modusoptimus

Ceremony & reception in Massachusetts on October 6th 2007.

The views from a small plane flying at low altitude are usually a lot better than high altitude views. Still, it is very difficult to get good pictures because of the haze and the reflections in the window. I have always liked Yann Arthus Bertrand‘s pictures but only now I realize how hard is to get composition, light, image quality and a good subject together.

The first three pictures show the Limerick power plant, the meanders of lake Nockamixon and the curving shape of Interstate 80 near Columbia lake.

See more pictures tagged ‘aerial‘.

Earlier this year we went to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania where one of the largest Amish settlements is found. Unfortunately it was too cold for a buggy ride but we did it now. I was afraid I would not be able to take pictures of Amish people as they do not like being photographed because it cultivates individualism, but our buggy driver Ben didn’t have an issue with that. In addition to the ride itself, I really appreciated talking to him – it is more personal than a New York Times or wikipedia article.

The parade is part of a celebration of Mexico’s independence from Spain in 1821 after an 11-year war. Three pictures are posted in New York 2007 album.

The German-American Steuben Parade is an annual Parade held every third Saturday in September in New York City. It was founded in 1957 by German-American immigrants who, being part of the largest ethnic group in the United States, wanted to keep the traditions of their homeland alive. Four pictures are posted in New York 2007 album.

Marilyn fell from heaven at Kirstin and Dan’s wedding…

Most of the Apple store on 5th Avenue is submerged, occupying a sunken plaza in front of the General Motors Building. The only part above ground is a 32-foot glass cube. The picture shows through the glass stairs people coming in and out.

We traveled California from east to west for two weeks. The most common landmarks of this trip were Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Yosemite, Mono Lake, Lake Tahoe and San Francisco. The album is here.

It has been a long time now since I wanted to build this kind of collage. It finally happened after buying the cardboard, around three “photo sessions” and almost two hours of computer work.

Some technical details to remember:

• the cardboard should have the same ratio as the camera sensor
• the result has more effect if the cardboard has the opposite of the background color
• when taking the pictures, try various poses on the left/right hand side of the cardboard and have the cardboard very slightly rotated to the left and to the right
• keep the plan of the cardboard parallel to the camera to avoid perspective distorsion

Cuauhtémoc is a ship designed to train Mexican Navy officers and cadets. These pictures were taken at South Street Seaport in Manhattan. The second one shows the ship’s kitchen activity while white-clothed officers and cadets were running tourist visits on the upper level deck.