NY Through the Lens - New York City Photography

I had the pleasure of being interviewed for Mortal Muses recently. Mortal Muses was one of the first great groups I got into on Flickr and they have branched out and started a really great photography site.

Click through the image above to read my interview including, most importantly, what I think my superpower would be!

I will put the link to the interview here as well:

Conversation with Vivienne Gucwa

Enjoy :)

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“A tale of my one eyed view of the world…”

I have never known what it is like to view the world out of both eyes.

Since I have been dependent on one eye since birth, I didn’t even know anything was ‘wrong’ until I was 10 or 11 years old when I performed poorly on a routine eye exam at school. I was told that my right eye was severely ‘lazy’ at the time and that it was impossible to fix properly. And so, I was fitted for (some really ugly) glasses that only had a super strong prescription in one of the lenses and told that if I just wore my glasses diligently that I would one day encourage my super ‘lazy’ eye to ‘work’ properly.

Vision out of my right eye is nearly non-existent. If I close my left eye and try to use my right eye to view things, I can just barely make out blurry shapes and all light is scattered.

After seeing a variety of optometrists over the years who all seemed to have different explanations for what they thought was wrong with my vision and after a really harrowing semester in Microbiology Lab where I had numerous issues using the binocular microscopes (amusingly, this was also my favorite class despite the issues), I finally went to an ophthalmologist to get to the bottom of things. My ophthalmologist shook her head when I explained about all of woes with wearing glasses for years (massive headaches despite having the right prescription). She ended up explaining after a lengthy exam (and I will simplify the explanation here) that my brain just does not utilize my right eye properly and that no amount of wishful thinking and powerful lenses would ‘convince’ my right eye to magically start working.

And so, the other night when a bug flew into my good eye (the left one) while I was in Brooklyn and proceeded to move around and scratch my cornea before I got it out of my eye, I was very, very lucky to be with my boyfriend because not only was it ridiculously painful to deal with but having to hold my good eye closed while tears streamed down my face from both eyes due to the trauma nearly rendered me incapable of getting around since I couldn’t see anything at all. I also have him to thank for not only getting me to the emergency room at Beth Israel in one piece but also cracking jokes while we waited which made me panic less since all I could think about were the worst case scenarios (and for finding a pharmacy open at 5 in the morning and leading me there when I was beyond blind so I could get the antibiotic eye-drops I needed).

My eye is nearly healed after a pretty scary weekend that consisted of a lot of sleeping, listening to music and podcasts in the dark (I had extreme sensitivity to light). I was shocked to read in the various comment threads on my Facebook and on my Google Plus over the past few days about how many people also view the world out of only one eye.

I do find it really interesting that I tend to pose with my good eye showing in self-portraits and in photos taken of me by other people. I never noticed I did this until recently when I shot a whole batch of self-portraits and realized that I seemed to favor angling myself with my good eye showing (the image in this post was a throw-away from that batch and amusingly features my good eye).

I also don’t really know how my one-eyed view of the world affects my photography. I think about it from time to time though and it is interesting to ponder but I guess I will never know how my photography would have progressed differently if I could see out of both of my eyes.

I do know that I am seriously considering wearing a protective suit the next time I go outside…;)

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Vivienne Gucwa photography exhibited on a large screen in midtown, New York City

Here is a pretty huge bit of news that I have been jumping up and down for joy about the whole day!

For the rest of the summer, around 70 of my photos of New York City can be viewed on an absolutely gigantic screen in midtown Manhattan. They are in a random rotation at Big Screen Plaza located between 29th and 30th street off of 6th Avenue (also known as the Eventi Open Air Plaza). To say that I am excited would be a huge understatement.

The screen is a 30 x 16 ft. HD-format LED screen and is in a 10,000-square foot outdoor multimedia venue that hosts major events and screenings of an eclectic mix, ranging from cinema to sports, from the arts to fashion.

I don’t know if I will be able to wipe this huge smile off my face!

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Buy the photo on display in this image: “The Manhattan Bridge and the New York City Skyline at Sunset” here, email me, or ask for help.

I need help with this contest!

All you have to do is Go here and click COLLECT ME

It’s for a photography contest which includes a chance of winning $10,000 and a showing in Times Square. You are all invited if (by a super long shot) I win! :)

Thank you in advance! ♥ View my photography for sale here.

I was interviewed last night by the wonderful Thomas Hawk and the lovely Lotus Carroll on their on-air live show called Phototalk Plus.

I was super nervous and there were some weird (but funny, in retrospect) technical difficulties but they were finally able to get me on the phone and everything went smooth after that. I really enjoyed the questions from them and the super active and hyper live audience.

So, if you ever wanted to hear me answer questions about how I got started with photography (which admittedly is fairly crazy, at least when I think about it), my thoughts about shooting in New York City, my thoughts about cameras and post-processing/editing as well as some talk about noodles (yes, really!), you may just enjoy this video (my full interview starts at 49:00):

Photo Talk Plus, Episode 14, With Special Guest Vivienne Gucwa

Enjoy!

(I decided to accompany this post with one of the photos I talked about briefly during the show, one of my favorite examples of industrial urban decay here in New York City: The Domino Sugar Factory in Brooklyn)

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Store gate poetry. Lower East Side, New York City.

The momentary incantations offered up to all who partake in the ritual of observation are what define the urban environment if only for a moment. They are fleeting parts of the visual landscape that embed themselves into the memory of the city.

This reads: “Every crystal falling, turns the water of the eye, folding bright shapes, a dreamer stays high, casting sculptures, myths and smiles vast in the front of each wave, handing down letters, flowers by your bed and a light surrounding your every dance.” - Author’s initial: RDK

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The New York City Skyline and the Empire State Building. Top of the Rock. Midtown, New York City.

Despite growing up in New York City, I hadn’t been to the tops of any of the iconic skyscrapers with observation decks since I was very, very little. The Top of the Rock is an observation deck on the top of Rockefeller Center. It closed in 1986 for renovations and reopened in 2005. When I was younger, I went on a few school trips to Rockefeller Center to go on the NBC Studios tour which was a lot of fun but since it was the late 80s and early 90s, the top was closed to visitors. A few months ago, I decided to finally make a little visit to Top of the Rock.

The Top of the Rock is the top of what is also known as the GE Building. It’s an Art Deco skyscraper that is in the center of Rockefeller Center. The GE Building used to be known as the RCA Building until the mid 1980s when GE incorporated RCA and NBC. The building is 850 feet tall (70 stories) and since the address is 30 Rockefeller Center, it is usually referred to as “30 Rock”.

What I find really incredible about the observation decks at Top of the Rock aside from the views is that there is so much room. There are three observation decks in total and all three are designed to resemble the upper decks of a 1930s luxury ocean liner complete with deck chairs. Two of the decks on the the 67th and 69th floors include outdoor terraces which are enclosed in transparent, safety glass. The top deck which is on the 70th floor features a completely open air, unobstructed 360-degree view of New York City and beyond.

The day I went, there were barely any people up on the top deck with me since the weather wasn’t ideal (as you can sort of see in this particular photo). However, I think it’s often less crowded than the Empire State Building’s observation deck even in beautiful weather. At 850 feet above street level, the view is jaw-dropping and includes complete views of Central Park and the Empire State Building which you can’t really complain about.

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Buy “The Infinite Sprawl - The Empire State Building and the New York City Skyline” Prints here, email me, or ask for help.

The Manhattan Bridge and the New York City Skyline.

In an earlier post, I mentioned how freeing it was for me to finally discard the jadedness that permeated my early years growing up here in New York City. It was then when I started to realize how utterly phenomenal and fascinating all the things I went out of my way to avoid truly are.

I started taking photos a few years back in a rather stream of consciousness manner. I don’t drive since I live in New York City and without much in the way of material things or financial prosperity walking became a way to deal with stress. It also became the main way to experience New York City in a way I hadn’t experienced the city before. I would choose a direction and walk as far as my feet would take me (I still do this). I started noticing lines, forms and structures I had previously ignored. Scenery unfolded before me as if it was just rendered before my eyes.

To embrace my new-found sense of wonder, I decided to take the only camera I had at the time with me on these walking adventures. It was a simple point and shoot which was less than $100. It was all I could afford at the time and I just wanted to be able to record the moments and experiences that made my heart swell. After doing this for several years, I decided to start posting my photos online to keep a record of some of my walking adventure photos. It didn’t occur to me that there would be an audience for my photography. I had no formal training in photography and no real knowledge of the rules or major concepts that defined the field.

The website I started posting on a year ago is now where my main site points to (this Tumblr). It’s been quite a journey since I posted those first few photos online. Somehow, along the way I ended up on the receiving end of a variety of experiences that have changed my world in a truly dramatic manner. While I am still trying to figure out ways to make photography financially viable, I am so appreciative of the many opportunities I have had come my way. With around 20,000 followers currently on Tumblr, I am extremely appreciative of all of the private messages and notes as well as the bevy of talented people I have met along the way.

A wonderful person on Google Plus shared a quote recently by Henri Matisse that really resonated with me: “a large part of the beauty of a picture arises from the struggle which an artist wages with his limited medium.” I think that there is a tremendous amount of truth in the sentiment that when you are limited you are forced to work extremely hard to get the results you desire.

The photo in this post was taken on one of my walks across the Brooklyn Bridge. One of my favorite things to do is walk over any of the bridges in lower Manhattan. Each offers a completely different view of New York City and each time I cross any one of them, I still feel butterflies in my stomach as the views of the city’s skylines come into sight.

I hope I never lose that feeling of pure and unadulterated wonder.

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Buy “The Manhattan Bridge at Sunset” Posters and Prints here, Other versions of this print with writing and various borders can be viewed here (any of them can be customized to have whatever background you desire): “The Manhattan Bridge at Sunset” with Black Border, “The Manhattan Bridge at Sunset” with White Border, “The Manhattan Bridge at Sunset” with Grey Border, View my store, email me, or ask for help.

Grand Central Terminal at night. Midtown, New York City

I was going to initially write about how I feel about this part of midtown but I got a little (ok, completely) side tracked reading about the fact that Lex Luthor’s lair in the original Superman (1978) was supposedly set under Grand Central Terminal (the beautiful landmark building in this post). How did I not know this?

“A scene filmed in the 1978 film Superman of the men in ‘Metropolis 46’ who follow the villain Otis through the train tracks took place here. The lair of villain Lex Luther is also supposedly underneath the station.” - Source

Grand Central Terminal has been utilized in a few other notable film scenes throughout the years. I love this bit about Grand Central and it’s role in film written by Caryn James for the NY Times: “To walk through the main concourse at Grand Central Terminal is to step onto a real-life movie set. Cary Grant passes through it while escaping his would-be killers in “North by Northwest.” Jim Carrey grabs Kate Winslet’s hand and dashes across it in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” watching people vanish one by one as his memory is erased. Most tellingly, it is the site of a pivotal moment in “The Fisher King,” when Robin Williams, as a pure-hearted, emotionally unbalanced man, spots the quite plain woman of his dreams heading for her train. Suddenly everyone in the room breaks into a waltz, as this grimy, everyday place becomes a scene of glittering romance.” Source

Grand Central Terminal, often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central is a train station located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue. It is the largest train station in the world. Although the terminal has been properly called Grand Central Terminal since it opened in 1913, many people continue to call it Grand Central Station. It features a whispering gallery, secret passageways and a room that used to be referred to as the ‘kissing room’ in the 1930s and 1940s.

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Buy “Grand Central Terminal at Night” Posters and Prints here, Other versions of this print with writing and various borders can be viewed here (any of them can be customized to have whatever background you desire): “Grand Central Terminal at Night” with Black Border, “Grand Central Terminal at Night” with White Border, “Grand Central Terminal at Night” with Grey Border, View my store, email me, or ask for help.

Autumn elm trees in Central Park. New York City

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons to experience in New York City. The city comes alive with color. One of the most beautiful spots to take in some truly outstanding autumn landscapes is in Central Park. At the peak of autumn, the leaves of the elm trees turn from green to different shades of gold, yellow and orange. As the leaves shed from the trees, the grass becomes almost entirely carpeted with the colorful foliage. Some of the trees in this particular photo are the original elms which were planted by one of the original landscape designers of Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted.

Dutch elm disease, a fungal disease of elm trees which is spread by the elm bark beetle has been a major threat to the elm trees in New York City. The disease was accidentally introduced into America and Europe, where it has devastated native populations of elms which had not had the opportunity to evolve resistance to the disease. Thankfully, only a few elm trees in Central Park have been afflicted by the disease. It is believed that the majority of Central Park’s elm trees have survived because of their isolation from neighboring areas in New York where the disease was more predominant and widespread. Source

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In really awesome news, I found out that I was listed on this list that popped up on Business Insider today of photographers on Google Plus: Top 104 Amazing Photographers To Circle on Google Plus. I am #103 (Vivienne Gucwa). How exciting is that? I did a little dance when I found out!

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Buy “Autumn in Central Park” Posters and Prints here, Other versions of this print with writing and various borders can be viewed here (any of them can be customized to have whatever background you desire): “Autumn in Central Park” with Black Border, “Autumn in Central Park” with White Border, “Autumn in Central Park” with Grey Border, View my store, email me, or ask for help.

Central Park and midtown skyscrapers viewed from above. New York City.

Earlier today, I posted a dense cityscape of midtown Manhattan looking south towards the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. I thought it would be interesting to follow it up with this particular image.

Facing north, looking towards upper Manhattan what stands out visually is Central Park. Central Park is “is 2.5 miles (4 km) long between 59th Street (Central Park South) and 110th Street (Central Park North), and is 0.5 miles (0.8 km) wide between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West.”

“The park initially opened in 1857, on 843 acres (3.41 km2) of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan. Construction began the same year and was completed in 1873….The park, which receives approximately thirty-five million visitors annually, is the most visited urban park in the United States.

…While foliage in much of the park appears natural, it is in fact almost entirely landscaped. The park contains several natural-looking lakes and ponds that have been created artificially,extensive walking tracks, bridle paths, two ice-skating rinks (one of which is a swimming pool in July and August), the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, a wildlife sanctuary, a large area of natural woods, a 106-acre (43 ha) billion-gallon reservoir with an encircling running track, and an outdoor amphitheater, called the Delacorte Theater, which hosts the “Shakespeare in the Park” summer festivals. Indoor attractions include Belvedere Castle with its nature center, the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, and the historic Carousel. In addition there are numerous major and minor grassy areas, some of which are used for informal or team sports, some are set aside as quiet areas, and there are a number of enclosed playgrounds for children.”

This is a fascinating bit of trivia: “The real estate value of Central Park was estimated by the property appraisal firm, Miller Samuel, to be $528,783,552,000 in December 2005.” Source

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Buy “Central Park and the New York City Skyline” Posters and Prints here, Other versions of this print with writing and various borders can be viewed here (any of them can be customized to have whatever background you desire): “Central Park and the New York City Skyline” with Black Border, “Central Park and the New York City Skyline” with White Border, “Central Park and the New York City Skyline” with Grey Border, View my store, email me, or ask for help.

Mars Bar interior. We are watching you. East Village, New York City.

Mars Bar closed its doors for the last time yesterday. I guess I should say it was closed down by the DOH even though it was going to close for good by the end of the summer in preparation of demolition to make way for yet another boring luxury glass condo.

I have already written extensively about Mars Bar in my article for NearSay here: A Look Inside Mars Bar - The East Village’s Legendary Dive Bar, for the NY Times - East Village Local section here: Viewfinder - The Art of Mars Bar and on this site.

This particular image is from a visit this past February when I took a ton of interior shots of the infamous bathrooms and art covering the walls. I love this one the best.

It was a cold winter day and Mars Bar was dimly lit with the exception of the reddish light in this image and some daylight streaming through the graffiti-strewn windows. The jukebox was loud and the few regulars who were there were happily talking to each other. It’s my favorite way to remember Mars Bar as the last holdout of grit in a lower Manhattan that is being bulldozed and changing at the speed of light. In retrospect, it was the calm before the storm.

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All eyes on you. Street art. Lower East Side, New York City.

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