The Photodiarist

Silhouette

New York: Central Park

Inspiration: I like photographing inside tunnels. They often provide intense contrasts between light and dark, which I love.  See here and here and here and here for some other tunnel shots I've taken in the past, some of which are of the same tunnel in this photo.

It's a Love Thing, Pt. 3

New York: Central Park

Inspiration: Enrique from Urban Peanut left a beautiful comment to It's a Love Thing Pt. 2: "Love is always in season."  

It's a Love Thing, Pt. 2

New York: Union Square

Inspiration:  I love Spring love. I feel rather attuned to it lately.

It's a Love Thing

New York: Central Park

Inspiration: Love. It seems to be everywhere. 

Can you hear Me?

New York: Union Square

Inspiration: "No? Let me try this again . . ."

"Can you hear me now?" 

"Yes . . . I believe you can."

He played jazz New Orleans-style with a group of about 8 others. But he stood out. Every sound he made was a statement. Or a question. Or an answer. 

Tulipa

New York: Gramercy Park

Inspiration: I am a lover of tulips, originally known as Laleh in Turkey. They signify springtime and happiness to me. I thought tulips originated in Holland. Not so. They are native to Turkey and Central Asia. In fact, the Dutch saw them first in, and imported them from, Turkey in the 16th century, and eventually took the lead in the commercial cultivation of the flower. As much as I love tulips, it's wild to believe that they are responsible for wars and the financial ruin of thousands of people!  If you are interested in the history of Tulips, you might wish to read "The Tulip" by Anna Pavrod. It is the "story of a flower that has made men mad. . ." 

So, on cold, rainy Sunday, I walked to Gramercy Park (one of my favorite little gems in the city, even though I have no access inside) to practice some macro photography. The center and edges of the park are filled with some of the biggest tulips I've seen in a while. They literally pile through the iron bars enclosing the park. I spent about an hour or more crouched over these magnificent beauties getting soaked by the rain. It was worth it.  Raindrops provide such a natural sparkle and glow.

P.S. For color photos of Tulipas, click here.

My Camera and Me

New York: My apartment

Inspiration: Hmm. I think it's called boredom.

Master of the Board

New York: Union Square

Inspiration: His name is Skater Bob and he is a master of the board. The skateboard, I mean. The last time I photographed him, the best I could do was to catch him in repose. I caught this action late in the day yesterday - around 6:30 to 7:00 pm. I was returning from a photography class at ICP. For the class, I chose to bring my 85mm 1.2. As I've been favoring my other prime lenses lately, I thought that it was 85's turn to get out of the house. After class, I couldn't resist hanging out in Union Square before going home. So, it was with the enormous, slow, but beautiful 85mm that I took these shots. I could not have picked a worse lens for action photographs. How was I supposed to know that this dude would be performing wicked stunts at that moment?  The only benefit of having this lens in this situation was its wide aperture, which allowed me to obtain light and some modest speed without having to resort to high ISO. By the way, here's someone else's video of some brilliant tricks by Skater Bob. 

I Fly

New York: Union Square

Inspiration: I love photographing skateboarders, although it's not so easy for me to nail good shots of them in action. Of several I took a couple of days ago, this is one of the few decent ones!

Rockin' the Hoop

New York: Central Park

Inspiration:  As I walked through Poet's Walk a few days ago, I heard the rhythmic beat of drums near Bethesda Terrace. Of course I had to check it out. When I got to the spot, it was so happening. The music was powerful. People crowded the drummers and jammed to the sounds. A few steps away from the drummers, this woman rocked the hula-hoop to their beat. And I mean ROCKED it. She was a total showgirl . . . so utterly and completely into her moves. It was awesome to watch. Even when I look at these photos now, I smile.