A small request to my followers:

I’ve recently started a 500px account (a photo-sharing website similar to Flickr) to see what all the buzz is about. Essentially, each photo I post is given a score out of 100 points based on how many votes and likes it receives. Once a photo reaches 75 points it gets put on the “up and coming” page. When it reaches the high 90′s, it gets put on the “Popular” page.

I’ve been doing pretty well considering the fact that I just started out 3 days ago but I’d really love to get one of my photos to the “Popular” page for more exposure. If you like taking pictures or just browsing good photography, please consider making an account (it takes all of 5 seconds, I swear!) and voting & liking some of my photos. My two most recent uploads in particular are on their way up!

LINK HERE

Here’s a preview of what the user interface looks like. This is my profile page:

 

-Justin

I’ve decided to join the 500px bandwagon

Check it out HERE. I’ll probably be putting some stuff up on there ahead of my blog and Flickr

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it yet but 500px is definitely pretty intense, if that word can even be used to describe a social networking site. If you’ve got an account, do me a favor and upvote my most recent photo of the dunes as it’ll be my first featured photo!

-Justin

More to Come Soon!

Don’t worry – I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth for 7 months again! I’ve actually been taking pictures constantly over the past month and have a lot to show for it; I’m just in the process of organizing my hard drive and processing the photos.

I’ve been discovering and exploring a lot of Long Island these past few weeks – lots of state parks, beaches, and nature preserves that I never even knew existed! Stay tuned! I promise there will be plenty of sunsets and landscapes to come. Here’s a quick preview:

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-Justin

 

A Dog is a Man’s Best Friend

Camera settings: exposure – 1/6400, f-stop – 2.5, ISO – 200, focal length – 24mm. My friend and his dog on a summer afternoon.

Here’s my friend posing with adorable labrador mix on a summer afternoon. I’m 99% certain that I’m not equipped (at all) to handle taking care of a dog but I do have a soft spot for taking pictures of them.

I’ve been trying to work on my angles and perspectives lately as I’ve realized most of my photos are all from a predictable viewpoint. What do you think of this one?

-Justin

Sky, Mountains, Forest, River

The Li River with forests and mountains in the background.

It still amazes me how breathtakingly beautiful Yangshuo (China) is. The most striking part about this scene to me is how the reflection of the mountains on the river make the image symmetrical.

I honestly don’t think many more words are required to convey the impact of this place. It’s like a scene from Skyrim made real

-Justin

Tokyo’s Electric Town: Akihabara

Camera settings: [I don't have them right now. Basically, from now on if I don't include the camera settings with a photo just assume that the original file is on my backup and will be included later]. Akihabara Electric Town in Tokyo.

The Akihabara district in Tokyo, also known as Akihabara Electric Town, is a hotspot for consumer electronics, anime, etc. This place is huge and every other shop pretty much sold gaming consoles and video games. For me though, the best part by far was that all of the camera shops had plenty of floor models on display.

I got to try out the 70-200mm f/2.8G VRII lens as well as the awesome Fujifilm X100 camera. If I wanted to travel relatively lightly, the X100 would absolutely be the camera I use. The 70-200mm lens was just fantastic…too bad I’m light years away from affording it. I also think it’s way too heavy for me to use practically.

And yes, that is a multi-story Sega building on the right. Video game nerds: be jealous.

-Justin

Singapore: Light Show over the Marina Bay Sands

Camera settings: [to be added later since the original is on my back-up drive]. A light show over the Marina Bay Sands and Helix Bridge at night.

Each night there is a light/laser show over the Marina Bay Sands resort area in Singapore. The show begins with lighting and water effects on the water and then progresses to a modest laser show projecting from the Marina Bay Sands hotel.

The architecture in this particular part of Singapore is fascinating; the Helix Bridge is the purple-coiled pathway leading to the center of the image, the tall building furthest in the background with three pillars supporting it is the Marina Bay Sands, and the nest-like half-dome on the right in the ArtScience Museum. You can read more about the complex itself here: link.

-Justin