This month marked another annual father/son sojourn of sun, sand, and solitude. Our 2018 trip took us far from winter’s gloomy cold grip on the Northeast to a place with blazing sun and delicious 80-degree temperatures: the desert. My son Noah and I traveled from Las Vegas to Death Valley National Park, then made our…
For me, nothing is quite as gratifying as seeing my photographic work framed, matted, and on display for the world to see. Recently, I‘ve had the opportunity to do this with 14 images from my portfolio. They’re hanging on the walls of Simon’s—a cozy little café in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The exhibition is called “Matters of…
If 2018 were the year of the Dragon, not the year of the Dog, I’d be especially excited about the image below. To my eye, anyway, the subject of the photo resembles a fanciful beast. From right to left, see the head, body, and tail? ICE + ZEISS = NICE!The “dragon” photo is actually a…
There’s nothing like wind-driven snow to create intriguing photo opportunities in New York. Last weekend’s storm, which coincided with a brief family visit to the City, did not disappoint. (It also gave me a great chance to test the mettle of my weather-resistant Fuji XT2 body and lenses.) I spent most of the morning on…
For those of you who’ve been reading my blogs, you’ve heard me say that no matter where you live, there’s no shortage of fascinating subjects and compositions. Sometimes they’re literally in our backyards; other times they’re just down the road. The key to finding them is to be receptive and observant. This fall has not…
Spider webs are pretty amazing structures from an engineering standpoint. The silk strands nearly rival steel in terms of tensile strength (roughly defined as the greatest amout of stretching that a material can undergo without breaking). The silk is also highly elastic, enabling the webs to withstand all manner of forces. No wonder material scientists…
There’s lots to look forward to in October in my neck of the woods—fall foliage kicks in, the temperature and humidity drop (eventually), and then there’s the annual Somerville [Massachusetts] Honk! Festival. Now in its 12th year, the festival was founded by an activist band to promote peace, social justice, and civic engagement. Since its…
Earlier in the spring during a trip to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, I was enthralled with the fog surrounding the docks near the center of town. I discovered that fog presents unique photographic challenges and was hopeful that a second planned trip to Maine (this time for a wedding) would provide more opportunities to apply what…
Some photographers immediately process their images when they get back from a shoot. Who wants to wait to see what goodies lie on the camera’s memory cards? Others advocate waiting a while before looking at them. The passage of time offers perspective, and perspective is often a direct path to the delete key. I generally…
The moment you take a photo, you step into the composition. And if the image is successful, others will be able to do the same when they view it. The photo moves them emotionally or whisks them into the scene through their minds’ eyes. The power of “moving people” was recently reinforced for me when…
Smootz - Great pictures! Next best thing to being there. Better, actually—no sunburn!
Steve Bennett - Thanks! Yeah, this is definitely sunscreen territory! Or sunscreen + protective clothing. If you’re interested, Coolibar makes a whole line of clothing with built-in UV protection (www.coolibar.com). I opted for one of the hats and was pleased with it.
Peter Kinder - As i expected when I opened it, just brilliant. Thank you!
Steve Bennett - Thanks Peter, I appreciate the kind words and support. I hope to be back in the area next year and look forward to applying what I learned about photographing in such a challenging environment.
Marilyn J. Bardsley - You are a terrific photographer! I particularly liked the Aguereberry Camp photos. Marilyn J. Bardsley
Steve Bennett - Thanks Marilyn. There are all kinds of ramschackle cabins and buildings scattered throughout the park. They aren’t park “attractions,” per se, so you enter them at your own risk. But yes, they are interesting!
Ann Marie Sabath - Amazing photographs and accompanying script! Steve is a true master!