I’m Joel Zimmer, a Brooklyn based photographer. When I’m not out taking photographs I work in Manhattan as a software developer - I have a passion for user interfaces.
I shoot with a Nikon D7000 and I used to shoot with a Nikon D90. I use a variety of lenses including the Nikon 85mm f/1.8, the Nikon 50mm f/1.4, and the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8.
I’ve been developing a “365 project”, where I take a photograph every day, since September of 2008. I take photographs of what I see as I walk through the city, with a focus on capturing specific moments as I experience them. I shoot everything from typography to street art to the city’s inhabitants.
In addition to my photography site, I share my photographs through flickr (joelzimmer) and twitter (joelzimmer). I also share more casual photos on instagram (joelzimmer). You can also find me on Google Plus.
If you want to support my hobby, I have photos available for sale on etsy (http://etsy.com/shop/joelzimmerphoto). If you want to buy prints of any photos that aren’t on the store, feel free to get in touch with me here on tumblr.
My photos have been featured online at The Atlantic’s What America Looks Like Blog, The Consumerist, Gothamist, Jezebel, Curbed, Brownstoner, and For the Love of Brooklyn; they’ve also been spotlighted on Radar. I’ve also been recommended by the Tumblr Staff blog.
If you have any questions or comments about anything on my site, or anything photography related, feel free to ask me - I love hearing from people and I try to answer as many questions as I can.
All the photos on this site have been taken by me, so please source them correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions
While I do love the questions I’ve been getting, there tends to be some duplication. If you want to see a list of everything I’ve been asked, it’s being managed by the ‘asked’ tag.
Here’s a list of some frequently asked questions (in no particular order).
What camera/lenses/equipment do you use?
I shoot with a Nikon D7000 and I used to shoot with a Nikon D90. I use a variety of lenses including the Nikon 85mm f/1.8, the Nikon 50mm f/1.4, and the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. As I said in this post, I use a Timbuk2 Messenger bag for my camera bag. In terms of a flash, I have a Nikon SB-24 that I bought on eBay that I barely ever use and for a tripod I have a Gorillapod SLR that I also never use.
What do you think about the D7000?
I’ve written up my thoughts exhaustively in this post and answered some follow up questions in this post. If you have more specific questions about it or features about it please ask me those directly.
Do you edit your photos/what program do you use to edit photos/how do you touch up photos?
As I said in this post, I do a little bit of touching up using iPhoto. In terms of what I do, normally it’s very small tweaks on the exposure, saturation, and contrast and some adjustments to the tones of the photos to get it just right. These values help balance levels. The biggest adjustments I’ll make to a photo will be cropping it to a set size (normally square or widescreen) or a black and white conversion, which usually requires some more manipulation of the above attributes to get deeper blacks.
Other that than I avoid adding layers, effects, or other manipulations that can’t be done in camera. You’ll do the best work as a photographer as you learn what you can do in camera and work on framing shots correctly.
What’s your advice for a new photographer?
I think I summed up everything I want to say in this post. Please check that one out.
What do you think of [camera equipment/software/accessory]?
Unfortunately, I don’t pursue photography professionally and this is very much a hobby. Because of this, I only have experience with the equipment, software, and accessories I’ve personally used. I’ll try to maintain an up-to-date list here:
- Camera Bodies: Nikon D90, Nikon D7000
- Manual Lenses: Nikon 28mm Series E f/2.8, Nikon 100mm Series E f/2.8
- Autofocus Lenses: Nikon 35mm 1.8 DX, Nikon 50mm f/1.4D, Nikon 50mm f/1.8D, Nikon 85mm f/1.8D, Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 DX, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8
- Software: iPhoto
- Accessories: Nikon SB-24 Flash, GorillaPod SLR Tripod
If your question is about that equipment I’ll be happy to answer it, otherwise I’d recommend reading Ken Rockwell’s site, as he has much more hands-on experience than I do.
Can I use your theme?
I have no plans to release the modified version of my theme.
Where did you go to school for photography/What sort of training do you have?
I actually don’t have any photography related training. During the day I write software and the rest of the time I enjoy life and take photos.
Everything I’ve learned has been through experimentation, reading things online (Ken Rockwell has a fantastic site that’s incredibly informational) and in real book form (Understanding Exposure opened my eyes to the intricacies of exposure and understanding the relationship between shutter speed, apertures and ISO). Above all else, I recommend playing with the different modes on your camera and taking a lot of pictures!
