Steam Pipe

Another one for the "Steam" series...

Steam Pipe

Camelback Kite Flying

I think they were adjusting the flags above, but to me, the image is two men standing on a camel flying kits.  

Camelback Kite Flying

Razzle Dazzle

This picture to me looks like actors against a fake backdrop, but it is, in fact real.  I got a very quick take on the guy in the scarf and rattled off a single shot.  Her hand gesture reminds me of a number of the Broadway Show "Chicago" called "Razzle Dazzle".  

Razzle Dazzle

Rockefeller Surrealism

It was raining as I moved through Rockefeller Center.  The darkness and slow shutter speed created some surrealistic shots that look like paintings.  

30 Rock Slick

I was drawn to this solitary man looking down on the ice skating rink, at about the location where the Christmas Tree would be during the holidays.  

Observing the Rink

Neon Park Sign

I had a long walk back from an evening social event on a rainy evening.  Looking to the right as I walked down Fifth Avenue I spotted the neon "Park" sign.  I parked myself and gathered a few shots.  

Park Run

This one shows the motion of the car, and the group of girls are highlighted against the garage entrance.  

Enter Here

Lunch Coupling

I could have selected one couple in one of the windows, but I find a certain duality to the activities in these windows.  

Lunch Coupling

The Stogie

I took this picture along the Hudson River.  I waited for an exhale to get some smoke into the picture.  But, I preferred this quick glimpse as he worked on his cigar.  I immediately named it "The Stogie" but did research the name slightly and learned a Stogie was originally a reference to a thin cheap cigar.  It has evolved though to be a pretty much generic description for any cigar.  

The Stogie

Rink with a View

I had no idea there was an ice skating rink down at the tip of the island overlooking the Statue of Liberty.  When I stumbled upon it, I was lucky enough to find this group of women so well organized.  

Rink with a View

Blind Cord

Sometimes there is almost no walking involved with a photograph.  I noticed the light coming in the front window and highlighting the blind cord.  I pulled out my iPhone, shot and went back to the sofa.  

Blind Cord

More Steel

Here's another from the "Out of My Offices windows" series.  Obviously we overlook a pretty damn interesting view.  

More Steel

Zombies on Commute

The zombies slowly move, as it is their nature, but still they wait in their mindless desire for the next train with its shipment of human flesh.  Yum!

Commute Zombies

Top Ten Photographs of 2012

StreetObservations.com - Another year, another batch of my photos and again I will select those pictures that I consider the Top 10 of the year.  I thought I had the selection completed very quickly, and then I realized I had left off my one major trip of the year (a cruise to the Bahamas) since it was in a separate picture catalog.  So, I had to rethink some of what I had done, and two of those shots are included here.   I would categorize them all as Street Photography, although one is taken on a beach. 

This is the eighth year that I've done this selection exercise (that would go back to 2005), although certainly I took many photos during the prior years as well, I just didn't do the annual review.  

I did add a new camera in the middle of the year - the Sony NEX-7 - which is a small mirrorless device. This let me shoot from a low angle with its tiltable viewfinder, and at lower light since the ISO could go much higher with less noise.   Also, using the new version of Lightroom (v4.x), its ability to cleanup night shots improved significantly.  Because the NEX-7 is so small, I was able to bring it with me more frequently.  This translated into fewer iPhone pictures than last year, since in the past I would more frequently have only that camera phone on my person.  

I continue to post to multiple online sites, and did try to increase the frequency of my posts here to StreetObservations.com.  Individual shots now go up on Google+, Flickr, and Facebook almost daily during the week, with more background and photo sequences here in this blog (StreetObservations.com).   

So, here are the Top 10 presented chronologically as taken over the course of the year. (Click each picture to see it larger). Some of the photos have been previously discussed in the StreetObservations.com blog. Clicking (More...) when you see it will take you back to those background entries.

1.  Dorothy in Tickertape Land - The New York Giants happened to win the Super Bowl in 2012 (not much we can say about them this year though).  With the victory go the trappings of a tickertape parade.  The second that I've observed.  The first was for the Giants in 2008 and then the Yankees had one in 2009.  After the parade was done, I focused on various angles of the shredded paper and saw this girl desending the steps.  Looks to be Dorothy, I would say.  (more...)

Dorothy in Tickertape Land

2.  Juxtaposition - This is one from my cruise taken from the top deck of the Norwegian Jewel.  Departing down the Hudson River provides a fascinating view of the city from an elevated vantage point (even if it's freakin... freezing out).   (more...)

Juxtaposition

3.  The Supervisor - Another one added from the cruise, once I got to the cruise line's private island.  Fantastic place to be in February.  There is our ship to the rear.  It did rain a little bit later that day.  (more...)

The Supervisor

4.  Zebra Cross - I saw the leggings first.  To a street photographer, I had no other desire at that moment than to catch her in the crosswalk.  I bagged my prey.  

Zebra Cross

5.  Waiting Room - It was suggested to me that I make the trip across the river to Hoboken and take some shots when the light was just right.  I found the vintage train station, and found the light to be just right.  (more...)

Waiting Room

6. Alone with his Music - Also in Hoboken that day, I grabbed this shot.  

Alone with his Music

7. Beyond the Railing - I occasionally take a long walk at lunch time along the Hudson River promenade.  On one somewhat foggy rainy day I found this silhouette.   

Beyond the Railing

8.  Fluting on a Sunday - On a day trip down to Philadelphia, this dapper gentleman played "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" over and over.  This picture is also called "Filbert and Twelfth".  

Fluting on a Sunday

9. Soho Perch - Another neighborhood destination trip took me up to Soho.  I found a gorgeous brick wall, and found a great amount of activity on Prince Street with worthwhile subjects.  (more...)

Soho Perch

10. City Hall Newsstand - One of the night shots taken around Halloween.  I love this shot.  (more...)

City Hall Newsstand

Those are the Top 10 photos for this year.  For reference, my previous selections go back six years and can be found here:  2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007,2006, and 2005.   

If you'd like to follow my work this year, either subscribe to my StreetObservations.com blog, add me to a circle on Google+, or bookmark my Flickr page.  

I'm also working on a book of street photographs that will present the best photos I've taken over the years including this year's batch.  

I think it's going to be another great year.  

Happy New Year!

Making of a Street Photograph

Street photography doesn't always work the way you expect.  Some of the time, there is a degree of luck involved in making a good picture great.  Upon occasion, what you think is the picture, evolves into something quite different.  

Here is an example... in the winter this time of year, light is extreme... long shadows, bright direct lighting, rays of light create some drama.  I was parked at one end of the plaza shooting in the sun's direction.  It was so bright, people looked very much like silhouettes (although the camera rendered more detail).  I was following the guy in the center and was randomly taking shots.  I was trying to isolate a person to create a focal point for the picture.  The light created a ghosting effect.  Here's the first one in the series.... a throwaway.  

He continued on, and the woman to the left enters the shot, unbeknownst to me as I continued to follow the guy.  The pigeons moved closer to me.  

The man pauses, the woman faces forward, the birds move into position, the people shadows echo the bodies to balance out the photo.  I discover there is a different focus than what I thought I was shooting.  She became my subject, a bit off center, with the superb backlighting and angled rays of the sun.  She reminds me of Gloria Swanson in the movie "Sunset Boulevard".  She said, "I'm ready for my close up, Mr. Demille".  

Ready for my Closeup

Of course, people may have different interpretations of a picture.  One of my Facebook friends, thought the guy looked like he was taking a pee.  Anyone can have their own interpretation of a street photograph.  And, in an instant the elements can change and make it become something else.  

Brooklyn Bound... not

I noticed the sign before anything else.  Closures continue in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.  Sometimes maintenance is being done in the off hours and weekends, which means no trains.  Where commuters might have neglected these signs in earlier days, they are impactful now.  

I decided to just concentrate on the sign and use that for the photographic focal point as people flowed by descending to and emerging from the trains below.  

Affect Me?

I liked the balance and flow of this picture, the curve of the girl as she swings around along with the single figure of the man on the sidewalk.  

No Brooklyn

This guy is reading one of the free newspapers that are given to commuters.  It's not that hard to read and walk at the same time.  There are channels of pedestrian traffic that can help guide.  

Engrossed

I know this particular headline is talking about the man who was pushed in front of a subway train.  A photographer took his picture on the tracks before he was hit and killed.  This sparked a debate as to whether the photographer should have (or could have) helped save the guy.  There are different interpretations.  This guy was a professional photographer working for newspapers and probably it was his instinct to snap something like that.  He said he was using his flash to signal to the conductor that someone was down there.  He went on news shows to tell his side of the story.  

He is a different type of photographer and I will give him the benefit of the doubt.  But, even if I was not in a position to help, and my camera was ready, my normal inclination would be to not shoot something like that.  I've passed by accidents where people are lying on the ground injured.  In those cases, it does seem to me to be an invasion of privacy.  

Revolving Glass

The front of Seven World Trade Center provides all kinds of glass, reflections and angles.  The mix of angles, architecture, and people sometimes makes a nice contrast.  

TrudgeGrand Entrance

The Tower Tree

I've previously mentioned the brilliant view my office has overlooking the World Trade Center site.  We've witnessed visits from the President and the Queen, and watched as the site develops into its future look.  

The growing One World Trade Center, now the largest building in New York City, even before it has been completed, now has a seasonal look.  Mixed lights now capture the holiday spirit.  It resembles something like a Christmas Tree.  

I hooked up my Gorillapod tripod to handle the low light, blocked out much of the window reflection, and took these shots.

The reflecting pool memorials, in the footprint of the former twin towers, create a third presence reflected in the glass of the new building being built at Four World Trade Center.  

Later I went down to the street and took this shot.  It's a time exposure, so some of the moving figures on the street create a ghosting effect.  

The Herd

Commuters coming and going using New York City as a destination...  This is a look up the passage way from the PATH train from/to New Jersey leading up to Church Street.  This happens to be the evening rush hour, but it would look the same in the morning.  

There are many people, but they are not as close together as they may appear here.  You would get this type of superimposed compression with a telephoto lens.  In this case, however, it is a wide angle that has been cropped closer.  

I think it is interesting to see some of the individual expressions on these faces (click the photo and you will see it larger).  None of them are smiling.  They do smile, but in this picture, they just aren't.  Reminds me of another photo a took a few years ago "Grim Faces".  There is a certain drudgery in mood.  Maybe it's the weather, just starting to be cold.  Maybe its the season?  The holidays are coming quickly, and there is much to do.  And, there are people everywhere.  Sometimes that gets to you too.   

Herd

Red Coat Night

Whenever I see someone in red, I try to grab a shot.  (That happens to be mostly women).  The color is a great focal point photographically.  In this case, I saw red and reflexively clicked... missing her face.  

My instinct is generally to keep everything within the frame.  But, in retrospect, the picture is much stronger without the face, it creates a sense of mystery.  This time from a miss, I learned the lesson that less can sometimes be more.  

Caption Fun

Here's one... a creation of a moment that didn't exist (at least I don't think it existed).  

Here's a caption, "Huh....!???  We've been working the same beat, standing side by side for five years, and NOW you're calling me for a date?"

Beat Call

From The Covered Spot

I had a short time at lunch time to go out and grab some shots.  It was a light drizzle and I was without an umbrella so I wore a cap.  I circled the block behind my building and stood on the steps of the former AT&T building within the doorway.  I stood where the man to the rear is standing in this picture.  The shots further below were taken from from that covered spot.  Just changing the angle and a little bit of tweaking and the pictures transform you to different worlds.  

Spy vs. Spy 

Make WayPelted