Friday, December 18, 2009

Happy Holidays / New Postcard!



Happy Holidays to you and your crew from David J. Blitzer Photography! We're excited to announce the release of a new marketing postcard. Email us your mailing address and we'll send you one, fresh off the presses.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Yellow Bollards, 2009


Yellow Bollards
1/4000 sec at f/5

A corral of retired bollards, remnants of Red Hook’s hard working maritime past. A bollard is a short wooden, iron or stone post used on a quayside for mooring ships. Mooring bollards are seldom exactly cylindrical, but typically have a larger diameter near the top to discourage mooring warps (docklines) from coming loose. For more info visit: http://bit.ly/Xbbmj

Saturday, November 7, 2009

FDR's Abandoned Railcar, Grand Central Terminal, NYC, 2009


FDR’s Abandoned Railcar
1/6 sec at f/4

This heavily armored railcar, reputedly used by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, has been abandoned deep below the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on a forgotten siding associated with Grand Central Terminal. The most curious feature is the car’s suspension system or “trucks.” They were designed to eliminate or reduce lateral motion (side to side swaying), possibly providing comfort to a paralyzed FDR. For more info visit: http://bit.ly/2AxK0v

Grand Central Terminal, NYC, 2009

Friday, October 30, 2009

Photos Featured on Van Der Wal Site


I'm excited to announce that 5 photos of mine have been featured on internationally recognized nautical photographer Onne Van Der Wal's website! Click here to view. My photos are numbers 34 to 38. Clicking next above each photo will advance you through the series. Please spend a moment checking out these photos and take at look at Onne's while you are there. His photo's are truly terrific.
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Over the summer, I attended a workshop on the water with Onne. We spent approximately 5 hours in Newport Harbor/Narragansett Bay on a 50' converted lobster boat (M/V Gansett) shooting 12 metre sailboats, lighthouses, and other great subjects. I had a great time and learned a whole lot.

I highly recommend attending one of his future workshops. Thanks to Onne, Kristin, Kelly and the rest of the crew for putting it together. More info on Onne and future workshops can be found
here.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Boom Control, 2009


Boom Control
1/5000 sec at f/4

S/V Latitude skipper Brian Gillen puts a new spin on single-handing, the challenge of sailing alone. Francis Joyon of France currently holds the world record for the fastest single-handed, non-stop sailing circumnavigation of the globe, covering 26,400 nautical miles in 57 days, 13 hours, and 34 minutes. For more info visit: http://bit.ly/aGtQqZ

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Full Keel, 2009


Full Keel
1/3200 sec at f/4.5

S/V Latitude, a 43 foot Alvin Mason designed yacht gets pulled out of the water for some winter repairs including a comprehensive deck overhaul. For more info visit: http://bit.ly/cuq2J3

Length (LOA) – 43.92 feet / Beam – 12.25 feet
Draft – 6 ft 8 in / Displacement – 14 tons
Built 1982, Ta Shing Yacht Building Company, Tainan, Taiwan

Friday, August 28, 2009

S/V Jest at Sunset, Narragansett Bay, RI 2009


Jest at Sunset
1/6400 sec at f/4

S/V Jest finishing up a Tuesday evening race off Jamestown with her sails full of wind and sunset. The intense red and orange hues of the sky at sunrise and sunset are mainly caused by scattering of sunlight by dust particles, soot particles, and other aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere. Sunset colors are typically more brilliant and more intense than sunrise colors, since there are generally more particles and aerosols in the evening air than in the morning air. For more info visit: http://bit.ly/7yCD9A

Length (LOA) – 32 feet / Beam – 11 ft 4in / Draft – 6 ft 9 in Displacement – 3 tons
Built by Quest (Holby Marine Company), Bristol RI USA

S/V Weatherly, Narragansett, RI 2009


Weatherly on Starboard Tack
1/3200 sec at f/4.5

S/V Weatherly proudly displays a crisp American Flag off its transom on a beautiful summer day. She won the America’s Cup in 1962 for the New York Yacht Club Syndicate. For more info visit: http://bit.ly/c7rUBe

Length (LOA) – 69 feet / Beam – 11 ft 8 in / Draft – 9 feet Displacement – 29 tons
Built 1958, Luder’s Marine, Stamford, CT USA


Weatherly on Port Tack
1/800 sec at f/4.5

Water and horizon can be seen reflecting on the stern quarter and transom of this classic America’s Cup winning 12 meter yacht. Interestingly, the “12-meter” designation does not refer to the length of the boat; Weatherly is 23 meters. It refers rather to a formula that ensures boats involved in a competition are roughly comparable, while still giving individuals the freedom to experiment with the details of their designs. The result of the formula must be less than or equal to 12 meters, taking into account length, beam, girth, sail area, and freeboard of the vessel. For more info visit: http://bit.ly/dfR57

R "12" Bell, Narragansett Bay, RI 2009

S/V Northern Light, Narragansett Bay, RI 2009


Deck Chair, Bannister's Wharf, RI 2009

Castle Hill Light, RI 2009

On The Water With Onne Van Der Wal, 2009


Photo by Kelly Owens

I recently spent some time at a workshop on the water with my favorite photographer, Onne Van Der Wal. We spent approximately 5 hours in Newport Harbor/Narragansett Bay on a 50' converted lobster boat (M/V Gansett) shooting 12 meter sailboats, lighthouses, and other great subjects. I had a great time and learned a whole lot. Photos from this trip will be posted soon. I highly recommend attending one of his future workshops. Thanks to Onne, Kristin, Kelly and the rest of the crew for putting it together. More info on Onne and future workshops can be found here.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Rome, Italy 2009


St. Peter's Basilica
4 sec at f/15

Looking west along a Via della Conciliazione, the difference in lighting accentuates the dome of the Basilica. Taken at midnight on a Wednesday, the presence of pedestrians and flurry of cars speaks to the frenetic nature of Rome. For more info visit: http://bit.ly/4qyQUn

Perugia, Italy 2009

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

S/V Latitude, 2009


Latitude Windlass
Stonington, CT
1/1250 sec at f/5

Latitude’s hard working windlass, used to raise anchor, sits proudly atop its well worn deck. Hearty congratulations to those who can provide a layman’s translation of the following paragraph (from Wikipedia): “The anchor is shackled to the anchor chain which passes up through the hawse pipe, through the pawl, over the windlass gypsy down through the spurling pipe to the chain locker under the forecastle. The bitter end of the chain is connected to the anchor bit using the bitter pin, which should be releasable from the outside of the locker to "slip" the anchor.” For more info visit: http://bit.ly/089oKrc




Latitude – Sunrise
Off Port Jefferson, NY
1/500 sec at f/14

An early start on Long Island Sound gave the sun a chance to make Latitude’s teak glow. Long Island sound was known as The Devil's Belt in Colonial Times and the stone reefs that run across the sound were known as Devil’s Stepping Stones. According to Siwanoy Indian legend, the tribe used warriors, medicine, and magic to chase the devil out of present-day Westchester County onto City Island (formerly Greater Minneford Island), surrounding him at Belden Point. The devil then picked up huge boulders and tossed them into Long Island Sound, using them as stepping stones to make his escape. The natives named the rocks, "The Devil's Stepping Stones". For more info visit: http://bit.ly/axDMex