Brooklyn Bridge with Freedom Tower

The Brooklyn Bridge on the 2nd to last day before 2011.  It is becoming a new landscape with the One World Trade Center ("The Freedom Tower") developing in the distance in downtown Manhattan. According to www.wtc.com,  when finished the Freedom tower will be 1776 feet from the top of the antenna. The Freedom Tower will be the largest building in the United States,  with the projected completion in early 2013.  The Freedom Tower is one of 7 buildings scheduled to be built over the next few years, dramatically transforming the downtown Manhattan skyline. 

This link below takes you to a video that shows a rendition of the begining and completetion of the New World Trade center. It's definitely worth taking a quick look at. 

The New World Trade Center Video

http://www.richardallisonphotography.com/ 

The Best Memory Card Available (It went through the washing machine!)

Since I have been using the Nikon D7000 for about 8 months now, I have been using SanDisk ExtremePro memory cards.  I initially purchased the Card for its industry leading write speed (Up to 45 MB/s).  The D7000 and the SanDisk ExtremePro work great together.  If you shoot RAW files it allows you to fill the buffer(10 shots), and then around 2 shots a second after that.  It also will clear the buffer in about 4 to 5 seconds.  These write speeds are also great if you are shooting Full HD video around kids and sports and expect to get fluid crisp movements in your video. 

Also one very important feature of this card is its durabilty.  SanDisk claims the Memory Cards are waterproof tested to withstand up to 72 hours in salt or fresh water to a depth of 1 meter. They are also shock and vibration proof, and can withstand up to 500Gs of shock. Additionally, the cards are magnet proof and X-ray proof, so they won't be affected by an airport's X-ray machine.
I can personally comment on the waterproof feature!  I just recently missplaced one of my cards, and found it at the bottem of the washining meachine at the end of the 36 minute warm/cold cycle.  I then took the card, inserted it into the computer and all images were perfect with no damage at all.  I reformatted the card in the camera body and kept shoot like normal the next day!  Good enough test for me!

Check out the 8GB version and the 16GB version with great prices on them since they have come out. 

Nikon D3100 DSLR

       Many friends, family, and coworkers have been asking me for a recommendation of an entry level DSLR(Digital Single Lens Reflex) for them to buy for family and travel photography.  The features and quality that an DSLR will add to you photographic experience is astronomical over the standard point and shoot which most people own.  These features and photo quality can be obtained for only a small increase in price over the high end point and shoot models on the market today.  Many of you will probably be thinking as you read this, the way technology progresses these days what stops a manufacture from creating DSLR quality and features into something that can fit into your pocket.  Well it is happening right now, although you will pay the price for the new technology. It's similar to when you threw away your desktop for that amazing laptop 10 years ago that was more expensive, you paid the price for the new technology. I will revisit these cameras in a future post when I get my hands on one, for now I will stick with whats affordable and capable.

(I hope to review the Sony NEX-7 when it becomes available.  The price is $1399!)
       This first Camera I would recommend for individuals starting out with a DSLR is the Nikon D3100.  This is Nikon's entry level DSLR camera. Don't let entry level shy you away from this camera, I have seen it personally create some amazing results.  The camera always comes with a great 18-55mm VR lens(Vibration reduction to help with blurry pictures). This is a normal zoom lens, which is very versatile and produces some incredibly sharp photos.  

This photo was taken with the 18-55mm VR Central Park in the Winter

        I would recommend adding another lens to your kit, which is the extraordinary 35mm F1.8 Prime lens.  What this F1.8 means is that in low light it's the go to lens.  The lower the "F" number the better in low light without a flash the lens preforms.  It is the go to lens for the kids playing. The other great aspect is the shallow depth of field this lens creates with the wide open Aperture (Aperture is the opening of the lens, and F1.8 is pretty wide open).  The shallow depth of field is that creamy out of focus area behind the subject you are photographing.  This is known in the photograph world as Bokeh.  This results in some very professional images made by you at home! This lens is also great for landscapes. This photo was taken with the 35mm F1.8 lens Santorini's Black Sand Beach at night

  The other addition to you camera bag would be an external flash. I recommend the Nikon SB-400.  Everybody knows that photograph they get when taking pictures with their point and shoot at the dinner party or at home in low light, the light is harsh, unflattering, and there are shadows all over the place and you background is lost in darkness.  This can all be cured by a more powerful battery operated external flash.  One main feature of this battery operated flash that helps you create more pleasing photos, is the ability to bounce the flash of any surface. In many cases this surface happens to be a ceiling indoors.  You will loose the harsh light given off by the direct on camera flash, and it removes a lot of unwanted and unflattering shadows.  This flash is extremely affordable. It will help create that more professional look you will get to your priceless photos.

  Two more impressive features of this camera is the ability to capture those memories in 1080p HD video.  They will come out great on your big screen TV.  The other is that is takes 3 pictures a second at full resolution for those fast moving kids and sports action.
        If you decided to buy please use the links below so you can purchase on Amazon, or if you live near NYC just head on down to the friendly and helpful folks and B&H Photo in NYC.        

       I hope this helps everyone. I you have another questions about this product or anything else that I mention on my blog please feel free to contact me.

Note: Pricing will fluctuate a little bit on some items.  Try to buy from Amazon and not another vendor as you will recieve better customer service.  I f you are willing to wait don't pay anymore than the following prices:
Nikon D3100: $650
Nikon SB-400:$119
Nikon 35mm f1.8: $199

Quebec City Airport Sunset.

This phot was taken with the Camera360 App for iOS5 on my iPhone4. I love this app for all of its versatile camera features and modes. For this photo I used the HDR scenery effect.  It users several exposures from the iPhone4 camera. I then took the photo into Apple's Aperture 3 software to do a little spot reduction and noise reduction.  Outstanding app and only 99 cents will compliment any iPhone camera very well.

Click here for Camera 360 App page

This photo was taken at the cruise ship harbor in Nassau Bahamas. The ironic thing about the location of this boat was taken next to the Royal Caribbean cruise ships. I believe it was the only other boat along with the cruise ships and the tug boats.  I just loved the way the boat looked at that time in the afternoon on a cloudy Bahamanian day. 

Hartford, Connecticut Train Station October Storm

This was the scene at the Hartford, CT train station the day of the October storm. The Amtrak station was overloaded there with passengers from the airport.  I was on one of the unlucky 23 airplanes that diverted there on October 29th.  I was one of the lucky group of people that were able to make it to the Amtrak station to make it back to NYC our intended destination. 

I'm really starting a Blog!

The intention of this Blog will be to share photos, travel experiences, my opinion on anything else, and links to all items mentioned.  It will be short, sweet, and to the point most of the time.