21-MAR-2009
On the Bowery, New York City, New York, 2009
The Bowery, adjacent to New York’s Lower East Side, was the city’s most elegant street at the end of the 18th century. But by the time of the Civil War, its mansions and shops had given way to brothels, beer gardens, and flophouses. In the 20th century, The Bowery was known as New York’s Skid Row, a high crime, low rent area. Since the 1990s, some of it has been gentrified, and luxury condos, art museums, and upscale stores are gradually changing its face. Yet there are still ample reminders of its grim past. I made this image outside of a Bowery mission which cares for the homeless who live in the area. The body language of these men speaks for itself. My black and white rendering does likewise.
20-MAR-2009
Double-take, New York City, New York, 2009
As I was photographing this tongue in cheek advertisement in the window of a shuttered Seventh Avenue shop in Greenwich Village, a passerby whirled to take another look at it. This symbol of hard times makes a strong statement on its own, but it becomes even stronger after adding the human element.
21-MAR-2009
Coffee Shop, New York City, New York, 2009
This man was reading his newspaper about six feet away from me. I placed my camera on my table, looked down into my flip-out LCD viewfinder, and made this image without him noticing me. He seems to come from another era, the time of fast black and white film (Tri-X?). So I converted my digital image to black and white, just for old time’s sake.
22-MAR-2009
Wear and Tear, New York City, New York, 2009
I made this image from the roof deck of Lexington Avenue apartment building. The image is full of New York wear and tear – the worn, soiled arrows marking an entrance and exit to a parking area, the lowered head of the lone figure, and the well worn stepped-wall in the foreground. I initially considered converting this photograph to black and white in order to abstract it further, but the color in the shabby arrows paled into insignificance, as did the red light on the car, the orange safety cone, and the red “no parking” sign. So color it must be, and the image is all the better for it.
20-MAR-2009
Macy’s, New York City, New York, 2009
Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square has been billed as the “World’s Largest Store” since 1924, even if London’s Harrods matches the vastness of its selling space. I made this image just outside of its doors -- a customer has just made a purchase and appears to be having a phone conversation. A friend waits patiently, while Calvin Klein beckons behind their back. I was drawn to the red star on the Macy’s bag – the only real color in the photograph outside of the skin tones. It gives the image its identity and its sense of place.
21-MAR-2009
Dually blessed, New York City, New York, 2009
SoHo is a gentrified neighborhood just below Greenwich Village. Soho’s Prince Street is lined with shops, among them this clothing store. I saw the morning sun strike the outstretched hand of the sleek mannequin. It was reaching towards the woman waiting by door, as if it was blessing her. Just as I was about to shoot, a man entered my frame. So why not a dual blessing? I liked the contrasting colors of hair, the matching tones of the jackets, and the coppery body of the mannequin. Color is essential here.
20-MAR-2009
Contrasts, New York City, New York, 2009
Since there are probably more people on the streets of Manhattan than in any other US city, chances are that there are more cell phones in use as well. I found this odd couple making phone calls just outside Macy’s at Herald Square. The red-haired woman never moved her feet, just her lips. The man in black with the hat was pacing back and forth in front of her, and never stopped talking. The contrasts are abundant: man/woman, red/black, short/tall, sharp/soft, still/moving, left handed/right handed. Given the differences in costume, I would guess they probably also represent entirely different cultures. They each speak to a person they can’t see, and neither of them see each other, even though they are but a mere foot or two apart at the moment.
20-MAR-2009
Perfection, New York City, New York, 2009
Perfection takes many forms. In this case, the advertisement in the store window extols a bra called “The Perfect One” while a photographer just outside the window looks away to find what he hopes will be a perfect image. I can’t say if either the bra or the picture will be absolutely perfect, but as we know, both advertisers and photographers share a common trait: they deal in illusion.
20-MAR-2009
In command, New York City, New York, 2009
People reveal their personalities when talking on the phone. Even though we can’t hear what this man is saying, he seems to be saying it with a great deal of authority. He tucks his papers in close to his body, and holds the phone to his ear with an oversized hand. Assertiveness is common coin in New York City – he fits this place well. The original colors of the background wall and foreground plantings competed with the point I was trying to make, so I solved the problem by converting the image to black and white.
23-MAR-2009
Emotions, New York City, New York, 2009
New York sells advertising space on the exterior panels of its street telephone booths. I watched as a couple used such a phone booth in Chinatown – a man waited outside while a woman made the call. I filled half the frame with the ad, which featured the excited face of a child. In the other half of the frame, I placed the man, and waited for an emotional response that would play against that of the child. After a few moments, he clamped his hand to his head in seeming frustration, offering an incongruous counterpoint to the excitement of the child.
19-MAR-2009
Passionate farewell, New York City, New York, 2009
Public displays of affection are more commonly seen in big cities than in small ones. New York is no exception. Anonymity is a perk here. I found this couple locked in a passionate farewell under one of the ornate lampposts surrounding historic Bryant Park. I waited for a yellow taxi to fill my background and charge the image with vivid primary color and symbolize urban life. Since there are more yellow taxis on the streets of Manhattan than any other kind of vehicle, I only had the wait a fraction of a second. And the kiss took much longer than that.
19-MAR-2009
Demonstration, Times Square, New York City, New York, 2009
If you want to photograph a demonstration in New York, head to Times Square, the heart of the city’s entertainment district. We did. We heard the beating drums first. Then we saw the orange placards and people wearing white masks, representing, in this case, the global victims of war, occupation, and torture. I express the message here not only in the words on the sign, but also in the determinedly grim face of the protester, and in the softly focused victim’s mask that I cropped in half with the edge of my frame. I wanted that grim face to stand for all who feel wronged, and I wanted that anonymous half of a softly focused mask to represent all who suffer and die. Because that mask bleeds off the edge, I imply that there may be many more. And there are.
