So, Where Did You Shoot This Month?
In May, I got to photograph in two places that I’ve never been to before — the Staten Island Greenbelt and the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Broad Channel, Queens.
I also did some shooting of flowers at home this month.
Staten Island Greenbelt
When I was a teenager, I was a counselor in a camp in the Greenbelt, but since then, I never really spent any time there. So, when I was on Staten Island on Mother’s Day, I decided to stop by the Greenbelt and take some photos.
I love taking photos that, when viewed, makes the viewer say “That’s in New York City ?!” NYC is well known for its towers of steel and glass, its iconic landmarks and rich cultural history. But there is so much natural beauty in the city as well, and I love trying to find it and show that beauty to anyone who is willing to see it.
The Greenbelt is a fairly big place, and I only got to check out one trail. Suffice it to say, I’ll be back there in the future to capture more of it.
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Going to the Wildlife Refuge was a last minute decision.
I knew that sunset was going to be nice looking that day and I was trying to figure out where to go to shoot it that evening. I was all set to go someplace familiar, but in the end, I decided to try going out to Broad Channel and the refuge.
The wildlife refuge is a beautiful place. There are some nice views of the city from there, as well as some nice nature trails. I ended up with some very nice shots that day, but I also learned that, if I go back, I need to bring along some bug spray. I was being eaten alive while I was out there.
All three of these shots were taken during sunset across the bay. I love the fact that you can see the buildings of Brooklyn in this shot, as well as the skyscrapers of the city far in the background.
This shot was taken as I was leaving the refuge after sundown. I was walking back, past the West Pond, when I turned around and saw the sky putting on a wonderful show of color. Knowing that the color would not last, I very quickly got my tripod set up and managed to snap a few pictures.
In the end, I’m glad I stopped to take the shot, as this turned out to be my favorite shot of the day.
Floral Photography
In addition to the nature photography above, I also did some floral photography this month.
I belong to an online photography group, called 52 Frames. The idea behind this group is that every week, there is a theme and each member has to submit a photo based on that theme.
The theme for Week 20 this year was “Not What You See.” At first I was stumped as to what to do, but eventually I came up with this idea. After shooting the bunch of tulips, I used Photoshop to transform one of them into a rainbow tulip.
After I submitted my picture to 52 Frames, I decided to replicate the process on a single flower. So I shot one solitary tulip and then applied the rainbow effect to it as well. Here you can see the before and after of that manipulation.
I even created a video of how I created this image.
I also ended up doing some other flower photography this month.
I added an image to my Flowers on Black series.
I saw this colored mum in a flower shop and realized that it might make for a very interesting macro picture. I like the near-psychedelic feel that the photo has.
So, that’s a wrap on my photography for May.
Any comments or questions about any of these images (or photography in general)? Please let me know in the comments!
Tune in a month from now as we see what I managed to shoot during June.