NEW YORK, NEW YORK – This afternoon I walked the Brooklyn Bridge from the Manhattan side. It was seriously crowded. I shot with my Alpa and the 72mm Schneider lens. Framing continues to be a challenge. Out of the 30 or 40 images I thought this was the best point of view, but it’s flawed because I didn’t recognize it at the time so I didn’t take the time to wait for the optimum moment in terms of the pedestrians. Near misses for me two days in a row. Here it is:
Brooklyn Bridge
On this day last year: wildebeest migration. I had so many images that I did three posts for the day. Here’s a crocodile killing a zebra.
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – I spent the afternoon today at Brooklyn Bridge Park – a park under construction that’s transforming the Brooklyn waterfront. There was a lot of stuff to photograph. Really. Some tourist shots – the view of lower Manhattan is incomparable; some construction; some people. I’ve had real difficulty sorting it all out so I’m posting a bunch of images. Here’s a link to the Wikipedia entry on the park: Brooklyn Bridge Park.
The Manhattan Bridge seen under the Brooklyn Bridge.
Leica M9 with 135mm APO Telyt lens.
South Street Seaport.
South Street Seaport from Brooklyn Bridge Park
Same camera and lens.
Brooklyn Bridge Park – tidal pool Brooklyn Bridge Park
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – I drove to Brooklyn Heights this afternoon to drop a print off with a friend and client. While there I retraced my steps from last week but this time shot infrared as is my style in capturing icons. (Shooting with a Leica M8.2 which is suffers from infrared sensitivity, but this is an advantage if you are shooting with an infrared filter.)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Today I went to Brooklyn to explore the Brooklyn Bridge from the east. The Brooklyn Bridge is an icon. My objective in my icons work is to sneak up on the subject from an unusual angle, approaching it as if it had never been seen before. This isn’t always successful, but here’s today’s attempt. This was at mid-day – it would be far more interesting in early morning light. To be explored further.
Yesterday and today I had a rare moment of self-doubt. Why am I doing this? In the end I’m a landscape photographer – some of my work looks architectural because I live (for most of the week) in an urban landscape. My formal portraits are fine but I don’t seek that work out. My street work is pedestrian. I was really struggling last night a Lincoln Center – finally settling on the fountain centered on the Metropolitan Opera.
You’ve heard of Rembrandt and Vermeer and probably Frans Hals. They painted people (primarily in historical settings) in 17th Century Holland – the “golden era of Dutch painting”. It’s less likely that you’ve heard of Aelbert Cuyp or Jacob van Ruisdael. They painted landscape in the same era. The Wikipedia entry on the golden era says “landscapists were the ‘common Infantry foottmen in the Army of Art'” citing Samuel van Hoogstraten for the quote. Citiscapes ranked even lower.
Anyway, here’s today’s view of the Brooklyn Bridge.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Today I worked on a long-running project – photographing iconic structures. I’ve been putting off the Brooklyn Bridge for some time – John Roebling’s masterpiece is a truly intimidating subject. The light was dull so this is not a day for great art, but for exploring angles and pedestrian approaches in a part of Manhattan that is dominated by on and off ramps. The plan as always is to sneak up on on the icon, rather than confront it frontally. I plan on exploring the Brooklyn side later in the week. If we have a decent sunrise or sunset in the next week I’ll try it in infrared.
