels.

Chaos and Jazz. Beauty in disorder. A sensory smorgasbord.

(Fortunately, I haven't yet figured out a way to try to capture how New York smells. Although my ongoing Crud project comes close).

In July I converted one of my cameras to infrared. This lets you capture wavelengths of light that are invisible to the human eye. The raw files look like they've been taken through old-timey 3D movie glasses.

Once you have the image, you have to open it in Photoshop and tell Adobe that the sky is blue. That's when magic happens. On a sunny day, the light reflecting off foliage becomes gold or coral. The pictures are mystical.

Raw infrared file
“The Kennedy Center” Washington, D.C. August 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 35mm, f11, 1/240 ISO 200

After color conversion

Are the infrared shots symbolic of the familiar world feeling more and more foreign? Or an attempt to make sense of it all by literally looking at things in a new light?

The disorienting and otherworldly work is balanced out by the macro nature photography of flowers and frost. There's a quiet tranquility in those images. A deep cleansing breath among the collection.  

But more than anything, the theme that stood out most from this year is flying. Birds. Planes. Shots taken from higher vantage points.

Maybe it's because I traveled a lot for work this year and took more shots from airplane windows.

But in the spirit of this annual review being all about reading far too deeply into my photography, flight must be symbolic of something.

At first, I thought it might represent feeling distant. Far away from simpler times and a more familiar life.

But then I googled the symbolism of flying.

In literature and dreams, flight represents freedom from struggle and limitations. Rising above. Finding hope and peace.

That was a lightning bolt.

Like an infrared conversion, it made me go back and see this whole collection in a different light.

When I started putting this post together, I expected this Year in Review to represent conflict, turmoil, and a world, in some ways, that became unrecognizable.

Now I realize that’s not it at all.

This year’s collection is flight.

In the face of everything, it is a celebration of life, resilience, and optimism.

With AI images taking over the world in 2023, and the ability to create literally any of the images you’ll find on this website in just a matter of keystrokes (but with better lighting, sharpness, and composition) it got me thinking more fundamentally about photography and why I love it.

Jay Maisel said, "There are two kinds of photographers - those who like photographs and those who like photographing."

I've always thought the reason I love photography is the way I can capture memories. Time is fleeting, but photography can freeze it. It’s like a superpower.

You can hold onto moments, even if only for a hundredth of a second. To look at old photos is like stepping into a time machine. Some images immediately transport me back to a memory. I can hear the sounds. Feel the breeze. Taste the gluten. Photography is a living museum exhibition of my life and it lets me remember it with vivid fondness.

Capturing memories is why I love photographs.

But if I had to choose between Jay’s options, the truth is I love photographing.

This year I had an epiphany about why.

While listening to an interview on Simon Sinek's podcast, A Bit of Optimism, they said one of the most powerful ways to foster happiness and peace of mind is through acts of gratitude. If you practice gratitude and make it a habit to notice the good and beauty in the world, it forces you to be more present and creates joy.

I realized that's why I love photography.

Photography is an act of gratitude.

Every time I press the shutter, it's a gesture of appreciation for something remarkable on the other side of the lens. 

Thanks for indulging me in this year's Year in Review.

I hope you enjoy all of the good that I've noticed.

“New Yorkers” Midtown Manhattan, September 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 56mm, f4, 1/35, ISO 6400

“Oops.” Hardeeville, South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 14mm, f18, 1/125, ISO 250

My favorite street photography images are the ones that capture a single moment but make your mind fill in a much bigger story. This one plays out like a cartoon.

“Park and 125th” Harlem, New York. June 2023
iPhone 14 Pro

I shot this image from the window of a Metro North train while it was stopped at Harlem-125th Street Station. The elevated perspective made all of the elements line up perfectly in the composition. Lucky I chose this seat on the train and not the one behind it.

“LaGuardia Airport” Queens, New York. July 2023
iPhone 14 Pro

“I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.” – Diane Arbus

“42nd Street Biker” Midtown Manhattan. March 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f/11, 1/125, ISO 640

I took this shot as part of my ongoing project called Literal Street Photography. A series that treats the roadway as a canvas for geometric abstract art. It’s similar in spirit to my Post No Bills series, but here the artwork is a collaboration between weather, traffic, and infrastructure repair crews.

The patchwork textures and road markings on this little section of 42nd Street made for a great addition to the Literal Street Photography Series. But then this cyclist rode into my frame and turned it into Just Regular Street Photography.

“Pink and confused” Midtown Manhattan. March 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 23mm, f/16, 1/125, ISO 5000

I took this image as part of my New York Chaos series, a project to try to capture the sensory overload feeling of New York by, technically speaking, getting as much crap in the frame as I can.

Objectively this is a bad picture. But as I sat with it, I kept coming back to it. There’s something interesting about all the incomplete body parts. Some hair here, half a face there, a floating head, an elbow, a bunch of legs, and Dwayne Johnson looking on, a bit confused by it all.

“Chrysler Building” 42nd St, New York, July 2023.
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f/8, 1/950, ISO 125

“Brick and glass” 42nd St, New York. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f/16, 1/125, ISO 400

“Zebra windows” 42nd St, New York. March 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f13, 1/125, ISO 640

In the spring my company moved offices from Chelsea to 42nd Street. On a sunny day, the light changes constantly, reflecting the most amazing patterns in all of the windows. That’s my office building in the first image, mirrored in the windows of the Chrysler building.

“Morning Rush” Grand Central Station, New York. March 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 23mm, f16, 1s, ISO 320

Everyone who visits Grand Central takes this same picture. I’ve taken this same picture dozens of times. If you go to Grand Central right this very moment, there will be at least five people standing on this same staircase taking this same picture.

But it will never stop being extraordinary.

It’s one of those iconic, timeless New York scenes that you just can’t help but stop and appreciate, no matter how many people have shot the same thing, or how fast AI could spin up something better.

Gratitude.

Here I used a slower shutter speed to capture the feeling of the morning rush.

Of the five photographers taking this photo right now, I bet only one or two of them did that.

"Traffic” 14th Street, New York. November 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 55-200mm, f16, 1/125, ISO 4000

As I was putting this collection together, I kept coming back to this picture. It might be my favorite shot from the whole year. I’m not sure why. Technically speaking it’s terrible - it’s not in focus, it’s crooked, there’s a weird pole sticking out of the wall that leads the eye out of frame.

I have a few other shots from this series that are in focus and have better compositions, but this is the only one that stopped me in my tracks. It’s just visceral.

It feels like you’re flying with them.

I didn’t notice it until I was putting this post together, but the molding above the windows mirrors the shape of the pigeons.

“Wabash Avenue” Chicago, Illinois. October 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 55-200mm, f4.5, 1/125, ISO 160

I created this bizarre in-camera collage from the window of my hotel room along the Chicago River. I noticed the Marina City buildings reflected in the glass top of the hotel room coffee table. When I kneeled down, I could line the reflection up with the Wabash Avenue Bridge.

“Reflection collage” 34th Street, New York. March 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f11, 1/125, ISO 2500

This is another of my favorite images from the year. It’s so weird and disorienting. There are so many details in the reflections.

This image especially feels inspired by the Post No Bills project

“Construction Zone” 42nd Street, New York. March 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f13, 1/125, ISO 1000

I love the contrast between the chaos of the construction zone and this guy seemingly lost in thought, unfazed by it all.

“Cleaners” Beacon, New York. May 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f16, 1/125, ISO 320

“Models over Houston Street” SoHo, New York. February 2023.
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 35mm, f2.5, 1/125, ISO 1000

Apparently, I was drawn to the shapes, angles, and perspective of this composition in 2023—the next two images share the same visual structure.

“Government Place” Cincinnati, Ohio. October 2023
iPhone 14 Pro

This street corner in Cincinnati is a study in lines. So very, very, very, many lines.

“To New Jersey” West Side Highway, New York. August, 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 Infrared conversion (590nm), 35mm, f11, 1/200, ISO 200

I took this image of the GW Bridge while driving. For once I was happy to be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

“Chrysler Building Spire” 42nd Street, New York. April 2023.
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f8, 1/2200, ISO 125

“It’s corn!” Chicago, Illinois, October 2023.
Fujifilm X-T5, 55-200mm, f 5.6, 1/300, ISO 800

“Central Park” New York, New York. October 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 55-200mm, f6.4, 1/450, ISO 125

I was on the fence about whether this image would be better if I cropped out the airplane wing, but I decided to keep it in. The city grid and buildings were all so crisp and perfect, there’s something I like about including the imperfection.

“Chance of rainbows” Washington, D.C. August 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 55-200mm, f5.6, 1/750, ISO 125

“Bouquet” Oakland Beach. Rye, New York. July 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 35mm, f/11, 5s, ISO 125

“Japanese Andromeda.” Brookside Gardens. Wheaton, Maryland. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f5.6, 1/125, ISO 640

“Yellow Frittilary” Brookside Gardens. Wheaton, Maryland. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f5.6, 1/240, ISO 125

“Daffodils” Brookside Gardens. Wheaton, Maryland. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f18, 1/4, ISO 125

On this windy morning at Brookside Gardens, the daffodils were getting whipped around in the breeze. I left the shutter open longer to try to capture the motion. I think it feels like an impressionist painting.

“Coming attractions” New York Botanical Gardens. Bronx, New York. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f5.6, 1/125, ISO 125

“Gentle touch” New York Botanical Gardens. Bronx, New York. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f13, 1/125, ISO 3200

I love the gesture of these fern leaves. It feels like they’re comforting one another.

“Dahlia” Rye, New York. May 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, vintage Helios 44mm lens

Sometimes you don’t have to look far for a beautiful photo. This dahlia was in a flower pot on my front step.

“Panama Pacific Waterlily” NY Botanical Gardens. Bronx, New York. April 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f5.6, 1/125, ISO 250

Don’t be fooled by the botanical name. This flower is Italian. 🤌

“American Goldfinch” Rye, New York, June 2023.
Fujifilm X-T5, 70-300mm, f5.6 ISO 400

This female Goldfinch stopped on a stem of Russian Sage in our front garden to snack on the flowers. The dreamy look is from shooting it through the window screen in my home office.

“No Picknicking” Rye, New York. October 2023.
iPhone 14 Pro

Tree, 1. Picnic Police, 0.

“Frost on windshield” Rye, New York. February 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200, f16, 1/125, ISO 2000

During winter, the morning frost creates some incredible patterns on our car. Depending on the conditions overnight, the ice formations always look a bit different. This particular morning was spectacular. This is the windshield.

“Ring of fire” Grand Central Station, New York. March 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f5.6, 1/500, ISO 1000

I took this image of the underbelly of a chandelier hanging from the ceiling of Grand Central Station. The filigree looks a bit like the frost in the previous image.

“Snowflakes” Rye, New York. February 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, Legacy Nikon Micro-Nikkor 55mm f3.5 lens

Different morning. Different frost.

“Sea Pines sunrise” Hilton Head, South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 14mm, f11, 1/70, ISO 200

When I noticed the reflection of this stunning sunrise in the water, I crouched down and took a bunch of shots.

I looked down at the 2nd camera hanging from my shoulder and realized my brand new 70-300mm telephoto lens had been half-submerged underwater the entire time.

Very Expensive Facepalm.

R.I.P. 70-300 lens.

“Harbour Town Sunset” Hilton Head, South Carolina. July 2023
iPhone 14 Pro

It’s a photography cliche that “the best camera is the one you have with you.”

This is the first year that the iPhone camera quality has gotten so good that sometimes I left my Fujis home on the shelf. The ultra-wide lens is something special, as you can see in these three images.

“Fish Haul Beach” Hilton Head, South Carolina. July 2023
iPhone 14 Pro

I loved the way the clouds created a mirror image of the shoreline. Just a bit further up the beach, we came across a newborn baby sea turtle making its way to the ocean.

“Gilder Center” American Museum of Natural History, New York September 2023.
iPhone 14 Pro

This is the atrium of the newly opened Gilder Center at New York’s Natural History Museum. I realized while putting this collection together that this composition and the previous one from Hilton Head mirror one another. The shapes are almost identical.

“Sunrise jog” Hilton Head, South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 23mm, f7.1, 1/5, ISO 125

The storm clouds rolling in on this morning in Hilton Head made for a dramatic sunrise. A few minutes after taking this photo, everyone pictured here got very, very wet.

“Constellation” Upper East Side, New York. February 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 35mm, f8, 1/480, ISO 200

“Above Below Canal Street” Lower Manhattan, New York. July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 35mm, f8, 1/500 ISO 200

“LaGuardia Airport” Queens, New York July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 35mm, f8, 1/680 ISO 200

“Three Boroughs, One Photo” New York City, October 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, f6.4, 1/550, ISO 125

“Central Park” New York, July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 70-300mm, f5, 1/1900 ISO 200

This shot of Central Park is one of the first infrared images I took. When I converted the file in Photoshop, my jaw hit the desk.

“George Washington Bridge” New York, July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 70-300mm, f5, 1/1600 ISO 200

“Talmadge Memorial Bridge” Savannah, Georgia. July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 70-300mm, f8, 1/850, ISO 200

“American” Reagan National Airport, Washington, DC. August 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, f3.5, 1/50, ISO 6400

This shot was lucky timing. My flight was taxiing to the gate and I just managed to get off two shots of this American Airlines jet with the Washington Monument as we drove past. The red signal lights came on for just a moment, illuminating the tarmac.

“18 Holes” Somewhere over Westchester, New York.
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 55-200mm, f3.5, 1/2000 ISO 200

“Arlington National Cemetery” Arlington, Virginia. August 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, f4.4, 1/1000, ISO 800

“Spanish Moss” Hilton Head, South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 14mm, f5.6, 1/240, ISO 200

“Coral & blue” Westchester, New York, August 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 55-200mm, f3.9, 1/2000, ISO 200

I took this infrared shot near Westchester County Airport. I think it’s Kenisco Reservoir.

“Lowcountry in gold” South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 70-300mm, f8, 1/640, ISO 200

“Lowcountry in coral” South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 70-300mm, f8, 1/480, ISO 200

“Edith Read Wildlife Preserve” Rye, New York. August 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 14mm, f14, 1/500, ISO 200

“Hilton Head Sunrise” South Carolina. July 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro1 590nm Infrared Conversion, 23mm, f2.8, 1/80, ISO 200

“Stuytown Sunrise” Lower East Side, Manhattan. February 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 55-200mm, f5.6, 1/140, ISO 200

“Good morning New York” Lower East Side, Manhattan. February 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f11, 1/2, ISO 200

Sometimes at sunrise in New York, the angle is just right for individual buildings to light up while the rest of the city is still in darkness.

“Shine bright” Lower Manhattan. February 2023
Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f16, 15s, ISO 200

“Tribute in Light 2023” Hudson Yards, Manhattan. September 11, 2023
Fujifilm X-T5, 35mm, f4, 1.9s, ISO 400

I’ve been documenting the September 11th Tribute in light every year since moving to New York in 2012. Having shot the lights from so many different angles around the city, it’s getting more and more challenging to find new perspectives.

Thankfully they built a new 100-story tall observation deck in Hudson Yards called The Edge that gave me a new angle for this year. The detail of all the lights across the city was mind-blowing. If you look closely, you can see the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Verrazano Bridges as well as tens of thousands of pizza slices.

I hope you enjoyed this year’s Year in Review.  Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to Beyond Celiac to help find a cure for Celiac Disease.

And if you want to see more, you can check out the other years in review:

2022’s Year in Review
2020’s Year in Review
2019’s Year in Review
2018’s Year in Review
2017’s Year in Review
2016's Year in Review
2105's Year in Review
2014's Year in Review.


Or follow me on Flickr or Instagram.

20 Best Photos of 2016

Time once again for the annual struggle to choose 20 photos that best represent my year in photography. As any creative-type might imagine, the process of choosing images for the Year in Review is both rewarding (in sifting through the thousands of photos taken this year, I found a few nice surprises that I'd overlooked at the time) and torturing ("was last year's Year in Review better? Am I actually getting worse at this? Were these really the best shots that I got?")

In choosing this year's favorites, I noticed the following:

1) I took tens of thousands of photos of my 1 year old daughter this year, and not much else. There were just a handful of days this year that I actually went out to take pictures. New Year's Resolution #1 for 2017 is to get out there and shoot more.  

2) I don't know if this represents an evolving personal style, but this year, a few things caught my eye much more-so than in years past: geometry, primary colors and umbrellas. Read into that what you may.

Without further ado: 
 

"Tribute in Light" September 11, 2016. New York City
Fujifilm XPro1, 14mm, f/8, 10s, ISO 400

I've been photographing the September 11th Tribute in Light for about five years now, and each year I try to find a new vantage point. This year, I planned to start on the Manhattan Bridge and make my way into the city to wander the streets around Lower Manhattan. But the views were so stunning, I spent 3+ hours on the bridge and called it a night.

"Tribute in Light over Chinatown" September 11, 2016. New York City
Fujifilm XPro1, 14mm, f/4, 2s, ISO 200

Another one from September 11th. This one was taken a few hours later from the Manhattan end of the bridge. The graffiti in the foreground is Chinatown, and the smell from the bridge was amazing. After taking this photo, I called it quits and went for dumplings.   

"A ray of hope. Wall Street, 9:25 a.m." October, 2016. New York City
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 200

Presidential debate #2 between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton was an especially dark, ugly and discouraging affair, sure to make anyone anxious-at-best about the future of our country. The next morning on the way to work, I climbed the stairs from the subway, stepped out onto Wall Street and saw this.  

"The center of attention" May 2016. Downtown Los Angeles
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO 1000

I'd love to say this moment just happened. But I camped out in this spot for about 15 minutes hoping a pedestrian would walk through the street instead of along the sidewalk.

"The Refresher" September 2016. Los Angeles
Fujifilm XPro2, 35mm, f/8, 1/150, ISO 200

Los Angeles' original Farmer's Market is amazing for vintage signs and old school Americana. I was taking photos of this great old soda shop when this guy wandered into my shot. Sometimes the photography gods just hand you a scene from a Wes Anderson movie and you just have to be there to take the picture. 

"Beautiful" November, 2016. Brick Lane, London U.K. 
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO 2000

Full credit for this photo goes to the graffiti artist. 

"Baltimore's Best Pawn" April, 2016. Westminster, MD
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/350, ISO 200

I mean, come on. You couldn't have asked for a better car to be parked there. Even the colors on the Louisiana license plate match.

"Stripes and squares" May, 2016. Downtown Los Angeles
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/250, ISO 200

Downtown L.A. is weird. There are pedestrian overpasses connecting nearly every building so it's entirely possible to traverse the city without ever touching the sidewalk. It must make urban planners insane. On the bright side, the walkways offer some interesting perspectives, transforming the streetscape below into a living Mondrian painting. 

"Calling for snow" January, 2016. Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
Fujifilm XPro1, 35mm, f/1.4, 1/2000, ISO 640

In January, New York got the largest snowstorm on record with 27.5 inches falling in Central Park. Laziness prevailed and I only made it about four blocks from home before deciding it was too cold/windy/snowy and calling it quits. I'd make a terrible mailman.   

"Off duty" January, 2016. Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
Fujifilm XPro1, 35mm, f/1.4, 1/2000, ISO 400

This photo was taken about a half block down from the previous one. I told you I didn't make it far. 

"Black and blue" May, 2016. Downtown Los Angeles
Fujifilm XPro1, 56mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO 500

This was another intervention from the photography gods. I was working this scene, taking some really mediocre photos of the reflection of these umbrellas in the marble when this guy in his perfectly matching blue shirt walked out to take a phone call smack in the middle of my shot. 

"Come together" March, 2016. New York City
Apple iPhone 6

One of my favorite photographers, Jay Maisel, says that all great photographs are about one of three things: Light, Color or Gesture. Light and color are easy to understand. Gesture is a bit harder to explain, but you know it when you see it. 

"The interloper" September, 2016. The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Fujifilm XPro2, 14mm, f/8, 1/100, ISO 500

One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn't belong...

"Buff" May, 2016. Downtown Los Angeles
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/8, 1/100, ISO 6400

We were staying at the Standard Hotel in Downtown L.A. for a quick work trip. I stepped out of the elevators and saw this. 

"Somewhere West" May, 2016. Location unknown
Fujifilm XPro1, 56mm, f/6.4, 1/2200, ISO 200

I took this photo from the airplane window on the way to the LA trip mentioned above. Taken somewhere between Kansas and California. 

"Santa Barbara Sunrise" September, 2016. Santa Barbara, CA
Fujifilm XPro2, 56mm, f/8, 1/850, ISO 200

While staying in Santa Barbara, I motivated myself to get out of bed stupid-early in the morning and go try to take some photos from the pier at sunrise. It was the right decision.

"The night swimmer" August, 2016. Santa Monica, CA
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/2, 1/70, ISO 6400

I took 20 or 30 shots of this kid running in and out of the surf. Not many came out. Not because they were out-of-focus, but because he needed the lightness of the waves crashing in the background in order to make out the shape of his silhouette. 

"Chase" May, 2016. Pier 5, Brooklyn, NY
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/16, 1/900, ISO 800

The nice thing about taking the ferry to work is that, instead of crowding onto a train and being wedged into a stranger's armpit, your commute home looks more like this. 

"Limitless" November, 2016. Brighton, U.K. 
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/8, 1/250, ISO 200

At the end of Brighton Pier there's an amusement park. This shot was taken at the trampolines.

"West Pier" Novmber, 2016. Brighton, U.K.
Fujifilm XPro1, 14mm, f/16, 28s, ISO 200

Closed in 1975, Brighton's West Pier sat vacant and partially collapsed for years, until a fire gutted the structure in 2003. To get the ghostly effect in the water, this photo is a 28 second long exposure. I got this shot just in the nick of time. A few minutes later, those storm clouds unleashed a massive downpour and I went for fish and chips. 

Thanks for reading! And if you want to see more, you can check out 2105's Year in Review. Or 2014's Year in Review. Or follow me on Flickr or Instagram

20 Best Photos of 2015

In June, my wife and I had a daughter. Which means that 95% of the photos I took in 2015 were baby photos. Here are the best of the rest. 

Click on any photo to view it in lightbox mode

"The snowstorm and the smokehouse" January 2015. New York City
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/20, ISO 6400

In January, winter storm Juno was forecast to bring a major blizzard to New York City. The storm missed New York (sorry Boston!), but gave us enough snow for some magical twilight photos on Stone Street in the Financial District. I love the way the warm glow from the lights plays against the blue evening sky in the distance.  

"Sunset snapshot" April, 2015 Islamorada, Florida Keys
Fujifilm XPro1, 14mm, f/4.0, 4.3, ISO 200

One of the most annoying things that can happen as a photographer is to frame up a beautiful shot of the last fleeting moments of the sunset only to have a bunch of thirteen year olds walk into said sunset shot and start posing for several hundred iPhone photos. After briefly cursing them and wishing that they would fall off the end of the pier, I realized I could use them to make a more interesting photo. I used a slow shutter speed to capture the flash from their iPhone, which cast a spotlight onto the girls while leaving the boys in silhouette. 

"Bahia Honda State Park" April, 2015 Florida Keys
Fujifilm XPro1, 14mm, f/11, 210s, ISO 200

Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys is at the foot of an old abandoned railroad bridge.  To get the smooth water effect and movement in the clouds, I used a three minute long exposure. Here's a shot from the other side of the bridge.

"!" April, 2015, Islamorada Florida
Fujifilm XPro1, 14mm, f/8, 340s, ISO 200

Here's another long exposure shot from the Florida Keys. This photo was taken at the Amara Cay Resort in Islamorada. This exposure was nearly six minutes long. It's also cool in Black and White

"Daybreak in Jamestown" November, 2015 Jamestown, Rhode Island
Fujifilm XPro1, 56mm, f/16, 1/125, ISO 200

I guess I had a thing for water and pylons this year. This shot is taken at sunrise in Jamestown, Rhode Island. I love the ethereal mood created by the fog rolling across the harbor.

"Washington, DC sunrise" November, 2015, Washington, DC
Fujifilm XPro1, 56mm, f/8, 1/25, ISO 200

This was taken just before sunrise at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. To get the reflection in the marble, I sat on the floor and set the camera on the ground.   

"Here comes the sun" November, 2015, Washington, DC
Fujifilm XPro1, 14mm, f/22, 1/125, ISO 1600

It wasn't easy to get this shot from inside the Lincoln Memorial. There was a boot camp class with about three hundred people running laps up and down the stairs and weaving in and out of the pillars. Fortunately, I got enough of a break between runners to make it seem like a much quieter morning than it actually was. The lone runner created just enough mystery to the shot with the shadow on the wall. 

"The Bird Feeder" December 25, 2015, Coney Island, NY
iPhone 6

Coney Island is magical in the fog. Especially on Christmas Morning. Something about this photo feels like it could have been taken 75 years ago.  

"Head in the clouds" March 2015, New York, NY
iPhone 6

I took this photo of the clouds draped over downtown Brooklyn from my office window in Lower Manhattan. 

"Across the bridge" August, 2015 New York, NY
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/16, 1/80, ISO 6400

The new transportation hub at the World Trade Center is controversial because of its four billion dollar price tag. But it does make for some really great photo ops.  

"Scenes from a Taxi" August 2015, New York, NY
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/4, 1/9, ISO 6400

I took this photo of the World Trade Center from the back seat of a taxi somewhere in TriBeCa. The red glow is from another car's brake lights hitting the plexiglass divider in the cab.

"31st Street Sunset" August 2015, New York, NY
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/8, 1/90, ISO 6400

I'd just gotten off a train from Washington, DC and turned the corner in front of Amtrak's Penn Station just in time to catch this incredible sunset. I love the way the neon lights along the side of Madison Square Garden blend with the purple glow in the sky and reflect on the buildings across the street.  

"Never sleeps" November, 2015 New York, NY
Fujifilm XPro1, 35mm, f/8, 8, ISO 200

In November, we edited a film project at a studio called Work in TriBeCa. This is the view from their office. Not bad. 

"Castle Hill Lighthouse" November 2015, Newport, Rhode Island
Fujifilm XPro1, 14mm, f/11, 1/125, ISO 500

Hard to go wrong with lighthouse shots. This one was from a trip to Newport, Rhode Island in November. I like the way the cracks in the rocky cliffs draw your eye down to the lighthouse. Classic leading lines stuff. 

"Lincoln Memorial Reflections" November 2015, Washington, DC
Fujifilm XPro1, 14mm, f/3.2, 1/140, ISO 2500

The trouble with shooting famous landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial is that it's photographed thousands of times every single day. And often by photographers with much fancier equipment. To avoid taking the same postcard picture everyone else took, I came out at sunrise to try to find a unique perspective. I found it in a tiny puddle of water on top of a metal wayfinding sign. 

"Not Forgotten" September 2015, Jersey City, NJ
Fujifilm XPro1, 56mm, f/2, 1/30, ISO 6400

The September 11th Tribute in Light as seen from the waterfront in Jersey City, New Jersey. 

"Statue of Liberty at Sunset" December, 2015 Brooklyn, New York
Fujifilm XPro1, 200mm, f/4.8, 1/25, ISO 800

This was shot from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade with my telephoto lens at 200mm, using the fence as a makeshift tripod. 

"Synchronized selfies" December 2015, Brooklyn Bridge, NY
Fujifilm X100s, 23mm, f/2, 1/20, ISO 3200

Millenials. 

"But I hadn't run out of things to say to you" July 2015, Brooklyn, NY
iPhone 6

I saw this scene while walking the dog. I have so many questions. 

"Tough crowd" April, 2015, Central Park, NY
Fujifilm X100s, f/8, 1/240, ISO 400

New Yorkers are a hard bunch to impress. 

Thanks for reading! And if you want to see more, you can check out last year's Year in Review. Or follow me on Flickr or Instagram

Brooklyn Family Portraits - Igor and Lana

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking family portraits for my college friend and his family. We met in Dumbo, Brooklyn for a photo session just before sunset in early December. The light was MAGIC. Here are a few favorites from the session. Thanks Igor and Lana!

The Historic Uber Apocalyptic Megastorm Blizzard That Wasn't

Last week, New York was supposed to get clobbered by a snowstorm of epic proportions. After everyone freaked out and cleared the supermarkets of all things edible, we got about 4 inches. While it wasn't exactly a winter wonderland, it did make for some snow-globe-like photos. Here are a few favorites from around the Financial District.  

Stone Street

Stone Street

Stone Street Selfie

The Charging Bull Statue at Bowling Green

Delmonico's Steakhouse

Broad Street

Broadway at Cedar Street

The Charging Bull Statue at Bowling Green

Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade 2014, East Village, New York

On Saturday, Tompkins Square Park in New York's East Village hosted the 24th annual dog halloween costume parade. According to CNN, it's the largest dog costume parade in the world. It's also arguably the most adorable. Here are some of my favorites from the day. Pity Dog Halloween only comes once a year.  

Check out the iPhone case

Steve and Nick's Wedding - Central Park, New York

Talk about an amazing destination wedding. On September 20th, Steve, Nick and 25 of their closest friends traveled from London to New York celebrate their union at the Cop Cot in New York's Central Park. They couldn't have asked for a nicer day. With perfect weather, lots of laughter and so many excited friends, the wedding was a joy to attend. Congratulations to Steve and Nick and thank you for your hospitality and the huge honor of photographing your wedding! 

We started the day with some wedding portraits in Steve and Nick's hotel room at the Viceroy in midtown Manhattan. The light from the huge windows was fantastic.  

After a few pre-wedding portraits, we headed downstairs to Kingside to meet the guests for Champagne and pastries.

Afterwards, everyone headed over to Central Park for the wedding ceremony.

But first a few photos. (I'm always a sucker for the selfie shot.) 

Steve and Nick's wedding took place Inside the Cop Cot, a rustic wooden gazebo on the crest of a hill at the southeast corner of Central Park  

Rev. Annie Lawrence gave a beautiful ceremony. 

Group photo with all of the guests. 

And here's a picture of me taking a picture of them. Thanks for the behind the scenes shot, Rev. Annie Lawrence! 

Congratulations Steve and Nick! Thanks again for inviting me to be a part of your wedding day!

September 11th, a Tribute in Light

Tonight, New York will remember the lives lost on September 11th with the annual Tribute in Light memorial. The Tribute is a breathtaking art installation made of 88 xenon light cannons which shine from the shadow of the World Trade Center into infinity. The lights can be seen from 60 miles away. I've spent the last two September 11ths capturing images of the display. Here are some of the better images from the Brooklyn waterfront (2012) and Lower Manhattan (2013).

Brooklyn Bridge Park, 2012

West Side Highway, 2013

Lower Manhattan, 2013

DUMBO, Brooklyn 2012

Brooklyn Bridge Park, 2012

Zuccotti Park, Manhattan, 2013

West Side Highway, 2013

Vesey Street, Manhattan 2013

This is Robinson. He told me that his cousin passed away in the towers. He moved to the US from the Dominican Republic. On 9/11 he was 10 years old. 

DUMBO Brooklyn, 2012

DUMBO, Brooklyn 2012

From the roof where they hold the light canons. Lower Manhattan, 2013

From the roof where they hold the light canons. Lower Manhattan, 2013

Event: Pooja and Chris's Wedding Rehearsal Dinner

Last Friday night I had the pleasure of capturing the memories from Pooja and Chris's wedding rehearsal dinner aboard the Atlantis cruise yacht in New York. After a few portraits by the waterfront in Jersey City, we set sail along the Manhattan shoreline, with a trip up the Hudson and the East Rivers and a grand finale at the State of Liberty. Perfect weather, an amazing party and a very, very happy couple. Congratulations to Pooja and Chris!