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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fifty Nine: Using dramatic light at the fringes of the day > Midtown sunset, New York City, New York, 2010
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11-JUL-2010

Midtown sunset, New York City, New York, 2010

A setting sun burnishes the facades of these New York office buildings and shops, yet day's end does not slow the pace of activity here. We can see the traffic approaching us, the pedestrians crossing the street, and even two silhouetted photographers waiting in the distance -- they were (dangerously) shooting the setting sun from the middle of the street. A passenger jet is suspended in the distant sky as it descends for a landing at Newark Airport. I exposed for the golden sky, and allowed the rest of the image to recede into shadow and glittering reflections.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
1/250s f/9.0 at 103.0mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis11-Aug-2010 23:08
I am sure that many will feel likewise, Tim. The Hudson River, over which this plane is flying, is a familiar flight path, and might have been used on 9/11. And the plane that ditched in the Hudson more recently, with no loss of life, offers still another trigger to memory here. The color suggests fire as well, which strengthens such grim memories.
Tim May11-Aug-2010 18:51
I add my delight here at the color - but for me the airplane is very significant in this image. It is impossible for me to see a plane in the air near NYC and not think of 9/11. So even the gloriousness of this urban sunset is tinged with that remembering.
Phil Douglis10-Aug-2010 17:45
Yes, golden fire such as this is exciting and very transient. It lasts only a few moments since the sun seems to be moving rapidly at the moment it vanishes below the horizon. In this case the sun is hovering in the sky, blocked by the buildings at left.
Carol E Sandgren10-Aug-2010 05:37
This light goes beyond golden and on into firey! That is probably the most exciting light to find, in my opinion, and it is so elusive, lasting only seconds sometimes. Fire in the buildings yet the people and the plane in the sky seem not bothered by it.
Phil Douglis08-Aug-2010 20:21
You can count the plane as a fortunate event, Rose. I never saw it until I checked the image later. It offers a sky-bound counterpoint to the busy pace at the bottom of the frame.
sunlightpix08-Aug-2010 19:13
Gorgeous colors, and the airplane is a fantastic addition!
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