Rainfree Emergence

Out of the subway, but there is no rain.

Rainfree Emergence

Lucky Brand

Another Soho night shot.  I've been interested in the architectural geometry of the scaffolding around the city (seems like more than ever).  You can see this is my last post also "Coffee on the Run".  It adds a bit to the composition, I think.  Most cameras let you superimpose a grid to help you with the "Rule of Thirds" which is supposed to help you in composing photos.  The scaffold seems to do much the same but in the real world.  

Lucky Brand

Photo Today - Coffee on the Run

I liked the way the scaffolding separated the two sides of the sidewalk here.  I held the camera high and let the people come to me.  

This shot caught a number of things.  I thought about turning it to black and white, but I liked the pop of the girl's yellow scarf.  I lightened the red jacket behind the coffee drinkers head as I found it distracting. 

I got three shots of the man, only vaguely realizing he was drinking coffee.  This was the decisive moment in the series.  Also, the poster behind - "Skyfall" - will date the scene, although it is a generic term which could have been the title of this photo.  In fact, though, we will know that it is the current James Bond film.  

Coffee on the Run

Soho Night Lights

One night, on a long walk from the World Trade Center to Washington Square Park, I passed through Soho.  

Soho Night Lights

Men Amongst Giants

A bit of a Where's Waldo in today's (or should I say "tonight's") pictures.  This construction wall is decorated with large photos of people.  I don't think its an advertisement, more like art.  The setting alone was worth a picture, but grabbing a snippet of real people doesn't hurt.  

Man Amongst the Giants

A Figure Besides Figures

Walker Street Night

Continuing on with my experimentation with night photography.  I spotted the light and doorway and thought that was enough of a picture, but then thought to wait while several people passed.  I was short on a title for the shot, so thought to look up the name of the street (as this is an unfamiliar area to where I usually shoot).  Looking it up on Google Streetview, I found the exact spot.   

The name of the street is Walker Street.  But, when I took a look again at the title of this shot when uploading it, it read to me as "Street Walker Night".  Guess it was a Freudian slip of sorts.  

Also, whenever they took the Streetview, there was no graffiti. I'm thinking no graffitti and this would be no picture.  

Walker Street Night

Window by the Subway

I noticed this guy absorbed in work sitting in a window corner of a Starbucks.  You can see the subway lines and entrance reflected.  He would look down at the laptop and then up off into space.  I had an easy time lining up the shot, he was in no way awares of my presence.  

Window by the Subway

Jack's World

It's Christmas shopping time even if you only have 99 cents.  

Jack's World

The Platform

I've had some non-traditional commuting patterns in the month after the great hurricane.  I don't usually take the subway.  So, new environments lead to new types of photos.  Here is the 14th Street station.  I had to manage the shutter speed to minimize motion, the low light, and the different color temperature. 

The Platform

Taking Shots in the Dark

Since the sun is down again when I leave the office, my subjects during the evening rush hour are pretty much in the dark.  But, my new NEX-7 camera is a bit better in low light compared to the larger Canon DSLR I had been using, and I've been experimenting with the high ISO settings.  Boosting the level allows more sensitivity in the darkness but also generates a lot more noise (speckles) to the photo. This can, however, be cleaned up in post-production.  I use Lightroom 4 (another recent upgrade) and it does a suitable job enhancing the photos.  So, the ultimate quality can be quite good.  

Another advantage of shooting in the dark, is that nobody notices you... since its dark.  This helps to capture that candid street photography sense.  Instead of grabbing a quick snap, it's possible to linger a bit longer to wait for that great moment.   

Below, I framed out this newsstand bordering City Hall Park.  The neon and the roof lights attracted my attention.  I selected my composition and waited for people to enter the shot.  Here are some Halloweeners doing the Flintstones thing.  

City Halloween

I boosted the ISO a bit more from 3200 to 6400 and got the shot below, which I like so much that I think it is a candidate my 2012 Top 10 list, which will be coming out in a few weeks.  The post-production work tends to add just a touch of surrealism to it, and I like the arty after effect.  

City Hall Newsstand

Cape May, New Jersey

I only visited Cape May for the first time a few weeks ago.  This is the southern most tip of New Jersey.  In direct path of devasting Hurricane Sandy, I read that it escaped major damage unlike many of it's neighboring Jersey shore towns to the north.  So, the sights and personality are hopefully intact for futured generations and return trips.  

Here's what it looked like in mid-October.  I took this shot from the balcony of my hotel.  

Cape May Beach

I couldn't sleep the next morning, and walked along the boardwalk that borders the beach and grabbed a few quiet shots.  

Welcome To Our Beach

This is another way to the beach.  The contrasting lighting in the shot need a lot of work to even it out in post-production.   

To the Sea Beyond

This restroom reminded me of a country barn.  

Rest Rooms

The town, of course, has an antique feel to it with Victorian architecture featuring many porches.

Cape May Night Porches

Also many opportunites for compositional photos.

Cape May Steps

Victorian

I was waiting outside a tea shop and spotted this guy seemingly bored across the road.

Antique Thinker

I took several shots of this figure moving along the beach against the highlights of the sea.  This one caught the break of a wave.

Cape May Figure

Off the High Line

I finally got a chance to walk along the High Line, the abandoned train tracks that were converted into a Park.  While the atmosphere and style of the park weaves and has unique spots for resting and people watching, I was most intrigued by views off the tracks.  Since you are floating above the streets, and meandering between the buildings, there are angles that are interesting.  

Here's a collection of shots from above:

Fourteenth Street

Empire Peak

Hung

Hardly the Same

Escape

West 24th Street

Deliveries

Bricked Over

Artus Interruptus

Interviewed by a German student

I received the inquiry below via my website:  

"I am Tamara, a 16 – year – old student from Germany. I am about to write my skilled work for my major field of study in English.  Our task is to cover a self-chosen topic which has to deal with New York. As I chose the topic ' Photography in New York ', in which I am personally really interested, I wondered if it might be possible to interview you.   I'd be very thankful if that would be possible."

More than happy to help, and thoughtful about the questions, here is what I provided back to Tamara:

Interview questions about street photography

• It seems to me that street photography displays different faces of New York, is that true? Does street photography capture the real New York and how are the outcomings of the pictures influenced by the city?  

Street Photography that is done well, can reveal a truth (or non-truth) about the moment in time that has been captured in a specific scene.  This happens, not only in NY, but anywhere that candid shots are taken.  To an outsider, New York may seem like big buildings, but down on the streets, there is another world in the crowds, where thousands of interactions may be happening at exactly that same one time.  What may be different about NY is the scale.  The size of the buildings, and their look adds a dimension to the photography that can make things seem more dramatic.  This is one reason I like to shoot from a low angle, because when the camera is below, you see more of the surrounding structures.  The buildings can also create interesting angles of light, as the sun peeks between buildings in slivers.  Reflections of lights off the buildings can add a different look to a scene.  In the end though, it is the faces of the people that reveal life, the activity and passion of the people can be sliced through in any given instance as a unique experience. 

• I've heard that New York is the most important city for street photography – would you state that it is true? Does the art of street photography in New York set worldwide trends? Does it dominate the street photography scene? 

I just happen to live in the New York area, and always have, so I can't really compare the street photography scene to other places in an objective way.  There are many fantastic street photographers in New York, but it could be that they are not more talented than others.  What they have is a most magnificent subject to shoot.  In the end, you can only take pictures of places that are local to you, and some people are lucky to live in a photographically interesting place like New York. But, I have seen street photographs that were taken in other big cities such as Rome, and Paris that are just fantastic.  Street photography can take place wherever there are people and there are more of them in cities.     

With that being said, I will say that New York is very supportive of the art world, and the galleries are available to many who are interested in seeing photography.  There are also communities of photographers who meet in person, but social media has created online communities that can teach and influence in much the same way. 

• What is your prognosis for street photography in New York? How will it develop and will it still be as popular as it is at the moment?

I think the interest in observing life will always be present, but if you look back, street photography styles have evolved based on the state of the art at the time. For instance, some of the best street photography today is done on camera phones and in some cases these shots intentionally take advantage of a more primitive look (for instance as seen on Instagram).   Sometimes reverting to a vintage look by apply different software techniques can make a new shot look stylistically old.  These techniques make a photo represent more of an idealistic representation based on the artistic stylings of the photographer.  

In New York, evolving techniques and styles will also be impacted by new buildings, and innovations in the infrastructure of New York.  While much of the city looks similar to how it looked 100 years ago, modern updates, such as the new tallest building in the city being built at the World Trade Center site, will create new points of interest that can provide focal points that can change some types of pictures.  In the last few years, the Highline Park, created on top of an abandoned elevated railway track, has provided inspiration to photographers, who now have a new perspective of the city to shoot.  (Here is a shot taken from the Highline)

Fourteenth Street

• A lot of street photographers use blogs and homepages to display their work. So will there be less exhibitions in the future? And how does modern technology influence the presentation of art? 

While I think there may be less gallery exhibits in public places than there used to be, the blogs and internet sites easily reach thousands of people instead of a few hundred who may show up at a gallery show.  That kind of exposure expands the number of people who can see your work greatly.  Of course, the best photography will still always be available in a gallery or museum, but people who would never be able to exhibit their work in person can easily be seen over the internet and at no cost.  

In the last few years, there has been an evolution in street photography due to improved quality of camera phones.  Being able to always have a camera with you means that you can capture things you would never have had the opportunity to do (no camera = no picture).  This also means there are an enormous amount of additional pictures out in the world.  Especially since camera phones can immediately upload pictures, there is an immediacy to this photography.  Additionally, improvements in camera technology, such as the Lytro light camera that allows changes after a picture is taken, and new trends that allow you to video a scene and have a high quality photo created from a single frame, means that capture the "decisive moment" will be much easier.  There will still need to be the editor though, to select that moment and represent his own vision. That is the street photographer.

• I've read a couple of blogs about street photography, they all represent different opinions of what is essential for street photography. So what do you think is essential for street photography? What makes a picture a good picture and are there courses in New York where you can train your street photography skills?

It seems to me, to be a good street photographer you need to be observant and curious as to what is happening around you.  Some people enjoy "people watching".  That is one element, but I also am not completely satisfied unless there is an artistic element.  That may be within the composition... converging lines in the background, an unusual pose, or also a mixture of color.  If you have a raw human element plus the art, that is the perfect picture.  

A good street shot, may also have no people.  Buildings in a certain light, a wall with graffiti, redundant patterns can all be good subjects.  My very favorite shots are people with umbrellas in the rain.  The colors of the umbrellas, shiny streets, and popping lights make beautiful shots.  People are concentrating on staying dry which brings out natural qualities - running, newspapers over heads, being wet are interesting characteristics.  

Shuffleboard

As for courses, they are available.  These generally involve walking the streets.  But, in many ways a free photo walk with other photographers is much the same.  I think though that much of street photography cannot be taught, it needs to be felt and captured by an observant eye. 

• Within the access to all the blogs on the web and the affordable camera prices the amount of unprofessional photographers has increased a lot over the last decades. Would you say that there is a remarkable lack of profession in street photography today? Or is the non-professionalism desirable for street photography? And how will it develop in the future? Are the professionals going to “die out” ?

Even if there are more photographers and more pictures taken, the best shots are always the best shots.  Yes, there are more outlets for others to see photography, but if the pictures are not good, the viewer will not spend much time with them.  

There is a trend though that may endanger those who want to make a living from photography.  Since there are more outlets to post pictures online, organizations that buy photographs for advertisements, promotional catalogues and to accompany websites can compare shots online.  They may hunt around for a picture that a “non-professional” photographer may give away for free, or can be licensed for a minimal amount.  This ends up cheapening the market overall, and the prices of pictures go down.  This hurts the professional photographers and the economics of photography.  Street photography, which falls more into the fine art category, requires purchases of prints or books.  It is not as profitable as something like wedding or stock photography.  So, it is possible that there will be less professional photographers.  However, while it may not pay the bills, street photography will always be an outlet for art and inspiration.  

Captioned or Not?

Some street photographers don't like to caption their shots.  They think the interpretation is to be left to the viewer of the picture.  Alternatively, I choose to caption every shot (even to the point where if I'm stumped, I will caption is as "uncaptioned").  I think the photographer's state of mind adds a clue or interpretation that might be missed by a casual viewer.    

Sometimes the caption can create a story where there was none.  The story can be true, or completely imaginary.  For instance.... I spotted a construction worker with knee-height rubber boots talking on the cell phone.  The texture of his boots seemed interesting to me.  So, I took a few shots of his boots.  He crossed the street and approached a dress shop.  I took a picture of him before he passed the window, and the one below right after he passed.   Both pictures were good and showed a nice contrast of the man and the mannequins but the second suggested a story to me.  I entitled it, "A Cry for Attention".    

A Cry for Attention

Some photographers go way beyond the title and write the story out in detail.  I usually don't do that, but I found that my title led to multiple interpretations.  Here is what my thinking is:  

The girls were attracted to the boot guy and were all seeking a response.  He obviously doesn't care and has other things on his mind. The girl in the red, made a particular fool of herself (by posing differently and dressing in red).  The other girls are all glaring at her "cry for attention" (from him) for trying to upstage them.  

So, even with the caption, you could have come up with something yourself.  Or maybe you wouldn't.  But, the truth of the story is that a construction worker walked past a dress store and that's not much of a story.  

The Row of Umbrellas

It was just starting to rain... but not too hard.  I saw a number of people waiting for the bus across the street aligned in a row against the Ampelmann construction wall.  (By the way, this wall has been up for two years and there has been no building appearing above the wall... not sure what's going on).  The bus folks all had their umbrellas with them and it was an interesting formation, especially juxtaposed with the people represented on the wall.  

I thought this might look even better if I were across the street myself where I could see them juxtaposted against each other.  Only problem with this scenario was that I was covered and dry across the street standing under a construction scaffold.  Out in the open, I would need to balance my own umbrella in one hand with my camera shooting one handed.  This would have been difficult with my Canon 40D, but with my new Sony NEX-7 camera, the small size makes it much more tolerable.  

What I found across the street, logically, were two rows of people leaving an opening for pedestrians up the center to pass.  Unusually orderedly, I would say.

People then passed between the two rows.  Somehow, this reminded of a dance line in a wedding, where people would dance up the aisle between the two rows of people.   They would come through strutting their stuff and showing their own individual moves.  This was only in my imagination, but I watched for a few minutes as people walked the sidewalk towards and away from me.

This one below, looks like a dance, but actually I think the guy on the left is reaching for an umbrella (which you can see in the next shot).  

He's got the umbrella out, next the jacket goes on.  

This girl seems unusually tall.   

 Eventually the bus came and they all went away.  

Photo Spot

I was lining up for a shot looking east along 33rd Street.  I was noticing the long angles of the Post Office with Madison Square Garden and the Empire State building in the rear.  A passerby commented, "you can get a better shot if you go up to the entry bridge ahead, from there the lamp post is not in the way.... I know because I live here".  

I thanked him (I don't generally react well to people telling me what to shoot but he had good intentions).  I took my original shot (top one below), and then went to examine the location he pointed to.  

I had mixed thoughts.  The spot was better from a classic post card perspective.  It was more compositionally correct, and was the perfect location to capture all the key components of the shot (and the lamp post wasn't blocking the Empire State).  But, it seemed to me that it was sort of like a "Photo Spot" sign at Disney World.  Did I want the same picture as a million tourists (and he obviously thought I was a tourist).  In almost all cases, I would say no, at least in my own home town, (although as a tourist at other places, a beautiful common shot would be OK).  

In the end, I prefer my shot anyway, even with the lamp post, because it allowed the sidewalk activity to be included.  

 Post Office with LampPost Office without Lamp

The Upside Down Pyramid

I noticed several groups of people sitting on walls.  The organization of the groups seemed to me to be balanced and create two levels of folks.... the two guys and the couple.  Nothing special, but I took the shot.  When I got it home, I noticed that the activities of this frozen moment, were a bit odd.  

The guy on the right, has an expression kind of like Jim Carrey uses in some movies.  And, the couple seem to be listening to the book.  This was a errant freeze, and didn't represent what was going on in real life, but still a bit interesting.  It's these kind of odd moments that can lead to interesting street photography shots.  Although, I will just say this one was odd.  

A second shot, shows more of what I originally saw when I noticed the scene.  In this case, there was one addition that filled in the composition.  A guy appeared where the book had been.  (Also, the Jim Carrey guy looked normal).  So, this added a third dimension and completed, the Upside Down Pyramid.

The Pink Suit

I was out randomly shooting, and focused in on this guy sitting on a corner with a turned out sailor's hat. But, then I noticed the woman in pink off to the right.  Seemed like kind of an outlandish outfit to be wearing on the street.  I decided to learn more about the pink lady (or is the color fuscia?).  

She was walking up Broadway, not far from Wall Street.  She carried two bags and seemed to walk unnoticed by those passing by.  

Then she turned towards a waiting Lincoln limo.  After she turned, I recognized that this was a CNBC Wall Street reporter that I knew well.  She anchors the show "Power Lunch".  Her outfit, was a TV costume.  Then it all made sense.

Shaft

While waiting for the subway to come, I boringly started looking around.  Above and behind, I saw that there was a shaft that vented up to the sidewalk above.  The bright sunlight created a shadow that fell below creating an interesting geometric shape.  

When you look at it, it becomes difficult to know which direction you are looking, or what end is up.  A couple of times, I looked at this picture and was confused what was happening.  Are we looking down or up?  It almost looks like a prison cell as seen from above.  

Shaft

Prince Street

Prince Street is the heart of Soho.  It is hip, and colorful, and full of life.  Lots of outdoor cafes, shops, and general activity.  I particular love the brick walls, and gates.  Also, I had a slice of pizza that had a unique crust that was cut with scissors to serve it.  In many cases, for these shots, I had to wait a significant enough period of time to let people move out of the shot.  Here were some of the souvenirs from the outing.

This was my favorite, I took several where he looked to the right, but when he turned in this direction, it finished the composition.

Soho Perch

From the opposite side of the street, this was the view.  Lots of texture, except in the back of the cab.

Taxi Rear View

Back at the Brick Wall, a bit further up near the corner... again several shots, but this was the only one when he looked down.  

Up Against the Wall

The leg pose of this girl interested me, I also applied a vintage feel to the shot that seemed to fit.

Prince Street Girl

Around the corner, up Broadway, this guy sat up on the window sill supported by the two fire hydrants.  It looks pretty uncomfortable, not only does it appear that he is sitting on sharp points, his feet are also supported by uncomfortable points.  No wonder he looks uncomfortable.    

Hydrant Support

And, then there are the dog walkers.  This poor little pup doesn't seem to want to follow.

Pulling the Dog