The tower in NYC's Time Square

NYC in abstract

I'm still a large fan of abstract photography. I took this because I liked the textures and the lighting. The blackness behind the bar (which was in the subway) makes way for the bar to be the focal point. The lighting then accentuates the rouned nobs making the textures look more enhanced. All of this was done with only a camera, no editing. I'm beginning to understand why it is so rewarding to capture a perfect photo without editing later.

People in the Night

 

Too Dark

Too bright

Oh hey, just right!

Because I was in NYC for a college visit with my friends I obviously was going to take some people photos as well. What I didn't know is that now I can't stand taking pictures of people unless they look really good, which means I have to get everything just right. 

My friend Pedro modeled for the first while in Times Square. The area was odd for lighting because of the brightness of the signs and bill boards but at the same time it was around 2am so it was pretty dark outside-absolutely no natural light. His features don't come out very well, the lighting is about even through the whole picture and therefore his image isn't as vivid as I would have liked it to be. The brightest part of the photograph is the van with the headlights, not asthetically pleasing much at all.

By the second night, I had decided to go for use of my flash, yes the incoorporated one, thinking that I could manipulate it in some way. I don't have much experience with it yet and it showed when the lights were too harsh on Pedro and Niquo's faces in the second photo. This area was even darker than Times Square because it was on the cruise ship so we were surrounded by black water and a brighter background with the city. These lights did not come on to the boys however, because they were facing me and therefore the light was behind them. With my flash, the boy's faces were seen and they were differentiated from the background but too much so. The brightness made their images too vivid, rather more pronounced, and therefore it was not asthetically pleasing.

The third photo was taken on Columbia's campus at around 1am the same night as the cruise. I had asked my friend Jonatan to be a model so I could get the lighting just right and then took a few shots. I was actually quite surprised at how well my practice round had ended up and I think this photo was the best I took in regards to the people photos. His image is vivid yet it doesn't seem too pronounced nor does it seem to be lost in the background. The faint lighting in the backgound keeps the background dark but also accents the lighting which brightens his face. 

Gothic made Gothic

The use of light in this photo makes the church appear more gothic which is precisely what the building was built to look like. With the sky being lighter and the church almost black in places, the over contrast enhances the photo in a way that other editing never could. 

Bridge Photos

Penthouse View

This photo was one of my better ones from the NYC trip. The aperture setting was a large one so that the sky would appear white and the building would be the only true part of the image. This also allowed the details of the building to become apparent. The videocamera in the corner was another instance of not paying attention to the scene which I really need to watch in later photographs.

American Glory

Some of my favorite objects to photograph are flags. I think the movement and timing are what make the object so captivating to me. Each time it's a challenge to get exactly the image I want, and I like that challenge. The building creates a nice border for the edge of the photograph because of its darkness. The layers of the building also provide nice straight and crisp lines which are reflected in the flag's bands. The bands are warped because of the wind but the pattern is easily distinguished. The Flag is the emphasis because the sky is kept lighter.

The Quilted Building of NYC

I was attracted to this because of the unique architecture. My first attempt at capturing this was unsuccessful though because the oxidated iron was much darker with the small aperture setting. I took this on one of the higher settings in order to get the green hue seen above. Now I understand why being a "purist" is so rewarding, I didn't have to edit this or enhance it, I shot the image I wanted right from my camera.

Street Corner

I'm a fan of street signs and the contrast due to the colors with the sky made me take this photo. For how simple it is, and how little trouble it was to take, I really appreciate this photo.

Faint remaints

My first reaction to this photo was dissapointment, I wanted the city to be clear. However, after inspection, I believe this photo actually turned out well. It's the opposite of what one would usually want and I think that adds to it's value. That which should be out of focus is in focus and that which should be in focus is not. With this reversal having been made accidently but the photograph ending up well developed, I have experienced the "eye of the beholder" photography that has remained a mystery to me in the past.

Arches in NYC

Honestly, all I want to say about this photo is that everything went right. The perspective on the right because of the corner added a desirable effect and the archway is still the focal point. The city scene in the background is blurred and therefore the emphasis at the arch is even greater. It was interesting to me though the emphasis is at the arch, it is not the clearest part of the photo. The ledge with plants is actually more clear, but this is not seen until after the eye strays from the arch. Once it does notice the plants, the arch loses it's clarity and the photo is transformed. But look back to the arch and once again it is clear. I really like this effect I hope that I can recreate it in the near future.

The Pancho People

I went for a "Humans of New York" theme for this, seeing that I was in NYC and the people add personality. The focus of this is the black band across the middle of this photo. I tried to take away as much light as possible from this point to make it seemingly impossible to distinguish precisely what the band is, in case you are wondering, it's a walkway. I wanted to do this so that when the eye is moved to this point, it doesn't linger long but moves either above or below. The beauty of this was that the above portion is only landscape and the bottom focuses on the people. The individual windows created a block-like effect which allowed the differences to be portrayed. Those with umbrellas v. those in ponchos, those who were ready for the storm v. those who were not.
The landscape portion of this is well developed as well because the sky is much lighter. Thankfully because it was already light in this portion of the city, a higher shutter speed just blocked out the light for the band and not the sky. This contrast allows the city landscape to take precedence.

By the way if you would like to see Humans of New York, you can visit the blog at http://www.humansofnewyork.com/ or on facebook: "Humans of New York"

City of Glass

I think I love the urban scene so much because of the architecture, just like this. The different colors of glass are just so visually appealing. In this scene I was attracted to the green, navy, and white/gold, of the windows from these buildings and the green and yellow of the plant life on the fence. Again, this photo was taken on the HighLine. The plants are darker and the buildings lighter which somewhat reflects the mood of the city. NYC is the city of light and isn't known for having an abundance of trees or anything of that sort save Central Park. With the buildings of urban development being brighter, and the plants being darker, it shows the contrast of the two parts of NYC- the part that lives it's name and the part that has remained untouched. The use of light in this picture allows the buildings to be darker but still shows all their qualities and has the sky a lighter with a tint of periwinkle- this color came from the ever empending storm which fell upon me and the rest of my tour group.

A Transparent Reflection

I was trying to capture this image to show the reflection of the sky in the windows but because the day was so dark, the sky is not as light as I had wished. Even with a high aperture setting, I could not make this photo lighter which was a pity because the building was a great scene. From this I take away that you can't always capture the photo, the environment just won't allow it. As of right now I am making a promise to myself that I will go to NYC again and I will capture this photo the right way, after much more practice and with better weather.

That's Why It's Called the Empire State

The best part of New York has to be the architecture. The empire state building was one of those photos that you MUST get on any visit to NYC. I shot this at HighLine Park, a cool railroad turned nature park bridge across a part of the city. It was a rainy day, not ideal for photography, but I wasn't going to miss this opportunity. I think the relative darkness really shows the mood of the day, and the mood created in the city. The park was so clean but looking out at the city made me realize how dirty the entire place is. The darkness in the image shows this dark and dingy feeling. I chose to keep buildings on either side of the photograph, both are slightly included to create the "V" shape in which rests the Empire State building. This created the emphasis I needed for the focal point (ESB) and showed part of NYC's culture as well. The buildings are close together, with just one building in a photograph, it misses the point of the collectiveness felt in the city and therefore I believe creates a false sense of separateness. 

"City on the Sea"

"City on the Sea"

While this was only a snapshot and doesn't really count towards a portfolio quality photo, I really like it. The emphasis is the city, and because it's on the horizon, it allows focus to be attributed to the rail and ceiling of the boat. From this perspective, the railing creates a sense of space and distance as well as a placing for the photo's location. The contrast of the wooden railing against the black water also creates focus which leads the eye to the city in the background. The sky, while light, appears to make the city even brighter, thereby enhancing the image, not diminishing it as would have happened in the previous posts. The lighting in this photo is perfect and perhaps others would think the boat detracts from the photo's overall appeal but I think it makes the photo what it truly is.

"Twice 'round Manhattan"

"Twice 'round Manhattan"

Again, this photo should have used a smaller aperture, the sky is too bright for the city lights to really pop out and the ferry in the middle isn't emphasised at all. If I were to retake this photo I would make sure to set a smaller aperture value and perhaps a different ISO in order to get the details I wanted. The shutter would need to stay about the same because of the motion of the ship and it already has too much light. 

The Power of Cropping

"Manhattan Skyline"

These photos really taught me the power of being a total observer. By this I mean that I should have seen the hand in the first photo with the light from the phone. The picture would have been perfect otherwise and perhaps with a simple crop it can be now too- I'll upload that in the next entry. The first photo has a darker sky (better use of aperture settings) than that of the second which really makes the bright lights from the buildings of the city the emphasis of the photo- exactly what I was going for. In the second photo, the sky is not as dark so the buildings don't "pop out" as much as they should in being the focal point, because of this they almost look "glazed" over and the photo is not as crsip. 

Secondly, the second photo doesn't make use of the darkness of the water for contrast as well as the first photo does and therefore the reflection of the lights is not as vibrant, and not as impressive. In reviewing the two I believe that I must have shot the first, noticed the hand and immediately shot the second without readjusting, a mistake I WILL NOT make in the future. 

Lady Liberty

"Lady Liberty."
On my recent trip to New York City while visiting Columbia University, I shot this image on one of the Manhattan cruise ships. I knew that I needed a lower apperture so that the light didn't completely overtake the shapes and figure of the statue. I also needed a faster shutter speed because the ship did not make for ideal motion conditions. From this I learned that capturing an image at night does not mean just using the light available because sometimes it's even too much. I also learned how to control my ss when in motion, thus creating an image that was shot quickly but shot well. It's also one of my first night landscapes, and I'm happy with how it came out.


In the words of Pedro, "Lady Liberty- ain't nuthin' better."