Jeffrey Donenfeld

Category: Photography

  • Shooting with Canon’s EF 24-70 f/2.8L lens

    Shooting with Canon’s EF 24-70 f/2.8L lens

    One of the great things about SLR cameras is the ability to use different lenses on the same camera body. It gives the photographer a great amount of flexibility, variety, and creative options for shooting, whithout needing to carry around completely separate camera systems.

    I own a Canon 5Dmk2, and over the years have accumulated a number of different lenses. By far my favourite of the bunch is the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens. It’s a big, heavy, expensive lens, and it performs great. It’s versatility and durability are unmatched, and I’ve really put it through its paces. Freezing it north of the Arctic Circle in Iceland, covering it in mud and grime in the jungles of Peru, and knocking it around constantly fighting through the subways in New York City. The lens consistently performs spectacularly.

    Jupiter, Florida

    Recently the blog Digital Photography School came out with a piece detailing the versatility and visual range of the lens – and I’ve got to agree – it really is a spectacularly versatile, wonderful lens.

    As you can see, the 24-70mm f/2.8 allows you to capture a wide range of subjects. It’s a great walk around and travel lens. I often get asked “I want to get one nice lens, what do you recommend?”. My answer is this one every time.

    –Dave Powell, Digital Photography School

    Below are a few shots I’ve taken over the years with the Canon 5Dmk2 Camera and Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L Lens..

    Vik, Iceland

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  • NYC’s January Snowpocalypse

    This past week, and ongoing up to now, NYC has been in the midst of a major snowpocalypse. Last week when the blizzard started at about midnight, I suited up and did a lap around the West Village with my camera.. here’s the scene.


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  • Temple Emanu-El, NYC

    Temple Emanu-El is the largest Jewish synagogue. This past weekend I had a chance to go inside for services.

    Temple Emanu-El

  • Maintenance: FourSquare Day Party Pictures with RNO in GoaG

    Maintenance: FourSquare Day Party Pictures with RNO in GoaG

    Cleaning up on some older blog posts that never got published for whatever reason. A while ago I took photos at the FourSquare Day party. The photos were picked up by Guest of a Guest. Shooting parties like this is always fun – even if I have to put my gear in peril by using it both in the rain and next to an overflowing hot tub…

  • Photos from New Years in Telluride, Colorado

    Photos from New Years in Telluride, Colorado

    This past holiday season, my father and I spent time in Telluride, Colorado. We got in a couple great days of skiing and snowboarding, among other things. Photos from the trip…

    Looking out onto Gold Hill at the end of the day
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  • Panorama from Gold Hill

    Afternoon…

  • Juno Beach, Florida – December 2010

    Atlantic Ocean…

  • Exploring the abandoned ruins of The Pines, South Fallsburg, NY

    This past weekend, Michael, Dana, and I drove two hours north of NYC to South Fallsburg, NY. We explored the dilapidated, abandoned runs of the once-beautiful The Pines Golf and Ski Resort. The level of abandonment and distruction was amazing. It felt like all of a sudden, in the middle of normal operations, all the people just dissapeared. Decorations were still hanging from the walls, tables were still in place, notices about kids camp hours were still posted, and boxes of files were still filed. There had been a bit of vandalism, and the level of decay was amazing. The outdoor pool had turned into a marsh, the indoor pool into a chaise boneyard, and the hallways and corridors into broken glass strewn minefields.

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    We entered the property from the back corner of the overgrown golf course, and hiked through the tennis courts into the former skating rink.
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  • Photo from OHNY Weekend Published in Time Out New York

    Photo from OHNY Weekend Published in Time Out New York

    A photos I took at last year’s Open House New York weekend was published in Time Out New York in October. Thanks Hae-In for the heads up!

  • Shooting the Open House New York Weekend 2010

    Today I shot two locations for Open House New York, during their yearly open house weekend. See the full photo set on Flickr.

    The Diana Center is Barnard college’s newest building, and designed by the architecture firm of Weiss/Manfredi. The building is a mix of classroom, faculty offices, cafeteria, and common spaces. The new building was breathtaking – great use of glass panels, exposed stairwells, and a generous amount of common space.

    Shooting the Grand Masonic Lodge of New York was spectacular opportunity to fully explore the ornately and uniquely decorated lodge meeting rooms and community spaces. I was amazed at the level of individual detail that went into each room, as well as the depth of knowledge of our tour guides.

  • Atlantic Ave Subway Photo Published in The Architect’s Newspaper

    Atlantic Ave Subway Photo Published in The Architect’s Newspaper

    My photo from exploring the Atlantic Avenue Subway Tunnel was recently published in the October 6th, 2010 issue of The Architect’s Newspaper. Thanks to Open House New York for helping to make this happen!

    For this shot, I was working with a radio-slaved off-camera flash, shooting manual exposure and focus directly into opposite of the flash location. A friend was holding the flash above her head to get an elevated lightsource.

    This photo was also published by MSNBC in April, 2010.

  • Into the Arctic: Iceland

    This past July, I spent time traveling around Iceland. Full field notes are posted here.

    During the trip, I kept both my Apple iPhone 4 and my Canon EOS 5Dmk2 cameras close by. The iPhone4 has an excellent 5 megapixel camera in it, geotags each photo, and is small and pocket-able – it was perfect for carrying around everywhere and pulling out in any situation – especially when being discreet was important for getting the candid shot. The Canon 5Dmk2 was also a pleasure to travel with. I had the somewhat large Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens on it, as well as my Benro carbon fiber travel tripod. As large as it was, it’s surprisingly easy to travel with, and very durable – it held up perfectly to the rigors of being knocked around daily, slung over my shoulder, and dangled into volcanic fissures. I synchronized the clocks on each camera before departing, so the photos in the overall photoset should be sequential, no matter which camera was used to take it.

    Remains of a Whale in Grimsey, Iceland

    (Click for Fullscreen Slides)

  • 4th Of July Fireworks

    4th Of July Fireworks

    Watching fireworks in Cincinnati, Ohio…

  • NYC Internet Week 2010: Obliterati Photobooth

    Photos from the NYC Internet Week 2010: Obliterati Photobooth are up! View them here, in the Obliterati Photobooth 2010 Flickr Set, or on Random Night Out.

  • Internet Week 2010: Webutante Ball Photos

    Internet Week 2010: Webutante Ball Photos

    Photos from the 2010 NYC Internet Week Webutante Ball, which I shot for Guest of a Guest are now online. Read the event post, and find yourself in the photoset. Cheers!

  • Atlantic Ave Subway Pic Published on MSNBC

    A photo I took last year inside the historical Atlantic Avenue Subway Tunnel was just published on MSNBC, as part of an article on accessing restricted areas in NYC.

    Atlantic Avenue Subway Tunnel Photo by Jeffrey Donenfeld

    The Empire State Building. The White House. The Tower of London. And, of course, Graceland.

    When traveling, we often make a beeline for the homes of the rich and famous and to buildings that have historical significance. And there’s something appealing about reaching the top of iconic structures and walking onto observation decks offering panoramic views over a city.

    But what about the places next door to those much-visited structures? Or that imposing church, government building, or residential mansion you pass by on your way to these tourist destinations? Or that shuttered factory or art-deco office building in your own home town? Don’t you sometimes wonder what’s behind those closed doors?

    – From MSNBC

    Read the full article about Visitors offered free access to buildings not normally open, and check out a pdf archive.

  • Photos Entered in the 2010 NY Photo Festival Awards

    The New York Photo Festival is coming up this April 12 – 16, and I have two photos submitted.

    This shot I took last spring on the New York City Highline is submitted in the Fine Art category.

    This photo of kids in Belize is submitted in the PhotoJournalism Category.

    The award ceremony is April 14th at St. Ann’s Warehouse in DUMBO, Brooklyn

  • Jill's Headshot in Entrepreneur

    Jill's Headshot in Entrepreneur

    A portrait I made of Jill, of The Dish’s Dish made it into her excellent writeup in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “10 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand” article.

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    Download a PDF of the article, and see more headshots I’ve made over in my online photography portfolio

  • f/8 And Be There!

    f/8 And Be There!

    The classic photographer’s saying ” F/8 and be there” resonates with me. The saying is an acknowledgment of thhe e all importance of being present, on location in order to get the shot. So, when in doubt, forget all the fancy camera settings and technicalities, dial in a versatile exposure (f/8 gives a decent blend of depth and speed), and get to where the action is. Be present in tmoment, rather than fiddling with your gear.

    Full disclosure - I took this shot with my Canon SD 780is pocket digital camera, on auto mode, holding the camera blindly down at hip level, mashing down on the shutter button, while holding a drink in my other hand. Nothing fancy.
    I took this shot with my Canon SD 780is pocket digital camera, on auto mode, holding the camera blindly down at hip level, mashing down on the shutter button, while holding a drink in my other hand. Nothing fancy.

    When friends ask me about “which camera is the best”, “am i doing it right”, “teach me how to be a photographer”, I always tell them – there is not “best” camera, no “right” way, and you already are a photographer. The thing you have to realize with photography, or with anything really, is that it doesn’t matter what gear you have – what really matters is that you’re out there, in the moment, getting the shot. If what you have on you is a shitty cell phone camera, but you get the shot, you still got the shot, and the circumstances of getting that shot can only add to the reality of it. If I’m sitting at home watching tv with my SLR in my hands, I didn’t get the shot, no matter how “nice” my camera is.

    So, I think that no matter what camera you have, or where you are, it’s important to realize that amazing photos can happen anywhere, anytime. When in doubt, dial in a comfortable camera setting, and just start shooting.

    To that effect – I have one of the “custom” mode selectors on my SLR to be my “f/8 and be there” or “war” setting – dial in a medium F, boost up the ISO a bit, turn on auto focus, drive mode, no flash, large JPEG and evaluative metering, and let it fly. No more worrying about the camera, just be in the moment.

    More on this topic:
    The Classic Rules of Photography (Photog David Richerby makes an excellent clarification of these rules in the comments of TOPLPROJECT’s blog post on the rules)

  • Clever Culinista Book Shoot

    Clever Culinista Book Shoot


    Shooting photos of Jill and Josie cooking for the Clever Culinista Book, from The Dish’s Dish. Working studio lighting in a kitchen presented its own unique challenges.

  • Portrait Night #1

    Portrait Night #1

    Photos from portrait night are more or less set – not too much post processing for these – I like the raw feel keeping not-perfect skin, more character in there. Tells more. Also, the portrait gallery has been updated with a few of these.

  • Shooting the School of American Ballet’s Winter Ball

    Shooting the School of American Ballet’s Winter Ball

    This week I did a shoot for Guest of a Guest at the School of American Ballet’s Winter Ball at the Koch Theater at New York City’s Lincoln Center. Mostly doing party groups and pairings, although there were a couple interior shot opportunities as well. Shooting on the Canon 5DmkII w/ 24-70mm. Paul McCartney made an appearance too, and honestly, it’s the first time I’ve been somewhat starstruck in a while.

    View the full School of American Ballet Winter Ball gallery on Guest of a Guest.

  • Climbing Mt. Washington

    Climbing Mt. Washington

    Last weekend, my brother Jason and I took a roadrtip to North Conway, and climbed Mt. Washington with the EMS Climbing school.

    We drove up to North Conway on Friday Night, and stayed at the White Trellis motel. With a 4 am arrival, I thought a locally owned motel would be the easiest do deal with. The next day, Saturday, Jason slept in a bit while I went into town to take some photos and buy girl scout cookies – tasty! We then both went into North Conway to the Stairway Cafe, and had a great breakfast. The rest of the day we spent gearing up at EMS, and then drove out to Jason’s summer camp an hour away.

    Being at camp in the winter was an experience – everything covered in snow was a stark contrast to the hot and humid summertime. By far the best part of the day was standing on the frozen lake and taking in the fading sunlight. On a white lake near a green mountain – peaceful.

    Saturday night we went out for dinner at Moat Mountain with some of Jason’s friends, and then called it a night at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Joe Dodge Lodge.

    Joe Dodge Lodge is a rustic mountain lodge, run by the AMC, and sits directly at the foot of the Pinkham Notch trail, which leads up to the top of Mt. Washington. Accommodations were perfect – a small room in the lodge with a bunkbed, shared dorm style bathroom down the hall, and a great cafeteria across the way. It was a bit like being back in the dorms at college, or at camp!

    Sunday morning we woke up early for a hearty breakfast at the cafeteria, and then met our climbing group just outside.

    The hike up Mt. Washington was spectacular. We had 4 people in our group, and were accompanied by another group also from EMS of 5 more people. The beginning of the hike along the fire road was a good warmup, and then we put our crampons on and started up the beginning, steep section within tree line. The weather was amazingly mild, and we had an easy hike up to treeline. After we got above treeline, there were a few more miles of mild weather hiking, and then as we got a little closer to the top the weather blew in.

    Throughout the climb up, the Rime Ice, which is ice created from supercooled liquid fog, was extremely dramatic, and stuck to everything. Even taking my camera out on the summit for just a minute, Rime Ice immediately began to build up on the lens. You can see the spots of ice in our summit video.

    The trip back down the mountain was fun and fast, with some fun glissading on our buts for the very last part!

    Sunday night we spent some more time at EMS going over gear, and then Jason and I had a good dinner and went back to Joe Dodge Lodge.

    Monday morning was a relaxing breakfast in the cafeteria, and a long, leisurely drive back to the city.

    Photos on Flickr

  • Point Dume Surfers

    Point Dume Surfers

    Surfers at Point Dume, Los Angeles, California