NY Through the Lens - New York City Photography

Autumn light. Central Park, New York City

On this day last year, someone who I was close with in my early 20s died and I am still trying to make sense of such a tragic loss. I don’t think I ever will. I made a a lengthy post about Jen and my memories of her (with videos of her amazing performances) here last year:

Jeniviva

A few days later, I wrote this poem and posted it with this photo I am posting right now. It was raw and it’s the only thing I can think of posting today that sums up what I am (still) feeling:

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Autumn. New York City. Above Union Square.

On cloudy days in autumn, the trees stick out from the ground below like paintbrushes heavy with memories of the sun’s embrace.

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I love this view of Union Square Park looking towards the Empire State Building and the beautiful skyscrapers in midtown Manhattan. It’s particularly gorgeous in the autumn when the trees change color before descending gracefully to the ground.

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Autumn leaves under elm trees. Central Park, New York City.

Under a canopy of elm trees, nothing is quite as beautiful as the warmth that emanates from fallen autumn leaves.

Scattered like fiery embers, they are strewn about only suspended in motion for a short time before the wind stirs them from their molten slumber.

If winter had but one dream, it would be of this.

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A few people commented elsewhere that they missed both parts of the documentary series that I posted earlier this week. It was part of a docu-series filmed this past summer about my photography. So, if you missed it and are curious about my early influences and thoughts about New York City, here are both segments:

Art Seen: Vivienne Gucwa

Art Seen: Vivienne Gucwa, Part 2

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Autumn sunset. Central Park, New York City.

In autumn, sun drips down like melted gold on tree limbs decorated in the finest foliage.

The earth, chilled by the memory of winter, holds onto the sun’s light with hands outstretched as each ray slips through its fingers like fine sand.

As bitingly cool air brushes past flushed faces, every bit of sunlight clings to the earth like embers fallen from a powerful fire.

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I love the brisk quality of light in the autumn especially in the evenings. It’s as if the sun is trying to penetrate through past winter all the way forward into spring.

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Bow Bridge in autumn. Central Park, New York City.

The sun’s light dances on the tops of leaves blushing red in autumn’s embrace.

And the earth glows remembering summer’s long days and endless promises of warmth.

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This is one of the first round of photos I took back when I started to seriously take photos. I go back to this photo every year around this time and think a lot about that day, almost exactly two years ago to this date.

The air was bitingly crisp and the leaves had barely started to fall from the trees. I didn’t really know what I was trying to capture. In reality, I remember thinking that I would be happy if I could just get the colors of the leaves right with my humble camera (it was a point and shoot that barely had any controls), I would be over the moon.

This image has gone on quite a few journeys: as prints to many people (it still remains, to this day, one of my most popular), to clients for commercial work in ads, and on various websites.

I used to beat myself up about this photo since it feels like I have traveled a large distance in photography since I first took it and I can obviously see in my mind how the scene would look if I had taken the photo now.

I didn’t know it back then but what I have found to be most valuable element of photography is the ability to capture unique moments and distill their essence into something that resonates in some way with even as little as one person (which could just be yourself).

And you know what? I have gone back to this spot hundreds of times since then and I have never once seen it look exactly like this again.

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Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed Central Park in 1858. Bow Bridge, shaped like an archer’s bow, was built between 1859 and 1862. It spans more than 60 feet of the Lake. The ornamental iron railing incorporates elements of Gothic, Neo-Classical, and Renaissance design.

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Autumn in Central Park, New York City - on ABC News!

ABC News contacted me to ask if they could use one of my autumn photos in an autumn photo feature on the official ABC News website and I said yes. The feature just went up here:

When Autumn Comes To…

Pretty sweet! Super excited to share this (and re-post this photo in light of this news). It’s one of my favorite photos that I have ever taken here in Central Park in the autumn. I actually posted about it a week or so ago here:

Autumn Leaves - New York City

This all has me craving pumpkin pie or pumpkin spice hot chocolate! :)

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Piles of autumn leaves under trees during autumn in Central Park, New York City.

All I can think about at this point is anything and everything that has to do with autumn: piles of leaves to jump in, hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks, pumpkin in just about everything, cute scarves and socks, ducking into cozy places to warm up briefly before heading back out to enjoy the kiss of brisk autumn breezes.

Summer, we can always fall in love again next year.

For now, I have a huge crush on autumn.

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Autumn leaves. Central Park, New York City.

Autumn is the start of something new. It’s the promise of briskness followed by warmth. It’s an inviting whisper that lingers in the air and brushes past the skin with its transient presence.

We inhale the earth’s transition deeply into our lungs and exhale hopeful utterances on the condensation of our warm exhaled breaths.

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I love Central Park on overcast autumn days. When the elm trees are at their peak and have shed their leaves creating beautiful trails of foliage and the air is crisp, there is nothing better.

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Central Park autumn landscape overlooking the lake and San Remo.

There are days in Central Park during the autumn when the weather is deliciously ominous. These are the sorts of days when grey clouds do their best to compete with the sunlight for the spotlight. I love the quality of this sort of contrasting light. During moments when the sun does manage to peek through the gray blanket of clouds, the foliage seems to reel in the bits of scattered sunlight.

This is a vista that seems to come alive in the autumn and winter due in part to Central Park’s beautiful willow trees. There is a quality to the placement of the branches that is reminiscent of theatrical stage curtains in a persistent state of dramatically opening to reveal the landscapes that are just beyond their grasp as if they are revealing a show that comes alive in the final two acts of a performance that spans a year.

In the autumn, these sorrow-soaked branches frame the sprawling autumn landscape that surrounds the lake and in the winter when the lake is covered in snow, the same branches hold multitudes of icy tears framing the towers of San Remo perfectly.

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Autumn. Central Park, New York City.

The graceful limbs of Autumn’s trees cling to all of Summer’s sunsets searing their leaves yellow, orange and red with the sun’s heat.

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Autumn - Central Park, New York City.

That chill in the air wrapping itself around trees like an overflowing scarf , the crispness on the breeze chilling faces with its autumn kisses, trees displaying their decorated limbs in golden shades of serenity: Autumn.

Cinnamon sticks resting languidly in steaming mugs of hot apple cider, pumpkin-orange colored wishes carried on the scent of firewood, frosted sighs of contentment exhaled in long cool breaths, leaves sounding their crackled whispers of surrender, earth reeling from summer preparing for its long engagement with the snow-covered proclamations of winter: Autumn.

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Autumn light through trees. Central Park, New York City.

It’s in the way the sunlight streams through the last vestiges of autumn: as golden as the leaves that hold onto their branches.

It’s in the way the earth bares itself under this fanfare: as vulnerable as new lover’s heartbeats buried under layers of clothing.

Winter’s prelude starts slowly: a distant refrain that works its way through the earth chilled in anticipation.

We slow-dance on this mortal coil to the adagio of life twisting and turning with the whims of the winds that scatter our spirit to the ends of the earth.

It’s all we can do.

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Buy “Adagio - Light Through Autumn Trees - Central Park” Posters and Prints here, View my store, email me, or ask for help.

Autumn landscape through willow trees. Central Park, New York City.

What a surprise yesterday! I got home in the evening after a grueling day to find that my last photo from my celebratory visit to Central Park over the weekend made it to Tumblr Radar. I could barely believe my eyes. Thank you so much Tumblr! (I am still reeling over last month’s post that also got featured on Tumblr’s Radar) My inbox has exploded with lovely messages which I am very grateful for and will respond to later in the week when I have a bit more time. In the meantime, thank you so much everyone.

When I was at Central Park a few days ago, the weather was deliciously ominous. It was the sort of day when grey clouds do their best to compete with the sunlight for the spotlight. I love the quality of this sort of contrasting light. During moments when the sun does manage to peek through the gray blanket of clouds, the foliage seems to reel in the bits of scattered sunlight.

This is a recent favorite spot of mine in Central Park. It’s a vista that seems to come alive in the autumn and winter due in part to Central Park’s beautiful willow trees. There is a quality to the placement of the branches that is reminiscent of theatrical stage curtains in a persistent state of dramatically opening to reveal the landscapes that are just beyond their grasp as if they are revealing a show that comes alive in the final two acts of a performance that spans a year.

In the autumn, these sorrow-soaked branches frame the sprawling autumn landscape that surrounds the lake and in the winter when the lake is covered in snow, the same branches hold multitudes of icy tears framing the towers of San Remo perfectly.

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View this photo larger and on black on my Google Plus page

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Buy “Sorrow-soaked - Central Park Autumn Landscape” Posters and Prints here, View my store, email me, or ask for help.