Once a week, we interview one of our Patrons or a photographer from our Slack community on NJspots.com!
We hope that you learn a new spot or new camera setup!
Who are you, and where in New Jersey are you from?
I’m Patrick and I’m from Howell — where I grew up and still live today.
What are the three best spots for photography in New Jersey, and why?
1. My favorite (so far) is Ole Barney. I’m not even really sure why but at some point I seem to have formed an attachment to this lighthouse and shooting there. I just think the lighthouse itself is so cool and love photographing it and the surrounding area.
Do you also need to explore more lighthouses? Check out our lighthouse map!
2. I also love anything along the Hudson River with views of NYC, but I guess that’s sort of cheating.
It’s not! Check out our guide and map to best NYC overlooks!
3. We can’t forget Sandy Hook!
My closer-to-home favorites are the Manasquan Reservoir, Asbury Park and some of the other beach towns.
What's your camera setup?
I currently shoot with a Sony a7Rii, with a trusty a7ii as a backup/second body. I have a variety of lenses that pretty much cover everything up to 200mm. When I’m shooting landscape stuff, you will almost always catch me with my blue MeFoto tripod in tow, as well.
I used to shoot Canon, but was drawn to the Sony system for its increased dynamic range back in 2017. The only things I truly miss about my Canon kit are the cheaper but still equally as good if not better lenses and the better ergonomics of the Canon bodies.
Our founder switched to Sony, too! Read her first hand POV here.
What's your dream piece of gear? Think big!
While my current gear has yet to not do what I’ve asked of it, I would love to replace both of my cameras with their newer Sony counterparts. The battery life of the “ii” models is not great and requires carrying a lot of extras if you’ll be away from a charger for a while.
But what I would love even more than that is longer lenses to get those really tight shots that not many can!
What's one bucket list photo of New Jersey you haven't gotten yet?
One that’s been on my list for a while is the Lincoln Tunnel approach helix up in Weehawken. A long exposure night time shot of that is one of the greatest light trails shots available in New Jersey, in my opinion.
Also more drone shots. I have a drone but I rarely fly it outside of my neighborhood.
Want to learn the drone laws? Read our guide.
One tip for aspiring photographers?
Just get out there and shoot. Don’t be afraid of messing up or what other people will think. The more you shoot and learn, the better you’ll get.
And more important than that, always be willing to accept constructive criticism from other photographers. It’s easy to get jaded during editing and think that your shot is the best ever, not realizing you’ve pushed the sliders WAY too far and it looks like an Instagram filter gone wrong. There’s a huge community of great photographers in New Jersey that are all really nice and willing to teach you (almost) everything they know to help you achieve your perfect shot!
Speaking of communities… have you joined ours yet??
What's your favorite part of being a photographer?
“Photographer Feature” is an ongoing segment featuring our Patrons and Slack community members. Contact editor Abbey Dufoe for more information.
