Rocco Galatioto, nice photos and good food

The dying of the light may does not auger well for us poor mortals but it allows us to take very interesting photos. A prosaic place assumes surreal qualities that go a long way to make an interesting photos. here are a few shot in Venice a few years ago.

Kodak Ecktachrome X GAF Anscocolor 200 Kodak Kodachrome II Kodak Ektachrome 200 All these slide scans from different films date back to the seventies. It is amazing how the color has held up. Only slight digital touch us was needed in order to bring back the colors to a semblance of the originals. Yet the glorious original colors are really gone. Too bad.

A Great Victory For Canadian Photographers Show/Hide complete story » November 7, 2012 A GREAT VICTORY FOR CANADIAN PHOTOGRAPHERS OTTAWA, November 7, 2012: At last, Canadian photographers own their copyright. The Canadian Association of Professional Image Creators (CAPIC) would like to congratulate all Canadian photographers in Canada on this important date and pivotal achievement in the photographic industry. As of today, Canadian photographers now officially own the copyright to all of their work whether the photograph is commissioned or not, thanks to the new Copyright law. The principle of protecting photographers' ownership rights started 65 years ago by Henri Cartier-Bresson, who founded Magnum with Robert Capa and David Seymour. Magnum assured that a photographer's image belonged to the photographer and not to the commissioner of the work. In Canada, all other artists have already owned the copyrights to their work and thanks to this new ...

I realize that these congratulations are  bit tardy  due to Sandy et. al. But I must congratulate the President on his re election. BUT I  must also offer congratulations to the Nation for an un-eventual election free from recriminations and dissension. The people have spoken. It's time to resume life without all those annoying commercials and puerile  assertions by so called pundits. I keep politics out of this blog since they are inappropriate but this is a worthy exception.

Adobe has issued a 'release candidate' version of Lightroom 4.3 and Adobe Camera Raw 7.3, including support for 13 additional cameras. The Mac version of Lightroom features a Develop module that supports Apple's HiDPI mode that makes the interface easier to read on the 'Retina' panels used on recent Macs. The latest versions are available for download from the Adobe Labs website and, as the 'release candidate' tag denotes, are well tested but could benefit from some user feedback before finalized.

New York, in front of the old Plaza Hotel Central Park, Sunday afternoon New York, Fifth Avenue New York, Central Park New York, Fifth Avenue Street photography has always been the holy grail of photography. That is it shows the photographer's ability to capture a moment in time. It naturally takes into account the whole concept of the decisive moment. It really is one of the more difficult areas of photography. Here are a few examples from my younger days when I was more dedicated to this type of work.

Erice, Sicily Erice, Sicily Erice, Sicily Erice, Sicily Salemi, Sicily Salemi, Sicily I hate to say it's the light stupid as I find this somewhat rude but it hits the spot. If photography captures nature just as is it becomes an unnecessary bore. One must create the shot by manipulating the image seen by the eye and pre visualizing it as the final photograph. Therefore, the more unusual the light, the more unreal, the better the photo gets.  Here are some example that I hope you like. All shot in Sicily with my trusted and capable Olympus E PL-2.

These are some of my favorite photos shot on slide film. It's a new series of posts highlighting some of the photos that I have deemed best. They are worth re posting, I believe.

It's that time of the year when fall's splendor gives way to winter's dread leaving some vestigial traces of it's dying beauty. How ephemeral the seasons are. BTW, I hope that your favorite candidates win.

Progress marches on in the lens area. In this digital world it's the lenses that remain after the new and improved new cameras come out and the old cameras lose their value. So one should get the best that one can afford. Here are two great examples. They are not cheap but will hold their value for years. Canon Adds Two New Lenses to Their EF Line-up Hold  the presses, Canon USA has just unveiled two new additions to their EF line of EOS dSLR lenses; both of which are claimed to be professional quality glass. First up is the EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM, which boasts an appealing range when coupled with one of their full-frame EOS cameras; like the EOS-1D X , EOS 6D , EOS 5D Mark III , or the EOS 5D Mark II . On top of sporting the L label, this new unit also boasts their proven built-in Hybrid optical image stabilization system, a USM (Ultrasonic) AF motor, and macro abilities with a minimum focusing distance of 7.9-inches at 70mm. All for about $1499 USD. Next, th...

This shot is from nearby Juniper Valley Park in Queens, NYC. You do not have to go far from home to capture something of interest.

The number of competitors to Photo shop is staggering, I personally use Elements and Lightroom as I find them more than sufficient for my needs, As a matter of fact Lightroom is indispensable. This package appears to be economical and a very good buy if it performs as advertised. We shall see. OnOne Introduces Perfect Photo Suite 7 OnOne has announced that Perfect Photo Suite 7 is now available; It includes a great deal of "Perfect" new software, isuch as Perfect B&W, Perfect Effects 4, Perfect Portrait 2, Perfect Layers 3 and Perfect Resize 7.5 Pro. Included you will get  FocalPoint 2 and an improved version of Perfect Mask 5.2. If you're wondering about buying or upgrading to Photo Suite 7, you'll find plenty of video tutorials at OnOne U that take you through the new features and give you insight into just what you can do with the software suite.  Perfect Photo Suite 7 is available for $299 , and  those who have Perfect Photo Suite 6, Perfect Photo Suite ...

It's never the wrong time to think about spring and after all, it's spring in the southern hemisphere. We who live in the north get quite north hemisphere centric at times. So just a few photos to take us back to those mild days of pure enchantment. These photos were shot at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a true wonder all by itself. It has something to offer in every season but in spring it truly shows off all it's wonders. And please do not forget to vote

External view of the castle this past June. It's a must photo stop for weddings.

Looking out to the bay Meeting and convention hall  One of the exhibit halls Exhibit all detail Here's a few more shots of this truly amazing place. The interiors are truly magnificently re done.

I use black and white seldom nowadays having been convinced that nature has colors and color is best. I realize that this is anathema to those who still shoot black and white especially the film shooters but I really have no time for such pseudo intellectual artsy nonsense. But at times, rendering a photo into a graphic will work best in black and white, Here are some building in Castellammare awaiting gentrification and its concomitant  re structuring.