Stolen Soul

It was a somewhat rainy night and I was parked underneath one of my favorite overhangs taking a few photos. In particular, I was looking for colorful umbrellas to photograph. A few shots in this direction, a few in that direction.

Then a tall guy with darkish skin, braids and cargo shorts walked towards me from the direction I was shooting. "Did you take my picture?" I said, "You might have been in a picture I took but I wasn't taking a picture of you." "But did you take my picture? I'm just asking."

The guy wasn't on my radar, and I was rather annoyed being questioned like this. I rudely responded, "You really don't look interesting enough for me to want to take a picture of you". He said, "I'm a Native American, and want to make sure you didn't steal my soul".

Well, i can appreciate this but if he wanted to protect his soul, he was standing in a highly touristed area with many camera touting out-of-towners in the vicinity. He must have been walking up to people everywhere asking them if they took his picture. I told him, "I took two pictures in your direction." "Can I see the pictures?" I showed him, he was satisfied that his soul was intact and walked away. A little while later, I saw a subject that I wanted to shoot, but held back because he would have been in the shot. In reviewing the pictures I did take, however, I did notice him in the back of one of the shots. I just deleted the shot and his soul is now freed.

Here's more about the idea held by Native Americans that pictures taken of them steal their soul. I wonder if this notion is that anyone who's photographed loses his soul, or if it applies only to someone who is a Native American.

My Nishiki

Twenty eight years ago I hopped on a bicycle and rode it 4,000 miles around Europe.  It was a pivotal period of my life, not only for the travel and experience of seeing the many countries, but because my career became more focused after the three months sabbatical from work. 

I still have the bike and occasionally ride it, but mostly it sits in the back of the garage. It is a Nishiki model, which I now know is no longer produced. It's somewhat rusty, but still gives a decent ride. I've replaced the handlebars so I can sit more upright to protect a strained neck, but it is otherwise unchanged. 

When I was getting ready for the trip, I got a book called "Italian in 10 Minutes A Day".  The book came with a set of stickers with Italian words that you could fasten to an object so you would become familiar with its name.  So, you would put a sticker that said "tavolo" on a "table".  Remnants of the sticker that says "bicicletta" are still barely attached to the bicycle.  Just hanging by a thread, and unreadable, but I know what it says. 

There are racks above both the front and rear wheels which supported two sets of panniers to carry the 50 pound load on the trip. The photo to the right, shows it fully loaded as I was traveling along the Mediterranean coast in the south of France back then.

I carried the load over the Apennine mountains in Italy and the Alps in Switzerland. As I was going down a mountain pass in Austria, I put my head down and wanted to see how fast I could go.  A turn came a bit too quickly and I came within inches of going over the side.  I slowed down after that. 

The Avocat seat is rather worn now.  The black color is gone in spots.  It was never too comfortable but I didn't really have any problems with it.

Each country I stopped in, I bought a sticker as a souvenir that I had visited.  They line the tubes of the bike.  They are in the language of the nation, so Sweden is Sverge. Other countries stuck on there are Belgique, France, Lichtenstein, Italy, Schweitz, Österreich, Deutsch, Danmark, and the Nederland.  These stickers have passed the test of time.  They are in very good shape. 

A few years ago, I brought the old Nishiki into a shop for a tune up.  I thought they would be impressed with it.  But they weren't.  It was just another bike. A particularly old bike.  They said it was heavy, and I'm sure it is, compared to the bikes that are available now.  But, I don't need a new bike, and I don't want one.   I know this bike well. 

And, one thing that also remains the same is that, I am really really good at shifting its gears. 

Karl likes to drum

This is Karl.  By day, he is a computer programmer. He creatively works through problems and devises ingenious ways to handle routine issues.  He's helpful to others, and has programmed in the phrase, "Hope this helps" at the end of every email. 

Karl takes a collapsable bicycle on the Long Island Railroad train each day, and then bicycles downtown almost four miles from Penn Station garbed in a colorful outfit.  This even happens sometimes on rainy days and cold winter days. 

But, Karl has a different life as well.  He is also a musician and he also likes to drum. 

At lunch time some days, he goes to a position that he noticed on the steps of a building at One Liberty Plaza that overlooks the World Trade Center site.  There is a shelf that perfectly allows him to setup his drumpad and practice.  It is an interesting and public location to do this.  Surrounded by sightseeing tourists and security guards, there is Karl drumming.  Karl likes to drum. 

Turban Questions

So, I snapped a shot of this taxi driver. Not the best shot, but I found it remarkable that he was wearing a turban that was the same color as the cab.  Now that alone is interesting, but it raised some underlying questions to me. 

Do they make turbans like this, or was it custom made?  Assuming it was custom made, did the cloth come in this color, or was it dyed?  If it is dyed, is it the same color on the inside (probably so). 

Does he wear it every day?  Or only certain days. Perhaps he likes fashion and likes to stylishly match colors. 

Perhaps he gets more tips when he wears it.  If so, how much more, maybe 15%, maybe 25%? 

What inspired the guy to get a turban this color? Is he a member of a taxi club?  Was it for attention? If it was for attention, does he like being looked at, or is he looking for people to ask him about it.

Or, maybe he wants to be photographed? 

Posers

A few times as I was wandering the streets in my guise of street photographer, people have approached me and asked me to take their picture.  I call these people "Posers".  They have their own reasons for wanting the picture taken I suppose (primarily vanity I think).  I find remarkable that every time, once the picture has been taken, they didn't even ask to see the shot or look to get a copy. 

In some cases, the Posers are people who are down on their luck and they see modeling as a way to get a contribution.  I previously wrote in my entry Rittenhouse Square about a guy named Ben in Philadelphia who was in this category. 

The gentleman below stopped me on Nassau Street and asked if I'd like to take a picture of him holding up a dollar bill.  I really didn't and suspected his angle, but liked his charm.  He said, "I'll bet you don't have another picture like that!"  (And I didn't).  He got a few bucks from me but he also made me happy. 

Dollar Bill Man

This guy walked from across the street and startled me since my eye was focused through my lens.  He was suddenly there.  "Take My Picture!"   Uh, OK.... I rattled it off quickly and didn't get a chance to focus.  Then he walked away, satisfied. 

Take My Picture!

This guy spotted me taking some pictures of window grates, and said "Take a Shot of Me".  He lifted his shirt to expose his abs and did a nice little muscle man pose in front of the Muscle Maker Grill. 

Muscle Man

Sometimes there are youthful solicitors looking to get contributions for various causes from passerbys.  I generally avoid eye contact and keep walking.  That is exactly what I did when approached by the guy below.  He was collecting for a children's support group of some kind.  I was taking various shots around City Hall.  He started "chatting me up" (which is the standard technique).  He asked about my camera.  I gave him a short response without breaking my stride.  He walked along with me.  He told me about a relative of his with a Canon camera.  I responded, kept walking, getting ready for his pitch.  We walked for about three blocks.  He then said, "Take My Picture".  I stopped and took a bit of time to line up the photo.  Realizing it was a pretty damn good shot, I asked him if he wanted to see it and showed it to him on my back screen.  He nodded and said "see ya".  He didn't ask for money or even talk about his cause.  I felt kind of bad, especially since I had a decent picture of him and would have emailed it to him.  But he was gone. 

Solicitor

Decisive Moment "variation"

It had rained earlier in the day, but it was clear now.  There were still splashes of water around the city. 

I was attracted to the reflection of a billowy cloud in this puddle. If I was a perfectionist, I would have removed that little blue object near the bottom of the frame but I didn't notice it and truthfully didn't care that much as it was pretty much an exercise in technique not intended as an artistic pursuit. 

But, I've had some luck taking shots of people reflected in the mirror of the water of puddles.  The symmetry can be interesting, also the texture from the water can create some abstract illusions. 

So, I parked there and pointed down.  A few people, as they passed, looked down and were puzzled at what I was focusing on.  Little did they know that it might be a picture of them (or more likely their feet).

The subject can take on a surrealistic effect if you flip the photograph upside down.  Here's an example, (I left the foot in the frame here to show the original). 

Here's what it became. 

Anyway, I continued taking shots at this particular puddle, keeping the feet in the picture in most cases.

I've written before about the term the "Decisive Moment" coined by famed photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson (see my post "I'm Engaged!"). 

Bresson said, "the decisive moment, it is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression."

One of the most famous pictures Bresson took, "Man Jumping Over Puddle" characterizes this concept.  It shows the man's foot just inches from hitting the ground. Click the title link above to see his picture.  I'm not posting it here because I suppose it would be a copyright violation (although it is so widely published I may be acting more ethically than legally).  The timing in my shot to the right is similar, in concept anyway. 

My photo, however, was so much an accident that I didn't even know that I had captured it until I got it home on my computer. This is often the case.  When scrutinizing a photo, I find things that I didn't know existed at the time that the shutter was clicked. 

Since Bresson's statement refers to a sense of "recognition" when taking the photo, in the case of this shot, I did not actually fulfill the essence of the theory. As I did not see the foot about to hit the water or time it with that intent.  Although I did know about the reflection.

Anyway, looking at this picture, I will consider it an homage to Bresson's concept. 

And, in retrospect, it makes me wonder... did his foot get wet?  (I assume so).  This puddle is certainly not as large as the one in Bresson's photo, his man had little choice but to splash.  So, if this guy had jumped, he wouldn't have gotten wet.  So, I suspect he wasn't paying attention.  Or, perhaps he noticed at the last second and made a quick turn to the left and completely avoided getting wet. Or, maybe he extended his stride at the last second and reached across the water. 

I went back to see if I had any evidence of what happened.  The followup shot below did show he him past the puddle, rather straight on, but I'm not sure whether he is wet or not. And, I will not know.  So, there is an element of suspense in the original.  And, we can leave it as an unknown. 

Atlantic City Boardwalk

Walking the boardwalk at Atlantic City, as a photographer, provides two primary subjects.  Of course, there is the ocean and the beach scenes look out to the Atlantic.  Some of the views this way could be at the shore anywhere, particularly the Jersey shore.  

The other subject is focusing on the millions of little stories happening on the boardwalk.  There are the people (some good street photography subjects there).  And, then there are the static personalities looming.  The casino entrances, the shops, the colored garbage cans. 

Here are a few pictures that focus on these icons. 

Pizza Window

French Fries Guy

Bally's Casino

Steel Pier Carousel

Taj Mahal Neon

Steel Pier Wheel

EYE'EM Awards

The EYE'EM Award Exhibition 2010 is wrapping up this week in Berlin.  This is a competition of photos taken by mobile devices (like the iPhone I have).  Out of several thousand submissions, one of my shots was chosen by the grand jury to be part of the shortlist of 144 mobile photographs that are being exhibited in the final show at the Schlectriem Brothers gallery.  The pictures that were selected are absolutely fantastic, so it is an honor to be included. 

Here is the one that was selected.  I'm not sure that I could have gotten a similar picture with my DSLR.  The extra wide-angle of the iPhone distorted the picture in such an interesting way that it exaggerated the sizes of parties in an interesting way.  This is the blog entry that I original posted about this picture. 

Free Colonial Concert

Pink Pooches

So, here are two dogs made to look like twins moving down Broadway near City Hall. I don't believe they are related to each other although they do have similar fur.  But the one on the left is clearly fluffier and looks a little bit bigger.  Perhaps a man and wife?  I wonder about the effort expended to make them pink.  And the upkeep?  It is certainly worth it though.  How often do you see pink pooches like these?  They are an attraction.  And, a look at the owner's sandaled feet showed that her toenails were a matching pink.

 

Werewolf Heads?

I was waiting for a meeting to begin in our conference room on the 32nd floor.  Being early, I blankly looked out at the view.  I have looked out that way many times (it's a good view), but this time I happened to notice the roof and details of the building directly across the street. 

I was struck by the amount of detail in the building (which I had never noticed).  In particular, I was amazed by the row of animal heads along the top rim.  What effort to create these in a location that is impossible to see from the street.  As a matter of fact, the only place you could really see them was from where I stood. 

But, when the building was created, it was decided that there should be the work and expense of adding this detail.   Not an uncommon thing in those days, I guess, especially when you see the work put into the Woolworth Building a few blocks north.  But still, this attention to detail is missing from the new construction. 

Lookin at the row of 17 heads, it wasn't really clear to me what this animal was.  It seemed like it was a lion at first, but looking closer made me unsure.   It actually kind of looks like a werewolf to me.  And I'll bet there were more werewolves on the other sides.  All, but the west wall, which is now connected to the Hilton Millennium Hotel.  The hotel was certainly built later, and maybe they needed to remove the werewolves from that side.  So that would be 51 heads or so (maybe 68 when it was built). Where are those heads from the west wall now?

So, these heads, made me curious about this building and the effort put into its creation.  I'm sure I had passed it from the street, but from this perspective, I had no idea what it was. 

So, my research began by doing a Google Map search on the street to figure out the address.  Moving into the Street View mode, I could see the front of the building.  Ah, so this is 195 Broadway.   Oh yes, I remembered this building had a large marble lobby and I taken a picture of a man sitting there that I called "Lobby Contemplation". 

Knowing the exact address now, my next stop was Wikipedia, which had a page about 195 Broadway. 

I now know this was the original home of AT&T, occupied from 1916 until 1983. And, this was from where the first trans-Atlantic telephone call was placed. 

Now missing is the original 28' foot gold plated statue called "Genius of Electricity" that originally sat on top of the building (again probably best seen from my building which did not exist in those days).  It was later taken down from the roof and moved to the new AT&T building uptown, and then to their headquarters in Basking Ridge.  When SBC bought AT&T, and then later changed their own name from SBC to AT&T, they again relocated the Genius to their home office in Dallas.  That is a lot of effort and expense to move a 16 ton statue.  

 Here are some pictures of the building taken by others.  It kind of amazes me to realize the effort that went to creating and paying for the werewolves, building the columns, and the 16-ton statue (and to move it to Dallas). But then someone wanted to build the pyramids too.  There are a lot of remarkable buildings in New York, so this one is only a member of the list.  But, it was new to me, at least from the top.

Shadow Play

Every day I pass the post office at 90 Church Street.  On one exterior wall there are geometric cubes embedded within it.  Just this week, the street which is usually covered in shadow from the large buildings emerged into the sunlight.  The victorian street light cast an interesting shadow especially when seen next to the cubes and the yellow barrier poles.  

I setup across the street and waited to see what variations I could get based on the people who were passing by.  I took about 40 pictures that day and returned the next.  The light shadows had changed slightly and I took another round of shots.  The next I returned and parked cars blocked the view.  The next day I returned and it was cloudy, no shadows.  The next day I came back and the shadows were gone.  The combination of elements no longer existed. 

Here are the ones I liked the best. 

Shadow Play - Opposition

Shadow Play - Dropped Something

Shadow Play - White and Black

Shadow Play - The Sneeze

Shadow Play - Brief Cases

Free Resumes

A sign of the times.  She stood outside of the PATH train station calling out "Free Resumes, Free Resumes...".   She held a large sign that said something about resumes.  People walked past paying little or no attention.  I wasn't sure if she was hawking a resume writing service.  I walked past also.  Then, I heard, "I need a job!"   Ah, she's job hunting.  This connected with me and my own job seeking past.  I circled back with my camera. 

She gave me her resume which had an email address, but not her name or phone. I asked what she did.  She gave me about eight different professions.  She had previously focused on a few of them but that didn't get her work.  She thought it was important now to make it clear that she can do a lot of things. 

She said since the economic downturn she had problems finding work, and felt that it was time to change tactics.  And, so she was hoping to connect with people who were passing.  An example of how the economy can impact someone's life situation regardless of their personal work history. 

I took her picture somehow thinking it might help her get a job.  So, here it is.  Look at her information (click the picture to read it closer).  Maybe you can help.  And good luck to her, known only as Stephanie, SFHIREME@YAHOO.COM. 

Color or Colorless

While I pretty much only take photographs in color, I frequently convert them to black and white.  This is a stylistic/artistic decision.   As a matter of fact, generally, unless color is a key part of the photo, I will make them colorless.  Black and white pictures just seem a bit further removed from reality to me, and more satisfying artistically. 

Here's one photograph where I had problems deciding.  I liked this shot for a few reasons.  Iwas struck by how alike these girls seemed, in particular their sunglasses.  Also, the bored looks as they seemingly are waiting for something or someone (they are seated outside of the Millenium Hotel across from the World Trade Center site).  An online friend pointed out the reflection of their legs against the wall behind is interesting.  And, the girl on the left is looking off, almost like she has been startled by something off camera. 

Sunglasses and Pouts (color)

Argument for color:  This shot was taken at dusk, so the the light had an orange tinge to it.  The trees created a somewhat natural vignetting effect.  The purple dress and red scarf kind of pop and helps center your attention on them.  Also, the purple dress ties together with the purple flowers on the left side.  It works well in color but there is not a lot of color here. 

Sunglasses and Pouts (black and white)

Argument for black and white:   This version is much more contrasty.  The girls look more comic-bookish and are less realistic.  Their sunglasses are even more prominently noticed.  I like this version as well, maybe better.

You be the judge, look below as the picture converts back and forth. 

Fear of Heights?

They continue to slowly dismantle the Deutsche Bank building which was damaged by fallout from the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings which were next door.  A monstrous crane sits on top and slowly lowers pieces of the building to the ground.  It's slow going with maybe only 12 stories being removed over the course of the past year. It amazes me how strong the crane must be to lift these massive steel beams. 

My office window overlooks the scene.  Click each picture for a large size version of it, it really can only be appreciated large. 

Deutsche Bank Crane

Today, I noticed there were a couple of guys way out at the tip of the crane.  And, then I saw another one walking the length of the extension like it was a bridge.  He walked quickly and didn't appear to have any kind of tethering. 

Deutsche Bank Crane 2

After he joined the group out at the tip, the crane started slowly moving horizontally with the entire arm moving as the workers stood out at the tip. This is not a job for those who might be afraid of heights. 

Deutsche Bank Crane 3

Wall Street People Watching

I like to wander down Wall Street at lunch time to people-watch.  There is usually a very odd mix of business people and tourists. Throw in protesters, offbeat musicians looking for handouts, news reporters and it can be a rather entertaining place to sit outside and enjoy your meal. 

I forgot my good camera today, but did have my iPhone camera.  A couple of subjects caught my eye. 

First, as I sat on the steps of Federal Hall, I was entertained by this man in red, who chose to play on his flute, in a continuous loop, "The Caisson's Go Rolling Along".  A catchy tune, but after 30 times I think his fund raising strategy might have been to keep playing until someone paid him to stop.  After a time, the sun got to him, and he moved 30 feet to the left into the shade, against another garbage pail.

Caisson's by Flute

There are a number of ways tourists in New York City like to pose.  They can stand in front of something famous to prove they were there.  Or they can do something photogenic.  Half a block down the road in front of Tiffany's a stranger helped two fashionably dressed women, in the style of "Sex In The City", pose in front of Tiffany's.  

Tiffany Posing

And, not more than 20 feet away, a Japanese photograph was manufacturing his own shot by asking these two girls to jump while he froze them in the air.  He attempted the shot five times, I took 3 and timed this one the best (the iPhone can be a little slow but I am getting better with my timing). 

Photo Jumping

Tracks to the Empire State

Every day when I walk to work I pass a semi-abandoned train tracks in Harrison, New Jersey.  If you look east towards Manhattan, the tracks guide your eye straight towards the Empire State Building.  It seems like an interesting juxtaposition and strikes me as an interesting subject for a photograph.

Tracks to the Empire StateSo, over the course of a few years, every once in a while I will take a shot over in that direction.  I've never really found one that I love, but I will keep trying I'm sure.  One time I walked down the tracks to try to get close to the train, but in the end it seemed pretty far and I abandoned the journey.

I don't think the train ever advances past the road it crosses over where I make my turn, heading to the PATH train station.  (Even though the tracks continue on through a parking lot and beyond). 

But, there is some activity since on various days, the train will appear in different positions.  So, someone moves the train for whatever reason.  Here are some other shots:

Tracks to the Empire State at Dusk

Tracks to the Empire State in Winter

Tracks to the Empire State in Summer

Tracks to the Empire State at Sunset

Ampelmann

There's a construction site near where I work that has been fenced off for more than a year. I really don't know what they are building.  (I could probably figure it out if I cared... but I don't... there is so much construction going on). 

Last month, they put up a billboard with figures of people walking with city names above the characters.  I thought this was fascinating, and would be fun to try to take pictures of real people walking next to the icon people. 

So, I waited and took some shots.  Most were misses, some were slightly amusing.  It's a tiny bit of timing and mostly luck.  I finally go this picture, which I thought was as good as it could get.  Perfectly centered and her foot position paralleled the figures. 

I posted the picture up on my Flickr account and someone said "Great Ampelmann moment".   I didn't quite know what that meant.  It seemed likely to me that Ampelmann was a famous photographer and the picture might have been in his/her style.  So, I looked him/her up on Wikipedia.  I learned that Ampelmann is not a photographer, but the name of the character figures which are shown in pedestrian crossing lights.  So, each of these figures represents the crossing walk figures that are depicted in each of those cities. 

With this bit of information, I went back to the wall and looked at it from different angles and took more shots.  Here are some other photos of the wall and the people. 

And finally, here is the actual New York Ampelmann up on the cross walk and the sign version, plus a real life ampelmann. 

Yellow Standout

I was listening to a photography podcast today.  They were answering questions about various camera techniques.  Someone asked how to isolate a single person in a crowd. 

Their first obvious answer was to make use depth of field to make that person in focus and the others out of focus (you can control this with the aperture, bigger is better).  Or, use a longer lens and narrow your field of view.  Or, try a different perspective.  Or, if you have control over the scene, put a red shirt on the guy. 

Well, I had no control over the crowd here, waiting to cross Broadway.  But yellow works well also, ay? (Especially when a matching cab passes by). 

Organized Chaos

This photo is simply a view from the steps of the new TKTS booth in Times Square looking south with a longish lens.  As chaotic as this photo looks (I was thinking of inserting a game of Where's Waldo in here), there is a certain order to the way things are laid out.

Certainly on the street level, it is not nearly as crowded as this looks.  But, it was evening rush hour and a bit busy.  I do notice that it is primarily cabs heading through Times Square at this hour.  In another shot, there were a few trucks, and buses.  But, here I informally counted 17 cabs in this shot.  The yellow path of cabs kind of adds a nice separation between the groups of people. 

I spent a good amount of time watching the zipper sign move by and would try and freeze certain words that might be symbolic or important.  I got a few shots with the words "information", "heist", "trusted", "general" featured.  But, in this case, we have "News" centering (which seems rather appropriate).

There is one person who I would consider a focal point within the shot, the guy in the blue sweater in the front is probably best posed. His name is Waldo perhaps.

The Recycler

Some people work hard for a living, I think this guy is one of them.  He passed by without attracting much attention. 

It took me a second to realize what an accomplishment it is to collect this many cans.  I'm not sure how many cans he assembled, but it's probably at least 1000... 2000?  5000? 

So, to gather 2000 cans, you've got to have some expertise.  You gotta know where the cans are.  I'm sure they are in garbage cans on the street.  That would mean reaching in and pull out what you find.  From the trash.  Maybe a bit smelly.  Unsanitary for sure. 

I'm sure there are other, less obvious places, that only an expert can collector would know.  On the floor where I work, there is a recycling bin for cans.  I wonder what happens to those cans after they are emptied out?  I'll bet this guy knows and is there to get them.

Also, there are probably certain times of day that are best to locate the cans.  I would guess right after lunch time is perfect.  At a plaza or park, on a nice day.  Like today.  It was probably the perfect day for can collection today.  Beautiful and great for drinking fluids out of cans. 

I think it was maybe an extra easy day to get cans today, but its still hard work.

 

 Off into the sunset