It’s amazing what the camera can reveal that the eye cannot initially see. When I went out to take pictures tonight I expected the heavy cloud coverage would make for less than ideal conditions. My camera quickly proved me wrong. As I opened the camera up stop by stop I began to notice a myriad of colors appear. First blue, then pink, then orange, followed by the lush greenery of the foreground. Slightly perplexed I put my camera down and looked up at the sky. Was it my eyes or camera that was betraying me? I searched for the answer meticulously as my eyes panned the night before me.
The closer I looked the more I could see that it was I who was at fault. Directly above my oblivious self was one of the most beautiful skies I have ever seen. But it was a different kind of beauty, not the overt in-your-face kind that grabs your attention at first glance. This beauty was completely naked, free from the blinding adornments that scream at all your senses, begging for their simultaneous attention.
I can best compare the sky tonight to a beautiful woman with frizzled hair and all her makeup washed off right before she goes to bed at night (yes, ladies, you are most beautiful when you look like “crap”). Now imagine seeing that same woman walk down the street as you pass her by. You’d most likely think she’s either homeless, hideous, or just plain crazy. But say you stop for a moment to ask the woman her name. As she looks up at you, you notice her half-closed dreamy eyes, followed by her subtle smile and soft imperfect skin. At first this combination confuses you, but as you gaze deeper you begin to put all the individual pieces together to form a picture that is her true beauty. That, my friends, is what I witnessed tonight - a crazy homeless woman walking down the street looking for a place to sleep… just kidding. 
Hidden Beauty
Fissure
Here are a few shots from Marblehead, MA. It was a gorgeous day out, as you can see.
Supa Powaful
Jerry Schwarzenegger - This shot is named after the horrible Arnold impersonation I refuse to stop doing. Jerry is so used to hearing me speak Arnold-lounge that he subconsciously posed as him in this shot. I casually aimed my camera accordingly and yelled out, “Jerry, you aaaa supa powaful!” as I snapped a few before he had the chance to escape.
Non-fiction
Meet Melissa. Melissa loves Harry Potter, beaches, and doing mean things to rats in her lab. I can forgive the rat torture, but I’m still trying to understand the Harry Potter obsession. I’ll admit I’ve seen the movies, but I have never read the books, despite all the rave. I have a theory that the pages are laced with some sort of drug that keeps people reading regardless of how much their eyes hurt. Something must have caught Melissa’s eye in this photo long enough to release her from her spell as she enjoyed a little bit of non-fiction from the beautiful day.
Coming Home
Please click on this image for a better view (Flickr) as it looks distorted on my site.
This shot is a panoramic view of kayakers coming into the harbor after what must have been a beautiful morning spent sea kayaking. It sort of reminds me of a biker gang… but in the water, less the noise, ridiculous haircuts, and police in tow. I’m not sure if this was for a special occasion or if it is some sort of club, but either way it definitely made me want to put down my camera for a while and grab a kayak of my own.
Rocky Decision
Here’s Jerry after he realized the tide was coming up. He is slightly alarmed mainly because he doesn’t know how to swim. Like many decisions we face in life, this one is a bit rocky. There appears to be more than one correct path, but if our friend Jerry doesn’t decide soon, he will face the same fate as the rocks beneath him. Time is of the essence, be as decisive as you can.
It’s been over a week since I last posted something… far too long, I apologize. Once my classes are over expect to see a lot more work from me.
Caught Watching
I almost fell into the water when taking this shot. I figured it would be a good idea to get as close to the water as possible, but little did I know that the lowest level of rocks was covered in slippery muck. Rest assured, I escaped unscathed.
Ying Yang
Can you see it?
Welcome to the Iroquois, the yacht owned by John Henry, owner of the Red Sox. There was a wedding taking place to the right of the yacht which had just ended when I took the photo. It definitely could not have been a more perfect day.
This is NOT an HDR photo, although it does look like one. I just did a "bit" of Photoshop processing. 
Here is a shot from the Esplanade in Boston - one of the few places you can see the sunset in the city. I felt like writing a little story, so here it is. It’s kind of long, perhaps overly romantic, and definitely a bit sad, but that’s what I see when I look at this photo. Oh, and it’s not a true story. It may be, I have no idea, but I wrote it more from the perspective of the person sitting on the bench - there was something very bittersweet about the whole thing.
I Remember
I remember the forest’s edge where we used to linger on midsummer days as we watched the sun’s light yield slowly to the beckoning night - a beautiful combination of yellow hues, jaded skies, and fiery reflections burning in her eyes and lighting mine in turn. We tried desperately to hold on to what was never meant to stay, whispering slowly as lovers often do in hopes that their love will echo on for eternity - an eternity that only they can hear.
I remember the tree and the bench underneath where we used to sit, just laughing for hours. I would watch her delicate smile form carefully as her hair cascaded around her face, revealing beauty with every movement. And though our laughter would fade with the sun, we could still hear it in each others eyes.
I remember when I lost her, when they took her from me and said that our time at the forest’s edge was at an end. She would look at me with those eyes and say simply, “Remember.” Those were her last words to me, and they will echo on for eternity as I return to the forest’s edge to sit by our bench under the tree… to see her smile once again, hear her laughter fill the air, and watch the sunset in her eyes. And I remember. I remember and I smile back in hopes that I will see her once again.
Creative name, I know. This shot is from a while ago - the composition is sort of poor, but I like it for some reason. I think because this is usually how I look when I’m trying to figure out what to shoot. I do smile, but only once I’ve figured it out.
Next, for fear of my roommate killing me, I must say here that it is him who took this shot with his Canon XTI. I did the post processing because he had no idea what he was doing with the white balance. That being said, I suppose he’s a pretty ok photographer (sorry buddy that’s all the credit I can give ). You can find his work here.
And here are the night shots…
Sea Lagoon
Notice the reflections of the clouds in the water… it was a perfect night.
Trucker’s Ride
I’m not sure why this boat is a Trucker’s Ride, but it does offer truckers (and photographers) a great view of the Boston skyline.
Blades of Boston
Beautiful Boston from the misty grass.
Sea Lagoon Landing
That streak is actually an airplane passing 100 feet overhead in its final approach to Boston’s Logan Airport. This is a single shot, not HDR.
I don’t have much time to write these days with my classes starting up, so you’ll have to excuse my brevity in some of these later posts… it won’t last long I promise. I went to East Boston with my roommate 2 days ago to take some photos of the sunset and Boston at night. We were about 30 seconds too late to see the actual sun set, as clouds decided to cover it just as I set up my tripod… damn you Murphy’s law. These two shots are from the sunset - more night shots from this location to follow soon. Enjoy!
Logan Sunset
Contemplation
