NY Through the Lens - New York City Photography

Williamsburg Bridge pedestrian walkway. New York City.

I have been on a strange sort of journey lately when it comes to photography. And I have noticed a shift in my vision or rather a slight deepening of meaning that I am seeking when it comes to the imagery I have been consuming and capturing. I have been watching a tremendous amount of documentaries about photography and photographers trying to understand where my own peculiar sort of artistic unrest is originating from. I suspect the angst has to do with a visual tiredness and unease at the overwhelming amount of imagery that seems to be in circulation at any given moment online. I am pondering writing a series of essays on the rise of mass consumption and sharing and how it correlates to various trends in offline photography but the ideas are all still percolating.

A series that really, really touched me though is called Contacts. I devoured all of Contacts: Volume 2 - The Revival of Contemporary Photography and Contacts: Volume 3: Conceptual Photography over the course of two nights. It’s a collection of tiny vignettes that explore different photographer’s contact sheets and/or body of work while they explain or talk about their work. I think I have watched the vignette of Sarah Moon’s work set to her stream-of-consciousness description of her own inward photographic journey over a dozen times at this point (it even ended up on my “Scenes that have stuck to my ribs and clung to my heart” playlist on Youtube: the ultimate testament to it becoming a part of my consciousness permanently ;) ).

When I first watched it and listened, I could barely stop the tears from flowing because it was absolutely perfect (and even that would be an understatement):

Contacts: Volume 2 - Sarah Moon

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I had an entirely different set of thoughts I wanted to include with this image of the Williamsburg Bridge (taken with the trusty Sony A99) but I seem to have veered in a different direction perhaps because all of this has been on my mind for weeks. And that’s fine, now that I think of it, because in some ways, there couldn’t be a more fitting recent image to accompany this post.

“Time goes by. Light falls. I lose confidence. I don’t want to be a photographer anymore…

Then, all of a sudden, but not always, something changes, I can’t say why, maybe I’m just in the right place at the right time, or maybe I believe in it.

However, for a split second, I see a sparkle of beauty passing by, everything goes so quickly now within that stillness, and I’m carried away, and at last I like what I see, and I can’t stop finding it, then losing it, and all day long I keep on, because it once existed.” - Sarah Moon

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New York City skyline and the Chrysler Building on a hazy day. Midtown.

Late summer light

hangs over the city:

humid-laden heartache

tinged with heavy hope

and hazy promises.

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Where the winter brings a crystal sharp clarity to New York City, the summer seems to bring with it a gorgeous, bittersweet gauze-like haze.

Summers in New York City cling to the ribs and heart like ethereal remnants of distant thoughts peeking their heads out of the sea of heat and humidity.

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Taken with the Sony A77.

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View “New York City Skyline - Skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan from Above” in my photography portfolio here, email me, or ask for help.

The New York City skyline in the Financial District as seen from midtown Manhattan

I love the variety of skyscrapers that make up the New York City skyline in lower Manhattan. They jut up like stalagmites from the city floor. This skyline view is usually photographed from the other side usually across the East River but this is a view of the skyline as seen from midtown Manhattan. Prominent works of architecture include New York by Gehry and the Municipal Building.

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I have been experimenting quite a bit with post-processing. Someone commented on another photo of mine that I posted recently (in a negative fashion) that it didn’t seem like my other work. I replied: “That’s the beauty of art and vision - both have the freedom to change and evolve. Without that freedom, things would remain stagnant.” I can see how my style has changed over the last 3 months or so and I am grateful to have the freedom to experiment. It’s liberating to approach every photo as a blank canvas.

This particular photo was taken with the Sony a77 which I had the pleasure of using for several months late last year. I have been working on a few different stylistic photography projects over the last month which has definitely opened up creative doors in my mind.

Life may be difficult at times but it’s art that makes everything seem worthwhile.

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Stone Street. New York City’s first paved street. Financial District.

Stone Street is a narrow cobblestone alley that was first developed by Dutch colonists in the 1600s. Its claim to fame is that it is New York City’s first paved street and as such it is recognized as a historic landmark.

It’s the main part of an area currently known as the Stone Street Historic District. Nestled among skyscrapers in the Financial District, it’s something of a time machine back into another era of New York City’s history. The street is the site where British merchants traded and sold goods, where American colonialists passionately spoke of independence and where tracts of land were purchased and sold (completely disregarding the earlier inhabitants of the area).

The Dutch West India Company first sold this area to European property owners in the mid 1600s. It was around 1658 that the street was paved. The name Stone Street actually came about in the late 1700s. Prior to being named Stone Street, this alley was called Hoogh Straet and then Brouwer Street and also spent some time as Duke Street. Since the street is so close to the waterfront, it was the site of a tremendous amount of commercial activity for two centuries.

In the mid 1800s, the area was destroyed by the Great Fire. Even though the Great Fire leveled hundreds of buildings in the area, the Stone Street district bounced back due to New York City having the leading maritime port in the country. However, in the mid twentieth century the area saw a decline due to maritime activity moving to the west side of Manhattan. In the mid 1990s, funding was secured to restore the area back to its former glory.

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Shot with the Sony a99 a few days ago on a bitterly cold winter day here in New York City, I can’t think of a better time to experience this historic alley. It comes to life in the summer when it is full of chairs and tables linked to the many dining establishments that now inhabit the buildings along Stone Street. But it’s in the winter when the light barely reaches through to the ground and when the breeze from the river cuts through to the bone that it makes an indelible mark on the heart.

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New York City skyscrapers and rooftops from above. Midtown.

These are the skyscrapers of midtown Manhattan from above as seen from the top of Rockefeller Center (Top of the Rock). Looking out over these time and weather-worn buildings, it’s almost incredible to think of the sheer amount of activity occurring behind each tiny-eyed window at any given time.

This is a scene that peaks in the teasing warmth of winter sunlight as the sun dips towards the horizon in the late afternoon. With rooftops covered with a light glaze of snow and with sultry exhales of smoke billowing out into the late afternoon sunlight, the city basks momentarily in distant memories of summer.

When I was younger, I used to imagine how incredible it would be to fly through the city like Batman. I would close my eyes and imagine dipping into the dark,narrow valleys created by tall skyscraper peaks. I would ascend up past the multitudes of water towers to distant rooftops where I would bide my time while seeking out other routes to glide through (in my imagination Batman took quite a few joyrides through the city during his off-time!).

I still like to imagine these things. It’s probably why I love views that take me above the hustle and bustle of the city. There is a peace that seems to come with viewing the cityscape from above.

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*Shot with the Sony a99.

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New York City winter. Snow in Soho on Mercer Street.

Soho is so beautiful in the snow especially right after snow has freshly fallen and still sits like icing on the fire escapes and street signs.

This part of Soho is part of the Soho Cast Iron District which consists of 500 buildings that feature distinct cast-iron architecture spanning over a 26 block radius. Many of the buildings date back to the 1870s when the area was primarily residential. However, most of the residences during the later part of the 20th century were converted for commercial use which allowed Soho to play an integral role in the commercial development of New York City.

This is a view looking north up Mercer Street in Soho towards midtown. The Chrysler Building can be seen in the distance. The snow-covered sign on the left belongs to Fanelli’s Cafe which has stood in this spot since the 1850s.

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The Williamsburg Bridge at sunset. New York City.

When the sun sets in the winter, its light pours over the city like the glow from a distant bonfire with scattered light illuminating the grey, steel edges like embers strewn about in the wind.

I took this image yesterday with the Sony a99 while walking over the Williamsburg Bridge. The Williamsburg Bridge is a favorite of mine in lower Manhattan. It tends to be overshadowed by the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge when it comes to popularity. This is probably because its pedestrian walkway is completely enclosed by a metal gate and because it isn’t in super close proximity to the other two bridges (although one could argue that the pedestrian entrances to all three bridges are in walking distance to each other).

However, it definitely lives up to its National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark status. Its architecture is incredible and the views of the New York City skyline and Brooklyn that can be glimpsed from either walkway are stunning.

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Storm clouds and tenements. Chinatown, New York City.

As storm clouds approach, the sun washes over the city showering its splendor onto the urban landscape like a brilliant star projecting its last bits of light into the vast universe.

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I love the light on the buildings in this section of Chinatown before a storm. This particular view overlooks the tenements that face the Forsyth Market under the Manhattan Bridge where produce and other food is sold daily in a sprawling open air market.

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Stone Street Historic District. South William Street. Financial District - New York City.

Something I absolutely love about New York City is that tucked away between the towering monuments of modernity that populate the cityscape are streets that look as if they have been transported from another era and geographic location entirely. These streets are suspended in time like flies in amber.

This area is known as the Stone Street historic district in lower Manhattan. Bound by Stone Street, Pearl Street, and South William Streets and Mill Lane, it is a section that is unlike any of its surrounding blocks. This particular section is bound by South William street and 13-15 South William Street can be seen in this particular view. Around the block from this part of the area are other historic buildings and the Stone Street area ‘proper’.

In 1903, the architect C.P.H. Gilbert designed new street facades on the buildings in this section of South William Street (57 Stone Street on the other side). Gilbert’s neo-Dutch Renaissance architecture features structural details like stepped gables and strapwork and was a nod to the early settlement of Manhattan.

This area which dates back to the 1600s when New York City was first colonized by Dutch settlers was sadly destroyed by the Great Fire of 1835. The surrounding section of Stone Street was rebuilt with granite bases of post-and-lintel construction and upper-additions of brick which were specifically erected for importers and merchants.

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New York City skyscrapers and a bird. Midtown.

Birds have a synchronous relationship with the city.

They fly with such brazen freedom through the man-made caverns soaring above the frenetic flow of the city below.

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The Flatiron Building and Fifth Avenue Building Clock. Midtown.

I have always loved the ornate clocks that line 5th Avenue, especially the Fifth Avenue Building Block that has a prime destination near the Flatiron Building. At 19 feet high, the cast-iron clock was installed in 1909 and was crafted by a Brooklyn Iron Works company. It’s a type of clock that was introduced in the 1860s. They were popular with business owners who wanted to attract extra attention and also served a functional purpose as time-telling pieces in a busy area of Manhattan.

The juxtaposition between the Flatiron Building, one of New York City’s iconic skyscrapers and this cast-iron clock has always put a smile on my face. The Flatiron Building, which was completed in 1902 is also a landmark in Manhattan. Its name is in reference to its resemblance to a cast-iron clothes iron.

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New York Winter - The New York City skyline in the snow.

Snowflakes swirl over the skyscrapers and buildings: confetti from the sky blanketing the buildings and streets.

And the world transforms into a giant snow-globe, if only for a brief moment.

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What’s more magical than New York City in the snow (when it first falls, of course)? This winter cityscape view is of the skyscrapers of the New York City skyline in midtown Manhattan including the Chrysler Building, the MetLife Building and a barely visible 59th Street Bridge (also known as the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge).

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Williamsburg Bridge - New York City

Walked over the Williamsburg Bridge today to get to Brooklyn because
the bus lines were several blocks long. I tried to calculate the
distance i have walked over the last 3 days and i think it’s close to
14 miles (and counting). Feels good to walk and get out of a very,
very cold apartment (looking for the positives :)).

Sitting in an apartment that has power and heat which is a nice
change. Just heard that it may not be until Saturday that power is
restored to my part of the Lower East Side. Sigh. Better than another
week though?

Thanks again for all the kind messages and comments everyone.

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View the rest of the posts about Hurricane Sandy in NYC on this blog here:

Hurricane Sandy New York City

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New York City Skyscrapers. Midtown.

They rise: stalagmites borne from an earth bursting at the seams with lofty aspirations.

And the city’s streets weave their way through them: well-worn crevices on the surface of dreams.

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This is one of my favorite views of the skyscrapers of midtown Manhattan. It’s a view from the top of the Empire State Building. I have always loved the variety of architecture and intensely dense feel of this patch of the New York City skyline.

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Another Dawn. The Manhattan Bridge. New York City.

You gripped my hands when you told me about this time: a time when cities were rooted to the earth.

Under another dawn’s sky, New York City’s structures reached up like hands grasping at too-far-away stars.

Bridges stretched out like rapidly deteriorating veins in an urban body destined for decay: remnants from a time when it was a feat just to cross over water with nothing but clumsy fossil-fueled vehicles, when our imaginations were limited by a devotion to the ground below.

And I squinted, trying to imagine life bound to the ground with only passing curiosity to lead the eyes to the skies.

In another dawn, would I have looked up at these same structures with some sort of wonder?

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This is not a phone photo. This is an ongoing side project: surreal future-dystopian (and utopian) cityscapes incorporating iconic NYC architecture and landscapes: part of a larger and strange sort of New York fairy tale series that I am imagining that takes place in the future.

View the other work in this ongoing series here: New York Fairy Tale

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