NY Through the Lens - New York City Photography

Over East Broadway on a busy, sunny afternoon. Two Bridges. Lower East Side, New York City.

There are streets that, for me, fill in the image of New York City that exists in my mind.

I have spoken about this before in older posts. Everyone seems to have their own image of New York City that, for them, represents so much more than just the geographical spot that New York City inhabits on any sort of map.

It took me about a year of thinking about my own approach to New York City with photography and via writing to figure out what I was trying to do every time I took a photo of this city I have called home since my birth. But now I know and it has changed my own view of my surroundings.

It’s not easy to attempt to distill something as enormous a concept or location as New York City into visual and tangible emotion but that is what I try to do with every photo I feel proud enough to post, whether it is taken with my phone (like the photo in this post) or with my regular camera.

I will post a few companion photos to this one later this week (that I took with my regular camera) and expand further about what this street means to me currently.

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This is my weekly mobile photography post. I am @newyorklens on Instagram (view my feed here). You can read about my thoughts on mobile photography and Instagram here and you can check out some of my Instagram photos on Flickr here. Additionally, you can view my phone photography for sale here.

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Buy ” Over East Broadway - Lower East Side - New York City” Prints here, My mobile photography for sale here, My regular photography for sale here, email me, or ask for help.

Above a street in the Two Bridges neighborhood. New York City.

There are areas in lower Manhattan where fragments of the city’s history have settled like fine dust, fragile and prone to the whims of time.

Around these hallowed enclaves, newer history reaches higher towards the sky and rises from the ground borne from the dust of the city’s past.

This particular spot is known as Two Bridges and sits along the East River. It borders Chinatown and the Lower East Side and has long been a dwelling spot for many different immigrant communities over the years. It sits alongside the infamous and historic Five Points area where Irish, Jewish and Italian gangs battled to the death in the mid-19th century. It is currently home to a large community of Chinese immigrants and many of the buildings are tenements dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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Trees do indeed grow in Brooklyn. Cobble Hill Brownstones. New York City.

The light after a heavy rain is transcendent. Deep golden hues cling to the damp tree branches as they frame lush green leaves reeling under the weight of the rain water.

It’s all the more impressive against a backdrop of beautiful brick brownstones that can be found in neighborhoods like Cobble Hill located in Brooklyn. Cobble Hill (or Ponkiesbergh as it was first called) was originally settled during the 1640’s by Dutch farmers. The name “Cobble Hill”, according to various historical sources, came from the large amount of cobble stones being disposed in the site.

The cobble stones were used as ballast on the trading ships arriving from Europe. The high elevation point at the corner of present day Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, where the greatest amount of the cobble stones was disposed, was used as a Fort during both the American War of Independence and the War of 1812.

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Doyers Street. Chinatown, New York City.

Out of the way streets tell a wealth of tales. The bright afternoon sun beats down on old decaying walls and fire escapes creating elongated shadows that seem to stretch indefinitely. If the well-worn awnings could talk, just think of the secrets they would reveal.

This particular photo is of Doyers Street, one of my favorite out of the way streets. It is a winding street that curves around and is tucked away from its hectic surroundings. The street is only about 200 feet long and runs from Pell Street to Chatham Square. It’s home to very old tenements and long-standing businesses like The Nom Wah Tea Parlor which opened in 1927.

In the early 20th century the curve in the street was known as “the Bloody Angle” because of a plethora of violent acts carried out by Chinatown gangs. The expression ‘hatchet man’ is said to have come from this era and these violent acts which often included hatchets. While the street is not bloody or violent today, it’s worth a visit to soak in the history, vibe and incredible scenery.

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I wanted to thank those who helped me out this past weekend with the Artists Wanted contest. The response warmed my heart. I used to be phobic and against contests for various reasons but I am realizing that I need to put my photography out there in different ways and I can’t let failure or fear of failure prevent me from doing that.

For those who didn’t see my post, you can still help me out by going to my contest entry page and clicking COLLECT ME

Thanks, once again. I have so many dreams that I hope can take flight with my photography and it really makes me emotional when I think of the supportive friends I have made along the way in various online communities who inspire me in so many ways.

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Buy “Wealth of Tales - Doyers Street - Chinatown - New York City” Posters and Prints here, email me, or ask for help.

Rainy day. Greenwich Village, New York City.

Every drop of rain paints the city with an otherworldly light: tiny illuminated universes cast their glow onto the city with every luminous splatter.

Wet earth in the form of darkened concrete springs forth new life in the form of urban wanderers who migrate quickly from one patch of earth to another as their wet reflections echo their movements.

And after the day has unleashed its deluge of light, the city soaks in the infused-afterglow.

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Rainy Doyers street in Chinatown. New York City.

When the sky seduces the city with its tears of happiness, the streets swoon illuminated by the glow of nearby lights.

Broken-hearted alleys fill up: lovers with empty recesses in their hearts soak in the warm afterglow of what the sky has wrought.

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Happy Halloween. Balloons. Lower East Side, New York City.

Sometimes there are moments that occur that are so whimsical and perfect for the time of year that it makes you stop dead in your tracks and smile the widest smile that you can accommodate. This was one of those moments.

I was walking around my neighborhood and a man was standing perfectly still with a gaggle of black balloons the day before Halloween. In typical New York City fashion, passerbys hardly even blinked an eye. They sort of resembled a very large bunch of grapes. I am sure they were for a Halloween event. At least I would like to imagine they were.

Happy Halloween everyone!

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Rainy evening in Chinatown, New York City.

In-between light creates all its own stories. It’s the light after a long night when the city sleepily shakes off the blanket of darkness and stretches in the first few rays of the waking sun and it’s also the light after a long day when the city unwinds basking in the low light of dusk.

In-between light caught in the steady drizzle of rain is even more enchanting. Tears of laughter, heartache, sorrow and joy fall on the city streets silencing their hungry rumble. Buildings darken one by one as the city blurs softly preparing for its nightly refractory period.

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Doyers Street illuminated by the sun. Chinatown, New York City.

Out of the way streets tell a wealth of tales. The bright afternoon sun beats down on old decaying walls and fire escapes creating elongated shadows that seem to stretch indefinitely. If the well-worn awnings could talk, just think of the secrets they would reveal.

This is one of my favorite streets in Lower Manhattan. It’s Doyers Street located in Chinatown. I have always considered it more of an alley. It’s a peculiar street that winds and curves around tucking itself away from the rest of Chinatown. At only around 200 feet long, Doyers Street runs from Pell Street to Chatham Square. It’s home to very old tenements and long-standing businesses like The Nom Wah Tea Parlor which opened in 1927.

In the early 20th century the curve in the street was known as “the Bloody Angle” because of a plethora of violent acts carried out by Chinatown gangs. The expression ‘hatchet man’ is said to have come from this era and these violent acts which often included hatchets. While the street is not bloody or violent today, it’s been used in a variety of films and is definitely worth a visit.

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Buy “Doyers Street - Chinatown - New York City” Prints and Posters here, View my store, email me, or ask for help.

Street corner and ode to Bob Arihood. Alphabet City. East Village, New York City.

Autumn weekends are draped in a chilled warmth down in the East Village and on the Lower East Side. Trees hang their colorful limbs lazily over the multitudes of people who unwrap their weekend day slowly and casually. The East Village has changed so much over the last few decades but sometimes on days like this one glimpses of its charm radiate so brightly that it is almost impossible not to smile.

Yesterday, one of the East Village’s (and really New York City’s) most brilliant photographers died. His name was Bob Arihood. He was the last of a dying breed.. He covered the not-so-pretty side of the East Village taking great care to carefully document the colorful personalities who made up the mosaic of the East Village over the years. A few years back he was profiled in the NY Times: An East Village Blogger Hangs Up His Mouse and he maintained two blogs: Nadie Se Conoce and Neither More Nor Less.

I had the pleasure of meeting him for the very first time after being a long time admirer of his work at a burlesque birthday party for Ray, the owner of Ray’s Candy Store in the East Village last winter. I will never forget the first five minutes of conversation with him. He asked me where I grew up in New York City and I said “Queens!” and he looked at me, smiled wryly and said “Oh, Queens. They have an entirely different currency in those parts.” We both laughed and talked about cameras, the changing face of the East Village and his work. After that, I ran into him quite a few times in and around Tompkins Square Park, at Ray’s Candy Store and on East fourth street. He was always kind, always had time to talk, was an incredible listener and had the biggest heart of anyone I have known. His humility was one of his most stunning characteristics. In fact, he was almost embarrassed that he had made it into the NY Times.

The last time I saw him and spoke to him was at the beginning of summer. It was a bittersweet conversation. He spoke to me about wanting to find a way to convert footage he had of the East Village in the early 1970s to a format that would be viewable online and he said something that has been haunting me ever since I found out that he passed away yesterday.

We were talking about how he managed to get the incredible photos of people that he had captured over the years and he spoke about being an admirer of Arthur Fellig (Weegee) for many years and that he had spent years befriending and getting close with many of the gangs, vagrants and fringe element in the East Village just so that they would be comfortable enough to let him into their circles and photograph them. That was what made him so unique. He had a distinct compassion for those who society often overlooks. He would sometimes take in the junkies, homeless and other lost souls who populated the East Village and give them food and the ability to take a warm shower. Sometimes he would listen to police radio to try to assess if anyone he knew from those circles were freshly involved in altercations (ala Weegee).

He spoke with sadness about not being fast enough to catch these things due to his increasingly poor health and how he was considering a car at some point. It was then that he leaned in and said softly to me “It feels like life is passing me by.” Something about that moment struck me with incredible sadness. I put my hand on his shoulder and just nodded because sometimes words just aren’t enough.

Whenever I spoke about him I would tell people that he was one of the people who deserved a documentary. I still feel that way. He was and remains a legend. It’s hard to believe he is gone but he will never be forgotten.

You can view the announcement of his passing as well as a beautiful write-up of him here on (only) one of the East Village’s best blogs: RIP Bob Arihood

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Brownstones. Cobble Hill. Brooklyn, New York City

I had severe brownstone envy when I was younger. Growing up in Queens (another borough of New York City), I visited Brooklyn frequently and the brownstones found in Brooklyn tugged at my heart. Their ornate doorways were flanked by enormous and extravagant stairways and every window seemed to be a frame encapsulating an enticing painting.

There wasn’t anything that came close to these beautiful works of architecture where I grew up in Queens. Watching the Cosby Show fueled my envy of course. I had no idea at the time that the exterior shots of the Cosby’s brownstone were shot in Greenwich Village and not in Brooklyn Heights where the Cosby’s fictional residence was located (why they did this is beyond me since Brooklyn Heights has some of the most beautiful brownstones). All I knew was that these masterpieces of architecture just seemed more ‘New York City’ than any of the buildings I grew up surrounded by.

These deep red brick brownstones can be found in neighborhoods like Cobble Hill located in Brooklyn. Cobble Hill was originally settled during the 1640’s by Dutch farmers. The name “Cobble Hill” is said to have come from the large amount of cobble stones which were used on the original settlement site.

The cobble stones were used as ballast on trading ships arriving from Europe. The high elevation point where the greatest amount of the cobble stones was disposed in Cobble Hill, was used as a Fort during both the American War of Independence and the War of 1812. Source

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Buy “Cobble Hill Brownstone - Brooklyn - New York City” Prints here, email me, or ask for help.

Trees grow in Brooklyn. Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. New York City.

The light after a heavy summer rain is transcendent. Deep golden hues cling to the damp tree branches as they frame lush green leaves reeling under the weight of the rain water.

It’s all the more impressive against a backdrop of the deep red brick brownstones that can be found in neighborhoods like Cobble Hill located in Brooklyn. Cobble Hill (or Ponkiesbergh as it was first called) was originally settled during the 1640’s by Dutch farmers. The name “Cobble Hill”, according to various historical sources, came from the large amount of cobble stones being disposed in the site.

The cobble stones were used as ballast on the trading ships arriving from Europe. The high elevation point at the corner of present day Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, where the greatest amount of the cobble stones was disposed, was used as a Fort during both the American War of Independence (1775-1783) and the War of 1812 (1812-1814). Source

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Buy “Trees Grow in Brooklyn - Cobble Hill Brownstones - New York City” Prints here, email me, or ask for help.

Above Chinatown looking out over East Broadway and the New York City skyline. Chinatown, New York City.

I have been going through some of my older photos and posting them to Google Plus. I am finding that it is one of the most supportive communities for artists of all kinds compared to almost every other site I have my work displayed on currently. I am hoping it stays that way!

The level of interaction and engagement over at Google Plus is pretty intense. Interaction is something I have been quietly dis-satisfied with in regards to Tumblr. While you can add a comments section here and receive messages, the culture here at Tumblr isn’t necessarily disposed to interaction. The UI design encourages quick actions like the click of the heart button on a post or a fast re-blog (which also tends to strip out much of the content in a post but that’s a topic for another post really). These aren’t necessarily bad things. Tumblr is filling a niche, for sure. But it’s good to have another place where there is an open and interactive environment.

The last time I posted this particular photo someone asked me on my Facebook page if this was Canal Street. It’s actually East Broadway, another main street in Chinatown that extends into the Lower East Side:

“In the beginning, East Broadway was home to the large Jewish community on the Lower East Side and then later on Puerto Ricans began to settle onto this street. During the 1960s, an influx of Hong Kong immigrants were arriving over along with Taiwanese immigrants as well into Manhattan’s Chinatown and then the Cantonese people and businesses also began to settle onto this street as Manhattan’s Chinatown was expanding into other parts of the Lower East Side and Manhattan’s Chinatown Chinese population was very vastly Cantonese dominated at the time. During the time period, Manhattan’s Chinatown was being referred as a growing Little Hong Kong. Vietnamese people also began to settle on this street as well. During this time, East Broadway has not evolved into a Little Fuzhou enclave, however small numbers of them have existed around the area of Division Street and East Broadway as early as the 70s and early 80s, including the Fujianese gang named the Fuk Ching.” Source

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Buy “Above Chinatown” Posters and Prints here, Other versions of this print with writing and various borders can be viewed here: “Above Chinatown” with Black Border, “Above Chinatown” with White Border, “Above Chinatown” with Grey Border, email me, or ask for help.

Midtown skyscrapers and an endless supply of taxi cabs. New York City.

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