Geometry

It's only a picture of a wall.  

Geometry

Halfway Down

I've walked past this section of the Chase Manhattan building many times, but this time it just looked different.  Maybe the lack of people for once.  

Halfway Down

Yellow Brick Road

The road swirls around the Staten Island Ferry building.  A bike path flows by.  Metal pillars protect it from the dangers outside.  But, the road beyond leads to somewhere special if you take it far enough.  

Yellow Brick Road

Cones in a Hole

I was walking along the Hudson and looked down to see a round grating that I suspect used to have a tree growing up through it.  Down below, someone had stashed a couple of cones.  Makes kind of an interesting composition.  

Cones in a Hole

The Carpetbagger Set

So, again I found a scene or "set" for a potential street scene.  In this case, there were these rolls of carpet just sitting there in a very nicely lit spot.  There was a nice bench, some grating, a couple of doors.  Very well laid out.  

Carpetbagger Set

But, we did need some actors... perhaps a girl with a dog?

Carpetbagger Dog

Or maybe, just a woman with a cigarette to fill the scene.

 

Carpetbagging

I like both variations (with or without people), but in the end the human element seems to enliven a good composition.  

Shadowed Patterns

Bright days and patterns creating rhythmic shadows.  The first is a protective scaffolding on Barclay Street.  The second is the promenade along the Hudson River.  

Barclay Patterns

Hudson Comb

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

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.

Foot Adjustment Stop

I noticed this guy standing dominantly on the steps of the former AT&T building in lower Manhattan. Nice balance considering the architecture. 

Then to fill out the composition of the scene, this guy filled the void:

As soon as he was gone, another person came in to take advantage of this location for a foot adjustment.  

Almost as if they are Greek forms in statuesque positions.

Mykonos Compositions

The island of Mykonos in Greece is one of the most inspiring photographic locations I have ever been.  The white buildings are accented by colorful banisters and shutters.  The narrow streets are mostly without cars.  You are in the middle of everything and very close to your surroundings.  This leads to a different type of composition than the street photography I usually do.  

Here are some of the Mykonos closeups:

Centered BanisterRed Door with KeyWeathered StepsTrophy DoorBlue BanistersWelcome

Composition

I was heading to the steps of Federal Hall overlooking the Stock Exchange building to sit outside and have the lunch I purchased from a street vendor. This is a great place to be outside and people watch the stock brokers, tourists, fashionistos, etc. below on Wall Street.

Federal Hall is a quite historic building. George Washington was inaugurated as first president of the US on the balcony of the original version of this building on the same spot. It is now mostly a museum. As I approached, I walked past the back of the building and saw these guys.

My camera was with me, but I had my hands were full. I thought about whether I wanted to go through the effort to drag it out and get the shot. I walked on. Half a block later, I turned back, thinking about how perfectly they were aligned. The columns, the angle of the steps, the way they were sitting were all so nicely arranged.

I put down my lunch in the middle of the road and started shooting. Since the building is a national monument, it is a frequent target of pictures. I had no problem aiming at the top of the building, then dropping, reframing and snapping these guys undetected.

This was the most interesting. A shot I call, "And It's Only Lunch Time". This guy looks like he's had a hard day.