This Blog Has Permanently Moved

After nearly two years and 450 blog posts, I finally made the switch to incorporate this blog into my website. It is now very easy to subscribe, and I encourage you to please do so. I think you will really like the sleek interface, and functionality of the new one!

Here's the new link:
http://www.christography.com/blog/

Slideshow Tribute: Veterans Day Parade, NYC 2009

Spending the day photographing these heroes was an unforgettable experience. NYC really knows how to throw a great parade. Thank you to all of the soldiers, and military families for your incredible sacrifice. This is my tribute to you.

Music by Kevin MacLeod used with permission.

Saluting Our Veterans

Thank you to all the men and women who serve our country!

Standing Up For Wildlife

Animals can not speak for themselves, therefore someone needs to stand up for them. Enter the Volunteers for Wildlife, a non-profit hospital for wild animals, funded by donations and supported by the work of volunteers. Their organization was founded in 1982 and is dedicated to preserving Long Island, New York’s wildlife and natural habitats through education and wildlife rehabilitation.

Therese - Eastern Screech Owl

Despite the hospitals best efforts, not all of the patients are able to be released into the wild. For example, "Therese" the Eastern Screech Owl pictured above, has a badly injured right eye after colliding with a building.

"Solomon", the beautiful Barred Owl below was injured in an automobile collision, and suffered from a fractured wing. His wing was surgically repaired by a veterinarian. Although the rehabilitation center had planned to release him after the surgery, it was then discovered that he was blind in his left eye. As owls rely heavily on their keen vision to hunt for prey, he was found to be unsuitable for release to the wild. Although once found on Long Island in large numbers, Barred Owls have been seldom seen here in recent years due to a lack of suitable habitat.

Solomon - Barred Owl

There are also birds that have been imprinted by humans, and have never learned to hunt, or fend for themselves. Taylor the Red Tailed Hawk is one such example. He was confiscated by the Department of Environmental Conservation from a citizen who intended to illegally keep him captive. A trial ensued, and the DEC requested he remain at their center. He could not be released to the wild because he had become too accustomed to humans.

Taylor - Red Tailed Hawk

Animals who can not be released into the wild are used in educational programs to help bring more awareness to the public. The cost of care for each of their permanent education animals ranges from $30 - $150 per year, and some animals may live as long as 50 years! To help, you can choose to sponsor one of their permanent animals. Wildlife sponsorships can also be given as gifts! Recipients will receive a card, certificate, and photo of the animal sponsored. For more information, click here to download a sponsorship brochure.

Pictured above: Marcus is a Great Horned Owl who was brought to the hospital in 2003 when he was about 2 years old. He had flown into fishing line that was put up in a marina to deter gulls, and became entangled. A quick-thinking citizen with a medical background was able to stabilize him and get him to the wildlife hospital. Though he did not sustain any fractures, permanent tendon and muscle damage will prevent him from being able to hunt successfully on his own in the wild.

Orlando - Eastern Screech Owl illegally hand raised and imprinted by humans.

For the latest news from the Volunteers for Wildlife, check out their blog.

You can now also follow on twitter and facebook!

My Other Car is a Snow Plow

It's amazing how time moves in New York. Two weeks ago, Bryant Park was the perfect place to lay a blanket and bask in the sun on the big grassy lawn. Here we are in early November and the whole place has been converted into an Ice Skating rink known as "The Pond". I love how festive it is, and make a point of checking it out every year. Today was the Grand Opening Celebration for the 2009 skating season! To kick things off the cast of the Broadway musical "White Christmas" sang a Christmas medley.


Next up were the ice skaters! Above, 2010 Winter Olympics Ice Dance pair, Allison Reed & Otar Japardize pull off an incredible maneuver. Once I had the standard "safe" shots like the one above, I wanted to try some different things. Problem was, it was 1pm, and the light was terrible! Ironically enough, just the other day I read something by the excellent photographer Brad Mangin. It was something along the lines of "when the light is bad, shoot backlit". I've always been a fan of backlighting, but never tried it as a direct response to poor light. Happy to say it worked out very well. The two shots below would not have been possible had the sun been at my back. Thanks Brad!

Video Preview: The Memory Kick Si

This was by far one of the coolest, and most useful products I saw at the Photo Plus Expo. It's called the Memory Kick Si. In this video, Anthony Link from Memory Kick gives us a quick hands on look at how it works. To me, these kinds of field drives are so convenient for long trips, or location shoots where a laptop is simply not convenient. If you fill up all your memory cards, just insert them into the device and copy the contents over. From there you can format the cards and keep shooting. While I have two similar devices from other manufacturers, I was really impressed by the download speed of the Memory Kick. I also really liked the fact that it will work with CF and SD cards in addition to my Flip Video. A few of the other key features are that it accepts RAW files, and has very large storage capacity.

Below, I've listed some technical specs from their press release.


The MemoryKick Si is the most advanced Photo Backup, Photo Viewer, Video Player, MP3 Player, Card Reader, and complete Portable Data Backup Solution available, all in one compact, stylish device. The MemoryKick Si is available in capacities of 160, 250, 320, and 500GB.

The MemoryKick Si offers the fastest transfer speeds on the market. It can transfer any type of files (photos, videos, music, data, etc.) from memory cards, at blazing fast speeds up to 40MB/s utilizing its proprietary Direct Access File Management System (DA-FMS) technology, enabling it to transfer as much as 2.22 gigabytes per minute.

As many as three memory cards and one USB device can be connected simultaneously to the MemoryKick Si. You can easily transfer both to and from the MemoryKick Si, and virtually all of the memory cards and USB flash drives used today. You can also transfer directly from memory card to memory card, USB device, or computer hard drive.

The MemoryKick Si’s 3.5” QVGA LCD color screen is ideal for vivid, detailed viewing of photos and videos. The built-in G-sensor automatically orients images for horizontal and vertical viewing. With its ability to zoom in and out, create and display slideshows, and view RAW photos and EXIF information, the MemoryKick Si will be every photographer’s indispensable digital assistant.

“The MemoryKick Si is a major advance in portable media centers. It provides the best functions of a Photo Bank (Epson, Hyperdrive, etc.), at a significantly lower price per megabyte. It features a large high-quality viewing screen with auto-orientation, zooming, and intuitive navigation,” explained Mark Roth, CEO of Argraph. “On top of that, the MemoryKick Si also boasts the best capabilities of an MP3 player, Memory Card Reader, Video Player, and even a Laptop by enabling you to create folders, copy, paste, and move images and rename them, all in one pocket-size, lightweight device. Nothing else comes close.”

“Large storage capacity, the fastest transfer speed available, reliability, multimedia functionality, and the ability to share quickly is what the MemoryKick Si is all about” added Anthony Cole Link, CEO of NionCom. “It is an essential necessity of digital life”.

The MemoryKick Si enables you to:

SEE Photos and Videos on a 3.5” QVGA LCD Color screen. Zoom in and out on your photos. View RAW photos with the RAW image decoder / viewer. The Auto Orientation G-sensor automatically adjusts for vertical and horizontal viewing. View all of your photos in the gallery thumbnails; create and view personalized slideshows of your photos. SHARE Photos, Videos, Music, and any other files by transferring them from the MemoryKick Si to attached thumb drives or memory cards. Use the MemoryKick Si as a “media sharing center” transferring files between any attached memory cards or USB storage devices. The MemoryKick Si accommodates up to four memory card / devices simultaneously – CF, USB device, Memory Stick, plus another memory card. STORE Photos on the MemoryKick Si high capacity 160, 250, 320, or 500GB SATA Hard Drive. Backup your photos quickly and securely in the field. PLAY your favorite music and videos and listen with the included earphones, the built-in speaker or on your home audio system. Connect to an LCD flat panel monitor or television to view photos and watch videos.

MemoryKick Si Key Features
Fast Transfer Speed from Memory Cards up to 40MB/s
160 / 250 / 320 / 500GB
3.5” QVGA LCD Color Screen
Insert up to 3 Cards + 1 USB Simultaneously
Photo Backup / Viewer / Player
RAW Decoder / Viewer
Zoom In / Out
G-Sensor Auto Orientation
Copy, Paste, & Create Folders
Rename Files & Folders w/ QWERTY Keyboard
Video Player
Music Player
Audio / Video Out
Earphone Included
EXIF Information + Histogram
Built-in USB OTG (USB Host)
Backup 250GB on a Single Charge
Lightweight: Only 9.87 Ounces

Available in Black and Blue colors (expected Street Prices shown):
160GB ($299.95), 320GB ($359.95), 500GB ($429.95)

Video Interviews from the Photo Plus Expo

Here is the first batch of videos we did at the Photo Plus Expo for the New York Institute of Photography. Special thanks to Sam Pardue from LensBaby, Lisa Rodwell from Moo, Josh Fischer from Datacolor, and Arlene Evans from WPPI. As you'll see, one of our goals was to learn about some of the educational programs these companies offer students. I'm happy to report that most have some kind of educational program. In fact, Lensbaby has an especially great plan which provides both students and educators with a 25% discount! Just download this form. I've actually just begun testing my own Lensbaby Composer, and will have much more about that in the near future.

These videos would not be possible without the patient editing skills of Alex Baker. Thanks TK!

More Photo Plus videos will be posted shortly. If you'd like to get notified automatically of new content, subscribe to NYIP's YouTube channel here.

First Santa Sighting of the Year

Over on Ted Fisher's blog, he's noticed several things that hinted at the upcoming holidays. This morning however, I got a full blown Santa sighting! It's the first one of the year for me. Mark the calendar: Christmas in New York starts on November 2nd.



They were on 42nd street in front of Grand Central. I managed to grab a few quick candid shots, but the next thing I knew, the whole Santa gang took it upon themselves to get together and pose. While I prefer the more candid, off duty shots, I'll take this one too.

Over the next few days, and weeks there will likely be an increase in holiday related activity. As always, I'll be on the lookout.

White-Tailed Buck!

A few days ago, on a crisp morning at Connetquot State Park, I finally found the Deer I was looking for. It was a big beautiful buck, probably a year away from being fully grown. The light was low so I worked in ISO 800. All shots were taken with a 400mm lens at f5.6. Shutter speed was 1/80th which was just enough to freeze the deer, and yield sharp images. When photographing wildlife, I always recommend using a fast shutter speed of at least 1/250th. Yet, sometimes it's just not possible due to the ambient light conditions. Of course I could have gone to ISO 3200, but in my opinion it's just way too noisy even if you use a noise reduction plug-in. Generally I use"Neat Image" for noise reduction which works quite nicely with CS4.


When you see a big deer like this, it stops you in your tracks, especially when it is looking right at you. That is one powerful animal, and I would not want to be gored by an antler. I keep my distance, and pay very close attention to its behavior. The trick is to try not to make eye contact, or else they feel threatened. Also, I try to never corner a deer, or walk in a straight line towards it. My approach is to walk very slowly, and quietly, on an angle. If the deer sees me, I'll put my head down and wait a minute or two. I continue this routine until I am in position. They can hear the sound of the shutter, and sometimes this will scare them away. With wildlife photography, patience is key. If the deer runs away, it's best to just hang around and watch them from distance. Eventually they may settle down, and you can get closer without disrupting them.

Happy Halloween!

Wishing everyone a safe, and fun Halloween weekend! Rather than working on the usual jack-o-lantern shots, I've been having a good time photographing these gourds below. We have the mini-like pumpkins, the strangely shaped and multi-colored gourds, and then the blue pumpkins. I hope you get a chance to photograph some of the festivities in your neighborhood.