Photo Of The Day: April 19, 2009

Last night I did a shoot at The Lotos Club in New York City. The Lotos Club is one of the oldest literary clubs in the United States, founded on March 15, 1870 and included Mark Twain as one of its members. One of the many stellar rooms at The Lotos Club is its expansive library, as seen here. For more pictures of interiors, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 18, 2009

Today is supposed to be the first real summery day of the year here in New Jersey. Many people will flock to the shore to get relief from the long winter. The only issue is that the grasses here are still brown -- and won't have this beautiful green color for another 4-6 weeks. For more pictures of summer, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 17, 2009

The best thing about eating out isn't always enjoying the great food, but being able to take a great shot of it. This was captured during a recent restaurant shoot, so in this case, being able to take a great shot of it was the only thing I did. For more pictures of food, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 16, 2009

Last Sunday I had a shoot at Highlawn Pavilion in West Orange, NJ. In addition to being a very attractive and stately place, it has a stellar view from the west of Manhattan. This shot encompasses only midtown, so you can imagine how sweeping it is from the bottom to the top of the island. For more pictures of New York, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 15, 2009

On tax day, I thought I would empty my pockets to see my net worth. Here's what I found. For more pictures of money, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 14, 2009

For our final dog-jumping shot, we turn to a smaller animal who had a lower bar to cross, but did it with the same intensity and drive nonetheless. For more pictures of dogs, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 13, 2009

This dog making his jump last weekend looked like he was using his ears to help him fly over the bar. If he could only learn to do the limbo as well, he'd have all the bases covered! For more pictures of dogs, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 12, 2009

I couldn't think of a more appropriate photo to run on Easter. For more pictures of animals, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 11, 2009

Last weekend I visited an obedience show for dogs. I was impressed with the performance of these dogs, as well as their owners who are clearly very dedicated to them. But I particularly liked when the dogs jumped over their hurdles. As you can see here, they literally flew over them. For more pictures of dogs, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 10, 2009

Every Passover I like to take a shot of the Pascal Full Moon. Full moons don't usually make the best moon photos, because the craters are less visible with the sun shining straight on it than they are when the sun illuminates the moon from the side instead. But there's still something very dramatic about the full moon right in your face. For this shot, I put a 2x teleconverter on a 500mm lens. That got me close, but really exacerbated the problem of camera shake. So I fired off a series of shots and selected the best one. For more pictures of the moon, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 9, 2009

I'm shooting a wedding this weekend, and I always love doing them because they remind you how connected two people can be. And although virtually all brides and grooms look happy on their wedding day, sometimes you see a special connection that is so intense, and so real, that you know the marriage will last forever. Here's one example of just what I'm talking about, from a special couple I captured in February. For more pictures of brides and grooms, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 8, 2009

As a final photo from the magazine shoot of the New York apartment, I figured I might as well include one of the bathroom, which like the rest of the apartment, was open and airy and had just the right design elements. For more pictures of New York City, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 7, 2009

Here's another perspective of the living room, showing the light pouring through the window. For more pictures of windows, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 6, 2009

This shot of the dining room of the Manhattan apartment I recently photographed for a magazine shows it from a different direction. The mirrors help bring extra light and space into the room. For more pictures of mirrors, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 5, 2009

The made up bed, end table, and accompanying design elements made for a nice photo in this New York apartment. For more pictures of design elements, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 4, 2009

In New York, many apartments are studios, where the bed is in a sequestered area of the main living space. Others have their own bedrooms. But some are lucky enough to get a separate bedroom with windows on two different walls, as seen here. For more pictures of New York apartments, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 3, 2009

Central to any living quarters, whether it's a mansion in Los Angeles or an apartment in New York, is the kitchen. And kitchens somehow always look better when there's a lot of light and color in them. For more pictures of kitchens, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 2, 2009

In New York, a dining room is more of a luxury, not a given. And it looks even better when it's decorated, and given its own "space." For more pictures of dining rooms, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: April 1, 2009

I recently finished a shoot of a New York City apartment for a magazine. Manhattan apartments are generally pretty small, so they require a lot of creativity to give them a sense of design and space. This one fit the bill, so we'll show some of the shots over the next few days. Here's the living room. For more pictures of interiors of buildings, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 31, 2009

For the final installment of photos for consideration in the magazine article being written about ways to shoot water, we return to the New Jersey shore. At this sunrise shot, a lone fisherman added some energy and humanity that made a beautiful scene on Sandy Hook even more personal. For more pictures of Sandy Hook, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 30, 2009

Here's another shot of water reflecting what's on the far side. In this case, it's not a river, but Jemima Pond on Cape Cod. For more pictures of ponds, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 29, 2009

This cute little Cape Cod house looks really pretty across the river. But it looks even better when it, and then entire scene, is reflected in the water. Including the near bank not only gives perspective of the width of the river, but adds some "weight" to the bottom of the frame. For more pictures of water, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 28, 2009

This sunrise is quite pretty -- the sun is partly obscured by clouds adding to the visual interest. But what really makes it is the boat coming into the frame. I waited patiently for it to arrive, and then snapped the shutter when I thought it was in just the right place. For more pictures of boats, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 27, 2009

The beauty of this pond wasn't so much the pond as it was the almost watercolor-like reflection in the water. For more pictures of ponds, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 26, 2009

I often tell people to zoom in close on water shots to find a single element to catch the viewer's interest. But every so often the best thing to do is the exact opposite: to go as wide as you possibly can. On this dune on Whitecrest Beach in Wellfleet on Cape Cod, pulling back allowed us to see the incredible expanse of the beach. For more pictures of Cape Cod, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 25, 2009

For the upcoming magazine article about photographing water, I made this point about this photo: Take advantage of low tide. This picture would have been okay at high tide, but low tide introduced a whole new set of design elements that really helped the interest. It also didn't hurt that I had the advantage of being 250 feet up in the top of Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown.
For more pictures of Provincetown, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 24, 2009

This could have been a so-so sunset scene -- the pale yellow sky with the violet water looked nice, for sure. But when these two waders started walking into the shallow water in silhouette, the entire dynamic of the scene changed. For more pictures of sunsets, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 23, 2009

This photo of boats works for just one reason: none of the boats are on the same plane. So instead of it being simply a row of boats, they fill the frame with their own curve as a group. For more pictures of boats, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 22, 2009

Returning to our photos of water that are part of the consideration for an upcoming magazine article, this never-before-seen shot illustrates the value of looking downward instead of upward. This scene, when viewed above the horizon line, was only moderately interesting with mostly dead trees standing upright and sideways. But looking down showed a beautiful reflective design in the water. Keeping the horizon visible, near the top of the frame, provided the orientation needed to give the photo a fast read that it's a shot of a water reflection, not an upside down picture. For more pictures of water, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 21, 2009

I always thought Spring came on March 21, but this year it came on March 20, at 7:40 a.m. So why, at precisely 7:40 a.m. yesterday, was this the scenery here in New Jersey? This mini-snowstorm took the entire New York metropolitan area by surprise. The good news: it was very short lived, and just 15 minutes later there was no snow left on the trees. As we said in March 20th's Photo of the Day, timing is everything. For more photos of snow, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 20, 2009

This shot illustrates the importance of timing. I got up at 4:30 a.m. to get to this location, and then waited for the exact right minute. Five minutes later, and the lights on the bridge and in the reflected water would be completely invisible. Ten minutes earlier, it was too dark to see the details in the bridge. For more pictures of bridges, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 19, 2009

A national photography magazine is doing a story on me, focusing on my water photography. I'll give you more information as it gets closer to publication. In the meantime, we'll share some photos over the next several days that were part of the group being considered for their spread. The first is this one, which illustrates the value of getting one more component into the scene. Alone, just the sun and water would have looked pretty good. But add the boat, and it takes on a whole new quality. For more pictures of water, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 18, 2009

I got my advance copy of the 2009 Monmouth County Chamber of Commerce Tourism Guide, and was happy to see this picture on the cover. For more photos of sunsets and boats, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 17, 2009

I've been told this photo looks like Ireland, which I can appreciate. But it's Barbados, over 4,000 miles away. But in honor of St. Patrick's Day, we'll run it anyway. For more photos of Barbados, look for a new gallery coming soon at Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 16, 2009

With Spring on the way, the crops will soon be growing. Here's how it will look pretty soon. For more pictures of farmland, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 15, 2009

This egret couldn't wait for Spring to start, so off he flew in search of it. For more photos of egrets, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 14, 2009

I was frustrated waiting for the rain to stop when trying to get this beach shot. But I found a great shot anyway -- through the window of the car. For more photos of rain, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 13, 2009

It won't be long now before this will be the view again from the gazebo in my back yard. There will be a formal announcement on the first official beach day of the season, and in the meantime, the sunscreen is ready. For more pictures of Sandy Hook, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 12, 2009

This small barn in upstate New York provided a nice foundation of solid color in a tapestry of mixed autumn colors last year. For more photos of upstate New York, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 11, 2009

The city of Miami is pretty for a lot of reasons -- usually related to it's architecture, parks, skyline, and streets. But at the side of a road, this tied up row boat which has seen better days evoked a wonderful feeling of serenity completely different than the bustle of the city. For more photos of Miami, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 10, 2009

In anticipation of warmer weather, here's a shot taken at Sandy Hook is the waning moments of the 2008 season. We're now down to just weeks, not months, before it all happens again. For more pictures of boats, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 9, 2009

We have a visitor this week who's just seven months old. That's when they're small enough they can take a bath right in the kitchen sink. He's just as happy there, too, especially since we disconnected the garbage disposal first. For more pictures of babies, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 8, 2009

There's nothing like the first dance of a bride and groom, as seen here a couple of weeks ago. And that goes double when they're such a perfect couple. For more photos of brides, and grooms, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 7, 2009

It's here! In desperate anticipation of Spring, I've been on the lookout for some physical evidence. I even used the CSI flashlight trick, in which forensic professionals, searching for every scrimp of hair or fiber or blood, turn off all the lights and use a $2.99 Ace Hardware flashlight which uses two A batteries -- well, at least they do on TV. For me, I just looked in the daylight, and sure enough, the first evidence of my tulips appeared yesterday for the first time, seen here. For more pictures of tulips, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 6, 2009

Here on the New Jersey shore, there are signs that the summer season is officially here. The weather gets warmer, the early flowers come up, the traffic begins to get denser -- and, Polar Bear Ice Cream opens for the season. To the great delight of everyone in the area, that happened yesterday. So as far as I'm concerned, no matter what the temperature is, it's now officially "in season." For more pictures of ice cream, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 5, 2009

Monday's photo showed a number of boats in Atlantic Highlands Harbor. On the other side of the harbor is the dock that leads to the New York City ferry. One late Autumn afternoon last year I was returning from New York on the boat and noted that almost every boat had been taken out of the water for the season. Almost every one, but one, shown here. At this time of year, this boat had the entire dock to itself. For more pictures of boats, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 4, 2009

The next morning after New York City's grand snowfall, most is back to normal. But there's still just enough snow to make it look beautiful on the residential East Side in the 30s. For more pictures of New York, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 3, 2009

Yesterday, New York City got about 10 inches of snow. That, of course, brought the entire city to a grinding halt. The mayor got on television for a 30 minute press conference which was covered live by all the local stations which broke into their regular programming. It's all because a large snowfall is a rarity in New York. But it's amazingly beautiful, as seen here in this photo taken on the tree-lined Riverside Drive. For more pictures of New York, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 2, 2009

If you've read the current issue of Around The Hook Today, you may recognize this photo, which appeared on the cover. It's from the Atlantic Highlands Harbor. For more pictures of Atlantic Highlands, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.

Photo Of The Day: March 1, 2009

Last spring I bought a bougainvillea plant. My objective was to feel a sense of a Florida or Caribbean presence here on the New Jersey shore. It was full of flowers when I bought it, but within a few weeks they had all died. All summer long I nursed the plant, which had nice green leaves but no flowers. In the fall, I decided to bring it in the house under the what-do-I-have-to-lose theory. Sure enough, as winter arrived it started to blossom -- loaded with flowers, which then died and were replaced with twice as many flowers. Here's how one looked a couple of weeks ago, in the dead of winter, in the middle of February. The big decision now is, When the weather gets warm, do I put the plant back outside or just leave it indoors to continue flowering? For more pictures of flowers, visit Paul Scharff Photography.com.