I am very excited to announce I recently won two SECOND PLACE awards in the Ringwood Manor Arts Association's 2016 Open Photography Exhibition. My photo "Slow Burn" won 2nd Place in the Landscape category and my photo "Empire Moon" won 2nd Place in the Architecture category. I also had a third photo in the show: my "Statue of Liberty Moon" photo from last Spring. There were more than 100 pieces in the show so it wonderful to have my work acknowledged in this way. Special thanks to the Ringwood Manor Arts Association for including my work in this year's show! Prints of all my photos are available for purchase. Please contact me for details. Slow Burn<u>THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOS</u><br/> <br/> A lot happening - as always - in the New York City area this summer. From massive thunderstorms followed by breathtaking sunsets to amazing moon-rises above the high-rises to the completion of the new World Trade Center and continued development of Mid-Town Manhattan, there was a lot to photograph this year. And the summer isn't even over yet. There may be more great photos to come...

Empire Moon<u>THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOS</u><br/> <br/> These photos of the Empire State Building were taken in August 2015 from across the Hudson River in Hoboken, NJ. I had been waiting weeks for this and had carefully planned where I needed to be to get the shots. The first night (Empire State Building lit in white), cloud cover obscured the moon when it reached the spire. So I went back the next night and was able to get the moon as it crossed behind the Empire State.<br/> <br/> The first photo in this collection is a composite of eight separate photographs taken over a 12 minute time-span as the moon rose above the Empire State Building. I love this photo and it is very exciting to see all my hard work and planning pay off for this breathtaking image. Statue of Liberty Full Moon<u>THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOS</u><br/> <br/>Lots of great opportunities so far in 2016 to photograph the moon close to the wonderful landmarks that define New York City. These photos require a great deal of planning and little bit of luck. We use software tools to track and anticipate the time and location of the moon in relation to objects on the ground. It can then take many hours to determine an acceptable place to setup to take the photos (the best spots are often blocked by buildings, fences, trees, etc.) And of course, the weather must cooperate. These photos require a lot of travel too. I live nearly 45 mins from NYC so that means at least 90 min on the road for what is often a 10 minute or less window to take pictures. But it's all worth it when I see the final product.