Skip to main content

NYC Wonderland

There's a reason why they call New York City the "concrete jungle where dreams are made of."

Everywhere you turn, there's excitement, inspiration, spirit. There's nothing like taking a stroll around this island to show you just how full of LIFE this city is.


Exhibit 1:


A few weekends ago, Nick and I went in search of the 10.Deep sample sale. For those who don't know, 10.Deep is an urban street-ware company that was established in 1995. It isn't exactly my style, but Nick is all about it. So, we crossed the Hudson on my new favorite mode of transportation - NYC Waterways Ferry - to TriBeCa.

We'd actually found ourselves in the middle/tail end of a 5k race, benefitting 9/11 volunteers, celebrations with BBQs, runners, camaraderie, and pride. A little hidden gem on the southern tip of Manhattan that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.

There was a nice mix of barbecue smoke and sunlight that made for some cool shots. At least I thought so, but what do I know?








After snapping a few photos, we hop on the C train and head to the unknown, mysterious territory that is Brooklyn. In my 25 years of living in New York. I've never actually explored this borough and I still instantly associate it with my grandparents.



We found the sample sale, but that's not all...




Which leads me to Exhibit 2:

The DUMO Arts Festival and all the amazing artists and vendors.

Shooting here was a bit difficult because not only were we outdoors and incredibly bright, but we also went indoors, where there were shadows, and stark white walls. I found myself having to stop, and adjust, but I didn't want to stop. There was also so much going on, I got caught up with trying to capture every single moment. And to me, every single moment seemed important and they all told a story...not to mention just really cool.

People randomly (or artfully?) in costume. Booths of jewelry, books, clothes, hair cuts, all of which worked on a bartering system.





The hardest part I've found is getting into people's business, getting up close, and snapping a picture. I've always been a quiet observer, standing to the side, and watching. But, after picking up a camera, I have to quickly learn to actively participate while standing in the background.


 I just don't like bothering people, but that's what you have to do though, I guess, to get that great shot.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Overexposed

Aperture. It's a hole that lets the light in and out of the "image plane," as Wikipedia calls it. F-stop. The number scale on your camera, which from what I understand can range from 0.5 to as high as 256. The smaller the number, the wider the aperture, and the bigger the number, the narrower the aperture. For those who have been in photography for a while, it might seem like a very simple concept, but for someone who's just starting out, it can be confusing (read: annoying). It's also something that I've been struggling to grasp. So, this weekend, I set out to wrap my arms around it. The San Gennaro Feast in Little Italy was perhaps the perfect place for a lesson in proper exposure. Bright, white banners... dark, black tent interiors... Ideal for pictures to turn out like this: And this (okay, this wasn't taken at San Gennaro, but it's the only overexposed picture of the bunch): Yikes. Time to change the mode from automatic to ma...

New beginnings

This blog certainly has been neglected, hasn't it? Let's change that (hopefully, I'll actually stick with it this time). I recently joined  Hit Record  and by "recently" I mean "this morning." It's a community-sourced production company that's kind of the brain child of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Yes,  that Joseph Gordon-Levitt . Hit Record encourages artists of all types - photographers, writers, actors, animators, etc. - to just be creative and collaborate. You don't have to be a professional, just passionate. You don't even have to be that passionate. Just mess around with whatever art form moves you, and upload it to the site. Or just explore. No pressure. Well, I browsed around and checked out what they call "Creative Challenges," which are essentially prompts for scripts, poems, pictures, whatever. And, I just started uploading some old photos from my computer based on the prompt. I have to say (not to toot my own horn, but...

Day One: Baby Steps

Now, first thing's first (I'm the realest). I know nothing about photography. How many more times can I say, "I know nothing about this 'stuff,'" before I become annoying? I'm starting out with a camera that isn't my own; it's a Nikon D200, borrowed from my boyfriend by way of his father. Lens: Nikon AF Nikkor 35-70mm 2.8 (which weighs about 5 pounds, by the way, and I'm told it's from back in the early 80s). At this point, I figure the best thing I can do with my lack of experience is to get comfortable with the equipment, and to just take as many pictures as possible. We (my boyfriend Nick and I) started out the day by taking the NY Waterway ferry from Jersey City to Wall Street. Can you believe it that I was born and raised on Long Island, went to school at New York University, and work at the New York Stock Exchange, on occasion, and had NEVER explored the southern-most tip of Manhattan? Well, that was about to be rectified. Nic...