NY Through the Lens - New York City Photography

Williamsburg Bridge and the skylines of Manhattan and Brooklyn at sunset.

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Moments are vessels that contain: sparks, magic, effervescent happiness, lingering sadness, red-tinged anger, bittersweet joy all waiting to explode if and when that point in time is visited again.

There are moments that exist somewhere between the excited beat of the heart and a welled-up tear in the eye. They are the chills that run up the back of the neck and the small smile that can’t be contained when their memory is nudged by a sound, sight, scent, touch.

It’s the way the light was shining through the bridge as the boat pulled away under a sky blue with hope as the sun set and the lump in the throat subsided momentarily. It’s the way the water looked as it rocked the boat gently like a lullaby as it drifted away from the sunlight that poured its light onto the surface of the water.

And it’s the way everything seemed pointless in comparison to the way the clouds gathered over the city: hopeful tufts of smoke emanating from the sun’s extinguishing fire…

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This is a view of the Williamsburg Bridge and the Lower East Side as seen from a boat on the East River during sunset with the Sony A77. In the distance sits the skyline of Brooklyn in Dumbo and the Manhattan Bridge.

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View “Williamsburg Bridge and New York City Skyline at Sunset” in my photography portfolio here, email me, or ask for help.

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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View “Willamsburg Bridge - New York City” in my photography portfolio here, email me, or ask for help.

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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Buy “Williamsburg Bridge Sunset - New York City” Posters and Prints here, email me, or ask for help.

Halloween pumpkins under storm clouds after Hurricane Sandy. Williamsburg Bridge, New York City.

It’s true. Power has been restored to Lower Manhattan east of Broadway from 14th Street to Canal Street which includes my neighborhood of the Lower East Side. I have never been so happy to see traffic lights working before! I got home, did a little dance with my boyfriend (my post-apocalyptic companion extraordinaire) and my cats (really, we all danced) and then went and took a very, very, very long HOT shower; the first in nearly 5 days.

I will write a real write-up of what the last 5 days was like and look for ways to help out those who lost way more than power and water. Tonight though, I am going to enjoy having lights on, having internet and having the ability to take a hot shower. My legs are numb from all the walking but man, is it good to be back to some semblance of normal.

Will be updating my Hurricane Sandy Flickr set shortly with the remainder of photos I have from the last few days as well.

Thank you so much to everyone who sent messages, tweeted at me words of encouragement while I was being grim on my Twitter and left sweet comments. So much love ♥.

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

Hurricane Sandy New York City

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

Looking down Delancey Street towards the Williamsburg Bridge during the beginning of Hurricane Sandy on Monday morning. Lower East Side, New York City.

Usually there are tons of cars and traffic at this time of morning coming off and going on to the bridge. I assume the bridges will be shut down at some point this afternoon. For now, a few cars are passing over the bridge. The winds are kicking up and the rain is a light mist.

Just went out to see if anything was open (it was: Dunkin Donuts on Delancey!). It’s quite a scene out there already though. In my apartment now waiting for the worst to hit this afternoon.

In case you missed my earlier post, you can catch me on my Twitter mainly until the middle of this week unless I have to go out for some completely insane reason.

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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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The Williamsburg Bridge pedestrian walkway, New York City

I might be a bit biased since I live so close to the Williamsburg Bridge and have crossed it quite a bit on foot but it’s one of the bridges in lower Manhattan that remains close to my heart. Spanning a little over a mile, it opened in 1903 and it’s one of only two bridges in New York City that carries both train and car traffic.

There is just something so oddly endearing about its steel architecture and bright red fence.

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Williamsburg Bridge. New York City.