Sometimes what the camera records is drastically different than what we see with our eyes. In this case, I photographed the Statue of Liberty with the sun in the background and overexposed the image by choosing to meter the statue at neutral/middle brightness. The second photo shows the Statue of Liberty underexposed by about 2 stops to produce a strong silhouette.

Handheld, 1/500 sec at f/4 on ISO 100, 85mm f/1.8 lens

Handheld, 1/1250 sec at f/8.0 on ISO 100, 17-35mm f/2.8 lens

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Photo of the Day: Backlit Statue of Liberty

I took these photos from a boat in the Prince William Sound of fishermen working an Alaskan fishery. I actually like the second one most, but it seems out of place without the first establishing shot…

Handheld, 1/3000 sec at f/5.6 on ISO 800, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens with 2x teleconverter

Handheld, 1/2000 sec at f/5.6 on ISO 800, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens with 2x teleconverter

I didn't really think about it when I took this picture near Exposition Park in Los Angeles, but whenever I see it, I feel melancholy. I decided to sepia tone the photo because it felt right.

Handheld, 1/350 sec at f/2.8 on ISO 200, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens

I really liked the juxtaposition of the statue of Atlas holding the world in Rockefeller Plaza directly opposite of the St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Lumix DMC-LX2, Handheld, 1/100 sec at f/3.2 on ISO 100, 6.3mm

The California Coast is an undeniably romantic stretch of landscape. Walking along the cliffs or strolling along the beach - it's relaxing and the invigorating at the same time. It's no surprise that on any given weekend, you'll probably come across a wedding party having their pictures taken. We usually leave them alone or walk around them so as to not intrude, but sometimes I just can't resist taking pictures of random people living their own lives.

Handheld, 1/80 sec at f/16 on ISO 100, 17-35mm f/2.8

Queenstown (on the South Island of New Zealand) is one of the most picturesque places I've visited. It's on the edge of Lake Wakatipu (a huge lake) and has a great view of the Remarkables and the Eyre Mountains. Here, a lone tree on the shore of Lake Wakatipu is silhouetted against the sunset and the Eyre Mountains.

Tripod, 1/6 sec at f/22 on ISO 100, 17-35mm f/2.8 lens

This photo was captured from an extremely low angle (I was lying on the ground) over an artificial pool filled with water lilies in the Wintergarden greenhouse in Auckland, New Zealand.

Handheld, 1/45 sec at f/11 on ISO 100, 17-35mm f/2.8 lens

I've always liked this extremely long shot (at 500mm) of a woman trudging up a sand dune in Death Valley National Park. She was quite literally the only other person that I and my traveling companion, Jeremy, could see for many miles around. Death Valley is a great place to go to get away from people - it's easy to be alone there.

Handheld, unrecorded exposure at f/6.3 on Velvia 50, 170-500mm f/5-6.3 lens

The Chabot Space and Science Center, although not as big as some other observatories, has a number of interesting exhibits. I was particularly fascinated by a series of kaleidoscope exhibits they had. Looking into this, you can almost feel like you're looking into infinity in a way that staring into the night sky doesn't convey.

Handheld, 1/640 sec at f/6.7 on ISO 800, 105mm f/2.8 macro lens

One of the pleasures of dining at the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California is sitting right on the open kitchen and watching the graduate students work.

Handheld, 1/90 sec at f/2.8 on ISO 800, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens