Boardwalk Empire Facade on the Atlantic City Boardwalk

Here's a few snaps from yesterday, of the 'Boardwalk Empire' facade on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

Check it out.

 It's pretty neat!

"The 180-foot long display is in front of the West Hall of Boardwalk Hall, near the intersection of the Boardwalk and Florida Avenue. It is a re-creation of some of the sets for the HBO television series, which is itself a translation of Atlantic County Superior Court Judge, Nelson C. Johnson’s history of Atlantic City." ~ PressofAtlanticCity.com

Another Road Trip! Atlantic City, NJ

Yesterday, my Nikon buddy, Nano, took a ride up to North Jersey with me. O.M.G. !  I came home with a beautiful new setup. With this new, popular, lighter weight body and zoom lens, I'll be doing some serious shooting. I'm anxious to get it all sorted out and set-up. 

Today I got up early and headed down to Atlantic City Boardwalk with college classmate, friend and photography mentor, Nancy Louie, aka; Nano. Because I haven't even had it out of the box yet, and because my main goal was to assist my friend, I didn't take my new baby. I took my little point and shoot Cannon PowerShot A590 instead. Here's a few of the untouched snap shots I got.

The morning shadows added to the atmosphere.

It was a beautiful morning. The early risers included bikers, walkers, families and seniors.

Although the background remained constant, the flow of people was ever changing. 

 The guys with the push carts were waiting in line. 

When the cart by the casino door got a passenger, the next guy in line would move up to the door.

Any time of the night or day, the Atlantic City Boardwalk is an interesting and unusual place. It's got a unique mix of the old and new with a "Down the Shore,  Jersey Style " gambling town character all of it's own. A great place to people-watch for sure!

We've done a lot of things to get across the message that the city center is not just a place to buy things. It's not just a commercial place. It's a place where you come in and sit on the boardwalk, have a cup of coffee and look around you.

~ John Fitzgerald

Photographing At The Zoo

I just found a helpful article on Nikon's "Learn & Explore" section by Julie Larsen Maher. See great shots and learn many tips for making the most of your visit to the zoo from this accomplished animal photographer.

Another Shot From My Hummingbird Marathon

This is one of my favorite shots from the past week of renting telephoto lenses. It was taken with a flash (Nikon SB 900 Speedlight) to stop the motion of the wings. It is full frame with no cropping and I haven't done any post processing on it yet. My mentor, Nancy Louie, turned me on to the idea and helped me get my barrings with all the technical stuff involved. See more about shooting hummingbirds with a flash here.

Beautiful, Magical Snowfall

I've been looking through some photos I took in February of 2006 with my Nikon CoolPix 880. We had a heavy snow followed by a beautiful clear morning and I was able to get out in the woods early for some really breathtaking views. Although I rarely use it, 4 wheel drive is a real bonus in situations like these.


The snow was so heavy many trees were bent to the ground from the weight.


This is a waterway and cedar swamp a few miles from my home in the Wharton State Forest.


I love the magical, almost surreal feeling I get when I venture into a snow covered wilderness like this.

Yesterday's Snow Photos From The NJ Pines

This is a stream that crosses the road by my house.

I took over 150 photos with my new Big Boy D2x. I actually think I am finally making some headway and starting to get the hang of it. This is my favorite shot of the day of Nancy Louie, aka, NanoLou on the bridge, taken from the middle of the stream.

Here's a rear view photo of me (outstanding in my stream) taken by my friend, photographer extraordinaire, Nancy Louie. I love this shot as this person looks so connected, peaceful and "one" with nature.

Another photo taken by Nano of yours truly with my new obsession, only this time front view.

A Day In The Snow

Today I spent most of the day out in the cold in Wharton State Forest photographing the snow. It was nice sharing the experience with friends, Carolyn and Nan. My favorite shot is of Nano on a snow covered bridge. I'll post it here if she approves. I don't want to get the W.A.W.A. (Wild Asian Woman w/ Attitude) angry. LOL! I wore my rubber riding boots and actually got into the stream with my tripod. What fun! After coming back here for a hearty lunch of my homemade Chicken Corn Chowder, the girls left and I went back out here and took some more photos including this shot.

The Beauty of Snow

We just got dumped on here in Southern NJ! I am thrilled. The last time we had a snow like this was in February of 2006. It's been gray and snowing all day here, so I haven't had a chance to get out with my new camera yet, but I will! These shots were taken by me three years ago out in my neck of the woods. I was using a Cool Pix 880 digital at the time. I'm planning on getting out in the next few days to get some fresh new snow shots with my d2x. I'm chomping at the bit! I put together an album of photos taken this morning with my point and shoot, Cannon A590. It's a great little camera for capturing the moment. If you are a friend on Facebook, please check them out. If you are not on Facebook or we are not friends there yet, what are you waiting for? :-D

Fun In The Snow

I took my new Nikon camera out in the snow and took some photos in the back of my property today. The light was less than ideal, but I had fun and hopefully learned a thing or two. I'm so grateful to have my very own photography guru, Ms. Nanolou. I've emailed her several high res. shots and enlisted her expert eyes and immensely constructive input and opinions once again. This is my favorite shot of the day. In the high resolution image, the details in the near edge of the water are amazing. What a camera!

Opportunities and Goals

For the past week I have been concentrating on another goal for my art career. With the help of my friend, Nancy Louie, I've been learning the technical side of shooting and post processing high resolution digital photographs. My objective is to commercially license some of my artwork and possibly eventually even photos. Here is a picture of my big new (second hand) d2x. Although a very complicated piece of equipment and a huge technical challenge for me, I'm already falling in love with it.


Here's my favorite scenic shot so far. See more about my photography endeavors on my Spirit Art Blog. Also see this week's Inspiration Everyday quotes on GOALS.

A good goal is like a strenuous exercise, it makes you stretch." ~ Mary Kay Ash

Saying Goodbye

Sometimes we form attachments to objects that are man made. It could be a car, a piece of clothing, a book, a piece of furniture, etc. My first digital camera, a Nikon CoolPix 880, which I purchased over nine years ago, finally died. We had been through a lot together. With it I archived almost a decade of my work and posted many shots on the internet. We shared numerous occasions and trips, together documenting and preserving many wonderful memories. I still have the box and everything that came with it. I can't bare the thought of trashing it. I feel as though it deserves a proper memorial service and burial although I know that's rediculous. A new smaller, cheaper, more efficient Cannon Power Shot has taken its place and I must admit, I already like it very much.

Photographing Artwork

I was sitting here eating my DELICIOUS chocolate and caramel "JERSEY GIRL" candy bar (really - Jerry brought it from Nixon's General Store) and wondering what to blog about . I did six new paintings so far this week and I try to shoot pictures of them as I go along. That way it doesn't turn out to be such a big project. I shoot them outside my studio door (preferably in bright shade) on the north side of my house with my little Nikon Digital coolpix 880. I thought you might like to see the ones I just took. These two quarter sheet paintings are 11" x 15" - which frame up to 16" x 20" or larger. This is what the picture looks like before I tweak it in Photoshop. I always keep the painting next to me as I'm making adjustments to the image. I try to get is as close as I can to the original. As you can see, I never attach my paper to a board and the pigment comes right out to the deckle edges on all four sides. These watercolors would look great with some nice custom framing and floating mats.