NY Through the Lens - New York City Photography

New York Winter. 5th Avenue in the snow. Midtown.

This is one of my favorite scenes from last Friday night’s snowstorm. Quite a few people asked me how I was able to take photos without having snow and water droplets on my camera lens. It was quite a production actually. As I explained in my initial post, I wrapped my camera lens in plastic and then poked a hole in a plastic bag and threaded the lens through that hole. The rest of the plastic bag went over the camera as a covering. I secured the plastic with a lens hood which came in handy during periods of blowing snow. When I wasn’t taking a photo I would point the camera down lens to the ground so that when snow blew towards me, it would blow and collect on the outside of the lens hood keeping the lens relatively dry and clean. I also had a lens filter on the lens.

This meant that I only had a tiny amount of time to shoot each shot. I shoot in manual mode because it’s a long-standing preference of mine so I already had set up the settings that worked for the majority of shots (I did have to adjust a lot once I got to the Times Square area due to the lighting there). In the event that there was a shot I wanted to go for that was in the direction of blowing snow, I would just quickly take the shot and then scurry towards an awning, scaffolding cover, or dry entrance where I would wipe the lens down with a lens wipe.

I finally got around to putting some of the more popular photos from my winter storm Nemo in NYC set that I took and shared this past weekend during the (non) blizzard in my main portfolio and store. They are scattered throughout the rest of my photos. A number of people asked when I was going to put them up for sale so I have been slowly putting the photos from the set into my portfolio - store. I actually have more photos that I haven’t even touched from that night that I hope to go through in the next few weeks and eventually share.

I really didn’t expect the response I got for the photo set over on Flickr! Over the weekend, my Flickr was viewed 175,000 times and the winter storm Nemo photoset (in its entirety) has been viewed nearly 30,000 times (with each photo being viewed anywhere from 900 to over 4000 times). Over on G+, the main photo that I shared has been viewed 189,000 times. Craziness! Thanks all for all of the awesome messages, comments, shares and love for New York City in the snow :).

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Central Park winter path. Shakespeare Garden in the snow.

I think back to days spent wrapped in the cold silence of freshly fallen snow in Central Park.

The labyrinth-like path leading from Shakespeare Garden lined by a wooden fence twists and turns in the snow winding its way under trees whose branches reach out to each other like eager arms awaiting the warmth of an embrace.

It’s on days like this when the sun rests longer than usual and winter’s essence seeps through every crack and crevice that the earth quivers a ghost shiver that rests in summer’s memory.

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The rustic wooden fence rests on a four acre section of Central Park known as the Shakespeare Garden which is located in the west part of the park near 79th Street. On the 300th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death in 1916, this area was dedicated to Shakespeare and named. The plants and flowers that are found in this area are all mentioned in the works of the playwright and are also plants and flowers that are found in his garden in Starford-upon-Avon. There is even a white mulberry tree on this four acre plot of land that is said to have grown from a graft of a tree planted by Shakespeare himself in the 1600s.

While the paths that winds through Central Park’s Shakespeare Garden is gorgeous in the warmer months of the year, it’s absolutely stunning when snow has freshly fallen.

This photo was taken during one of the last major snowstorms (a blizzard) in New York City back in 2011. We haven’t seen snow like this, in this magnitude, since then. I have been going through my photos from the two blizzards we experienced that winter season wondering if we will ever see snow like this again. Who knows?

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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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New York City in the snow. Central Park winter landscape at Bow Bridge.

There is something undeniably magical that occurs as the snow falls

swirling and twirling in the air

until it hits the ground heavy with the weight of a thousand promises:

exultations and dreams held close to the earth

in the stillness between wintry pauses

as the city lays in wait

like a snow-globe resting between giddy shakes of joy.

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Bow Bridge is one of Central Park’s most iconic structures. It was built between 1859 and 1862 and is shaped like an archer’s bow. This particular image was taken during a snowstorm in Central Park, New York City. Bow Bridge sits covered by a beautiful layer of freshly fallen snow as the buildings that line Central Park West sit in the distance just past the snow-laden trees.

I am a bit giddy because it appears that New York City may actually get some snow tomorrow. I read this highly entertaining piece of writing by Andy Newman in the NY Times earlier: “Tomorrow, It Will Snow, Perfectly” which had me at hello with its opening paragraph:

“The ideal city snowstorm, meteorological Platonists say, blankets the landscape without burying it, beautifies but does not burden, transforms and cocoons without paralyzing or even particularly inconveniencing.”

Of course, I always feel a bit like Winona Ryder in one of the best scenes from Edward Scissorhands (the music from that scene = awesome) during the first real snow of the winter season here.

Here’s hoping! :)

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P.S. Edited to add that yes, this is the same bridge that Dr. Who ran over in the Angels take Manhattan episode.

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Central Park winter landscape. Angel of the Waters. New York City.

The silence that engulfs the world after a snowfall is deafening.

All heartbeats, all footsteps, all meandering thoughts and evocations are wrapped in a heavy blanket of snow.

Trees cease reaching for the sky, weighed down by the weight of the sky’s tears of joy and there is scarcely a breath to be heard.

Winter muffles the earth silencing it’s yearnings,

and all at once there is peace.

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The definitive crown jewel of Central Park, Angel of the Waters is one of the most famous and universally loved fountains in the world. Also known as Bethesda Fountain, it was designed by Emma Stebbins.

This particular photo of a snow-covered Central Park was taken during a break in a bitter blizzard that hit New York City a few winters ago. The snowstorm dropped a few feet of snow on the city covering the trees and iconic sights in Central Park in a gorgeous coating of icy beauty.

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Central Park winter landscape. San Remo through snow-covered trees. New York City

Summer’s memories sit suspended like words caught in the throat of winter: stifled, muffled utterances barely able to escape in the form of speech.

But in the wide open expanse of dreams, words take flight as summer’s memories break through the shards of branches conjuring up the outline of buildings and cityscapes on the condensation of winter’s frozen breath.

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Central Park winter trees covered in snow. New York City.

Winter crunches underfoot yielding to the heavy enormity of the sheer weight of souls in transition. Trees laden with snow frozen in thought stand dormant until the springtime.

It’s on these sorts of days that the earth feels as if it is caught in a trance somewhere between dreaming and opening its frozen eyelids.

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I love when the snow first falls in New York City - especially in Central Park. The quiet muffled stillness and icy warmth combine to pause the city’s frenetic energy for a few hours.

This was taken the last time we had major snowfall in Manhattan during a blizzard. In truth, it probably wasn’t the safest idea to be walking around Central Park when the wind gusts were so terrifyingly high but during the moments when the winds stopped, it was eerily beautiful.

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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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Winter in Tompkins Square Park. East Village, New York City.

The clouds squeeze the last bit of light from the sun onto the city below.

It falls over trees and buildings: liquid promise spreading onto a landscape de-saturated by winter’s icy breath.

In the wake of winter’s gasping utterances, the sun uncovers the world that hides behind boisterous trees in summer.

And a smile spreads across the city’s face for a moment: warm and golden hope spreading itself over the remains of the day.

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I have been going through older photos taken back when it snowed with great conviction two winters ago. This was taken in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village the morning after a blizzard.

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In case you missed it, I posted a video this past weekend of me talking about photography and New York City. If you ever wondered what it is like to see me talk about these sorts of things, you can view the video here:

Art:Seen: Vivienne Gucwa

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Central Park Winter Path. New York City.

I think back to days spent wrapped in the cold silence of freshly fallen snow in Central Park. The labyrinth-like path leading from Shakespeare’s Garden lined by a wooden fence twists and turns in the snow winding its way under trees whose branches reach out to each other like eager arms awaiting the warmth of an embrace.

It’s on days like this when the sun rests longer than usual and winter’s essence seeps through every crack and crevice that the earth quivers a ghost shiver that rests in summer’s memory.

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