Weekly Email - Two Views of a Scene - Washington Square Park

This week I happened along a couple who were lost in the moment and I wanted to see what kind of images I could make since I thought the composition worked.

So after about 10 shots I walked away with a few I loved.  There are two very different shots attached and perhaps one of them speak to your tastes.

What was also fun about the moment is that I walked on and shot in other places in the park and then started to wander back home about a half hour later.  When I walked past the fountain the same couple was up and in front of the fountain and stopped me to take a photo of them.  After I did - I said I think I have a photo of you two you might like - they said - no I doubt it we just got here - I said well I recognize her bright red nails - so i scrolled back some images and she shrieked Oh my Gosh I love that!  Emails were exchanged and now we all share the shot!



Fujifilm X-A1 and XF23mm lens - ISO 200 @ 1/220th at F/5.6

Some other shots with the new Fujifilm X-A1 camera.

I am an employee of FUJIFILM North America Corporation.

The statements, comments and opinions expressed here represent my own, personal views and are not endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with, FUJIFILM North America Corporation or its affiliates.
bremler@fujifilm.com 

NYC Shinnyo Peace Ceremony with Lantern Lighting

Last night in Central Park there was a nice ceremony involving many local dignitaries and a celebration for peace.  
The Shinnyo Lantern lighting was visual stimulating with the sun setting over Wolman Ice rink which was transformed into a pond with hundreds of lanterns floating and glowing in the wind.

"NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2013 — /PRNewswire/ -- On Sunday, September 22^nd, on the eve of the United Nations high-level segment, thousands of New Yorkers gathered for the first Shinnyo Lantern Floating for Peace in Central Park. Orchestrated by Shinnyo-en, an international Buddhist community, more than 2,200 candle-lit paper lanterns with individually-written messages of peace were set afloat onto a large reflecting pool in the center of Trump Rink, in honor of people who have dedicated their lives to the cause of peace."

"It has been said many times that peace is not just the absence of war. But let me add that peace is the presence of justice, physical security, equality, and peace of mind – an inner peace that exists in all of us," said United Nations Under-Secretary-General Zainab Hawa Bangura. "It is what keeps war away. Every one of us here – of whatever age, race, religion or sex – can embody, create and perpetuate that vision of peace. After all, no society can realize its full potential unless all members, including women and girls, are able to realize theirs."

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/09/22/5233924/shinnyo-lantern-floating-for-peace.html#storylink=cpy

Shinnyo Org

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/09/22/5233924/shinnyo-lantern-floating-for-peace.html#storylink=cpy

Here are some shots from the night as it unfolded.

I am an employee of FUJIFILM North America Corporation.

The statements, comments and opinions expressed here represent my own, personal views and are not endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with, FUJIFILM North America Corporation or its affiliates.
bremler@fujifilm.com 

Weekly Email - Good Places for Deep Thoughts

This week as I drove around upstate NY I came across two neat areas I just had to stop and capture.

East of Syracuse there are two meromictic lakes.  Round Lake and Green Lake are quite rare.  Now of course you're saying the same thing I was - what is that???  So here is the quick scoop and a visual is attached below of what an ordinary lake does seasonally.  The meromictic lakes do not mix their waters.

Green Lake reaches a maximum depth of 195 feet.  Deep lakes tend to appear bluish because the wavelengths of light that can penetrate (and be dispersed at) great depths are those closer to the blue end of the spectrum. Because of its depth and the high salinity of the basin waters, the lake is Meromictic and does not turn over and intermix waters like many other lakes. Green Lake's cold and dense bottom waters tend to stay separate from the shallower, warmer waters. Because of this, sediment sinks and collects in the bottom and virtually does not decay. Since the sediment is not kicked up by mixing, the lake does not take on a muddy, turbid appearance like other lakes do. Meromictic lakes also have still, mirror-like waters. Green Lake is no exception here, as its tranquil, reflective water makes for great photography. The Lake resides in an ancient river basin, carved deeper into the limestone bedrock by the last ice age. Limestone, an easily dissolved sedimentary rock, saturates the Lake's waters with calcium carbonate, a bluish salt solution. The lake, which resembles a large river in shape, is unusually deep for its size and was regarded as being sacred by the native Onondaga tribe, which originally settled in the area.

So just after I happened upon Green Lake I drove a while down the road and came upon another "round" national monument of sorts:

The National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, also dedicated as the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs, is a Roman Catholic shrine in Auriesville, New York dedicated to the Jesuit missionaries who were martyred at the Mohawk Indian village of Ossernenon between 1642 and 1646. Saint Rene Goupil, a Jesuit brother, was martyred in 1642. Saint Isaac Jogues, a Jesuit priest, and Saint John Lalande, a lay missionary, were martyred in 1646. They remain the only canonized martyrs of the United States.  The shrine can seat about 6,000 people and is situated high on a hill on 600 acres.
Diving board shot below is quite peaceful....

Green Lake Info

 Click to enlarge pano

87th Annual Feast of San Gennaro

The annual San Gennaro festival is usually considered a big deal in part of NYC.  I have to say that it is carnival of fried food and cheap attractions which seem to cater to the unsuspecting tourist who are looking for a place to take in some local culture while in town.  I am sure most will be disappointed.  The food is carnival food and if you happen to want a beer to go with your burger or sausage you have to stay in a small pen and you cannot walk down the closed street with it.  Uptight rules and crowded spaces make this a decent place to do some twilight street photography - but I'd recommend eating before you go.
Images shot at ISO 1000 with Fujifilm X-Pro1 - usually about 1/125th

http://www.sangennaro.org/

 

 

 

I am an employee of FUJIFILM North America Corporation.

The statements, comments and opinions expressed here represent my own, personal views and are not endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with, FUJIFILM North America Corporation or its affiliates.
bremler@fujifilm.com