John Faherty Photography

Well, the last few weeks (months) have flown by and i’ve really neglected the site. Having just returned from Cape Cod, I do have a bunch of shots to post, as well as others that I have been working on. Recently, I wrote a grant proposal for continuing my Jordan Fundamentals program at school, using photography to improve literacy. Having won a grant last year, I was eligible for an increased amount. I am happy to say that I am a finalist for the East region, and hopefully the school will be rewarded and the program can be fully implemented next year.

Other than that, keep your eye out for new shots!

John

While shooting on Monday in NYC, I came across Wall St.  It was here that I saw a statue of our first President George Washington.  Being a fan of Presidential trivia and facts, I quickly realized that I was standing, literally, on the spot where almost 220 years ago George Washington gave his first Inaugural Address.  It was quite a moment, one in which I hope that I captureed in this photograph:

A statue of George Washington watching over the NYSE

Not sure that anyone actually reads anything on here, since I don’t really have much written information anyways!  :-)  I haven’t really updated in a while, so I’m posting this shot I took yesterday in Battery Park.

Battery Park looking North

One aspect of photography that I absolutely love, and teach it to my photography club students, is simply looking up.  I know… it’s nothing new, but I always find something interesting, be it in composition, color or subject, by looking up.  Walking around New York City you cannot ignore the water towers on top of many of the apartment buildings.  They seemingly are a throwback to an older time, but still are used.  To me, this contrast of old, rusty water towers in the most modern of cities is quite interesting.  I have taken other photographs of these towers, and one of my favorites is this one:

I more or less was looking for a holga effect, to make it look threatening and scary, for Halloween.  I think I achieved the effect.  What I also like about this shot is that when I took it, it actually was out of focus, and had I not thought of processing it the way I did, would have deleted it.

Right now I’m focusing on working on improving my photography, and hopefully selling some prints and being hired to do some shoots.  I’m probably looking at starting very small, and very cheap.  So if you are reading this (anyone?), and are in the NY/NJ area looking to help a guy out with his photography skills with people for real cheap, let me know!

As they say on my favorite show, LOST…

Namaste!

John

Just a short post today about a shot I recently took.  Again, working in Lightroom (which I am increasingly becoming impressed with), I processed this shot taken at City Hall Plaza in New York City.  What I did was add the sin city preset found here at Adobe Photoshop Killer Tips.  One click and there ya go!  I  love the way the shot turned out.  

Many of the shots that I end up taking are of decayed, rusty or dilapidated items and buildings. I’ve been thinking about this, and why I find it so appealing (ok… I did grow up in the “grunge” era of music, but I don’t think that’s why!). When I see something old and worn, rusted or painted with graffiti, I think of the history of that item. How old it is, how long it has been sitting there, abandoned, why someone has done this, etc… In some cases, such as the Essex County Hospital in Verona, NJ, it’s quite obvious why it is in the shape it is.

Another example that I find intriguing, and photograph quite often, are walls, knobs and locks. A few examples:

I love the color and detail that rusted metal brings out.  I hope to continue to find great shots, though there never does seem to be a shortage!

John

I managed to catch this shot in the middle of the day on the 30th of December, in the subway station underneath City Hall Plaza in New York City.  Using Lightroom, I removed all the colors except for red and blue.  Lightroom is continuing to impress me with every shot I process.