All’s well that ends well. New York City Blurb PhotoWalk is in the books, and what a stellar day it was. Early reports called for rain, but when the day broke, the sun pushed through and the temperature climbed to near eighty. Pasty white skin, red arms and necks, and bull rushes on the unsuspecting ice cream vendors. Roughly fifty people braved the unseasonably nice weather to hoof it across the Brooklyn Bridge and into the dark heart of Dumbo. A decade since I walked the bridge. Packed. Wooden. Alive.
Leicas and Fujis dominate the walk, as usual. Everyone talks of going lighter and smaller. I assign the diptych. Think in pairs, then attempt to find a way for the pairs to unite so the images lend themselves to a story and design. A sure way to increase your book chances and walk away with more than random, one-off snaps. An hour before sunset, it looks grim. Cloudy, cool. Might be nothing. And then the sky grows from spark to fire. Buttery and soft. The light here wraps around you, gently. Soft and thick with damp. Unlike the dry crackle and intensity of home.
I attempt to use three different cameras to capture a range of things that might come in handy. I know that none will be good because each only receives a third of the love required. “What is that thing?” people ask as I shuffle from phone to camera to second camera. New York is the easiest photographic location I’ve ever seen. Each street, corner, and park is a buffet of images waiting to be made. No one seems to care. Accept the now, embrace the later.
Comments 16
You make very good photos, Dan!
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Thank you. Snapshots mostly.
It was a good walk, thank you (and thanks to Blurb), and nice to meet you and others. The weather was perfect, although it did get a bit hazy towards the end. By the time I got home to New Jersey, the sun was setting and reflecting on the glass-covered buildings of Manhattan. It looked amazing. Fortunately, I’m close enough to see that spectacle from my kitchen window regularly. Unfortunately, I’m just not close enough and there are too many very tall PSE&G poles and power lines to do the view justice in photos, although I’m still working on that.
Enjoy the rest of your travels!
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it was a good day! Thanks for joining.
Wow, that sky. Love sunsets and sunrises.
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It was a banger.
“I attempt to use three different cameras to capture a range of things that might come in handy. I know that none will be good because each only receives a third of the love required.”
C’mon, Dan, time to channel your inner legend, dust off that “one camera, one lens” gospel and give it a fair dinkum 100% love…..lol 🙂
Note to self: Gotta hit New York and knock it off the bucket list.
Author
One of the easiest cities to photograph in.
A lovely walk with good company resulting in some nice photos. Go to one if you get the chance.
Many thanks to Dan, Amy, and the Blurb staff for their companionship and generosity.
Author
You are very welcome. Thank you for attending!
The person lower center in the bridge shot shooting with their phone illustrates well what sucks about phone photography…..artificially bright computational photography may put a million postcards in your pocket, but you miss out on the real things like realistic dynamic range.
Author
Most people seem to be posting to show they were there.
Dan,
I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog. These days I can hardly get past one paragraph of anything. You wrote from a place of deep understanding and objectivity which I find very refreshing. You don’t mince words and call things as you see them. In this era of “cancel culture”, most people are satisfied to hide behind their keypad and throw tantrums with their insults. It’s nice to see a forum of comments where everyone can respectfully agree or disagree. We need more of that.
I too enjoyed last week’s photo walk. Hadn’t realized the ongoing traumatic effects being quarantined would have on me and my desire to photograph people. I think I even said something to you about “preferring landscapes over people” while standing in front of the park by City Hall. This coming from a person who prided herself once as a portrait photographer. Yikes. Then again, labels schmabels. Look. See. Wait. Really See. Click. Repeat.
Anywho, many lessons learned. I can meet people again and interact and truly care about our collective creative experience. I look forward to attending more walks, printing out more images and hopefully some peer to peer critiques in the coming warmer months. Not sure if I achieved the diptych I was aiming for. I’m definitely inspired to keep dusting off the old Nikon and keep my eyes open for those magical moments only this ever evolving NYC can bring. Sometimes us natives can take for granted what’s right in our backyard. Until you grace us with your brilliant presence again Dan, lens caps off to you, Amy and Kara. Thanks a bunch!
Author
We loved having you on the walk. And thanks for taking note of this place being about conversation not drawing lines in the sand. And yes, keep plugging on NYC. It’s an endless photographic gem.
Nice Shot! Seriously, who says sunsets are cheesy?
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Love them. Cheesy and all.