The Photodiarist

The Trumpeter

New York: Central Park

Inspiration: On Sunday past, I walked through Central Park for three hours (a true luxury, let me tell you!). After photographing the sax player in the post below, I walked in a northwestern direction through the park. Near the westerly edge, I heard the hearty notes of a trumpet. And as always, I followed until I located the source. The notes led me to another musician playing in another tunnel. I knew I was onto something interesting when I spotted a photographer crouched behind a tree some distance away from the tunnel taking photographs of this guy. Even from that distance, I could see beautiful light and shadow. After the photographer finished up, I walked into the tunnel and got as close as I could without disturbing the scene. The trumpeter played stunningly - his music enhanced by the acoustics in the shallow tunnel. But once again, you will have to take that from me until I learn to pay attention to the video capabilities on my camera. I took so many photos of him that I will have to show you more later this week.

Tunnel Music

New York: Central Park

Inspiration: I've shot this sax player and this tunnel dozens of times - both separately and together. I cannot resist photographing either. When I hear music in the park, I follow the melody to the musician. When I see a tunnel in the park, I enter. I must become more adept at the video option on my camera. Then I could record him for you. Yet another thing to add to my list of things to do. Well, my staycation is over and I am a bit sad. I was supposed to relax but I didn't. There's so much to do in life when you aren't working all of the time.  

The Tuba Player

New York: Washington Square Park

Inspiration: You've got to love an instrument that holds the player captive in order to be played. The way this instrument grabs the body brings to mind the contortions of a cobra.

Community Art

New York: Washington Square Park

Inspiration: When I got to the park late one afternoon earlier this week, I saw a mural of sorts covering a huge portion of the park in front of the fountain. Chunks of chalk lay among the drawings beckoning people to pick up a few pieces and add to the growing patchwork of ephemeral art. Since it rained hard last night, I am sure the mural is all gone now.

The Brooklyn Bridge

New York: Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge

Inspiration: "All I did was cross the bridge and I was in Brooklyn. Amazing."  Cary Grant playing Mortimer Brewster in the movie, Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

After our drive past the Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday (see the post below), I decided use my first official vacation day to do something that I have never done in my ten years in New York. I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn on foot. And it was awesome.** Before I left my apartment to cross the bridge, I learned a little bit of its history so that I could better appreciate the experience. 

So, the Brooklyn Bridge, designed by John Augustus Roebling, was completed in 1883 and is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. This beautiful bridge took 13 years to build and has a wild history.  The designer died from a tetanus infection prior to the commencement of construction leaving his son, Washington Roebling, in charge of building the bridge. But Washington suffered an injury shortly after the commencement of construction leaving him bedridden and unable supervise the construction in person.  It was Emily Roebling, Washington's wife, who physically oversaw the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge as one of the first female field engineers in the United States. She learned everything about bridge building from her husband and thereafter devoted herself to this bridge. On top of that, she battled politicians and other competing engineers to make sure that her husband remained Chief Engineer of the bridge's construction even though he was unable to leave the house. Wow! Girl Power Forever! (LOL)

About the photographs. I decided to narrow my F-stop for these pictures as I wanted the entire photo to be clear and without the bokeh that I love to use in portraits. I also used my 35mm lens for all except the second photo (where I used my 135mm) having forgotten the 24mm at home (darn). I took the first one at the start of the trip and centered the shot to highlight the symmetry of the bridge. The second photo shows midtown Manhattan in all of its glory (as well as the building in which I work). The third, fifth, sixth and last photos show downtown Manhattan, the first developed area of the city a few hundred years ago (albeit not with skyscrapers).  The fourth photo, which happens to be my favorite, shows the Williamsburg bridge from the Brooklyn Bridge. For this photo, I used the same composition as this photo to show the real relationship between the man-made world and the natural world.

** The last time I was a tourist in my city, I went to the top of the Empire State Building. See those photos here and here.

The Bridge in the Mirror

New York: On the FDR highway in Manhattan

Inspiration: On Sunday afternoon, he and I jumped in my new car to drive to Woodbury Commons. It was only about 2:30 but already the sun looked droopy and low (it sucks that the sun is setting around 4:30 these days). I was driving and he was holding my camera on his lap. I looked in my side view mirror as I tried to pass a car and saw the first picture. "How cool. Oh My God. Take it! Take the picture" I squealed somewhat incoherently as we passed the bridge. "Of what? What are you talking about?" he said quizzically as he looked at me with his eyebrows furrowed. "The mirror. The mirror. The bridge in the mirror.  Hurrrrryyyy."  He turned, looked, got what I was talking about and snapped this picture for me. Then I asked him to photograph the Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges together saying all the while, "Don't forget to focus, okay. And add light. Add light." As he snapped photos, the camera sandwiched between his face and the window of the car, he said "You know I don't know what I am doing with this camera, right? I am just pressing this one button a bunch of times." So funny. He is so patient. I ended up loving his photos. Great job for someone taking pictures under pressure.

Oh Sleep . . . It is a Gentle Thing.

New York: South Street Seaport

Inspiration: "A day without a nap is like a cupcake without frosting."  Terri Guillemets

I am on vacation this week. But I am not boarding a plane to fly to another country or jumping in my car to drive to another city. I am staying in New York this time around. Yet, although I love to travel even more than I love taking photographs, I am quite happy about the prospect of staying in my hometown for a whole week. That said, before I can do anything with this time off, I've simply got to catch up on sleep. Even if it means taking little naps during the day like this gentleman. Except I will have to return home to nap if I end up napping at all. I still cannot close my eyes for an extended period of time in public (not that I've really tried or anything). I am just hoping hoping hoping that my unwelcome but periodic frenemy** known as insomnia doesn't stop by to hang out now that I have time off! 

** I call insomnia my frenemy because she helps me fool myself into thinking I am being so productive by lying awake at 3:00 a.m. dwelling on anything and everything (from the weirdness of the weather to the continuing proliferation of nuclear weapons to the need to add more colorful dresses and a pair of red pants(??) to my wardrobe) even though all I want to do is banish errant thoughts and dive into REM.

The Banjo Player

New York: Union Square

Inspiration: What drew me to photograph this musician was the way he combined a conservative pinstriped suit with a not so traditional earring, vintage-y bowler hat and of course, the banjo. This juxtaposition of utterly different elements of clothing and appearance is what unique personal style is all about. Well, I learned one thing from this guy - banjo players can be snazzy too.

The Scaffolds

New York: Soho (first, second and fifth); Park Avenue and 50th (third); and 14th and 3rd Avenue (fourth)

Inspiration: Construction scaffolding cocooning the fronts and sides of buildings is as common in New York as yellow cabs. Businesses curse them, lawyers love them (there are lawyers in this city who specialize solely in scaffolding injuries) and the rest of us just deal with them. But is there any beauty in construction scaffolding? I think so. In addition to creating tunnels (which I love to photograph), they provide vanishing points and geometric designs. I know. You never thought you'd come here to find a whole post dedicated to construction scaffolding. But even I don't know what's going to capture my eye or imagination on any given day.  In any event, here's my mini-collection of scaffolding photographs. LOL.

Portraits: The Sunshine Girls

New York: You guessed it - Lincoln Center.

Inspiration: I took these photographs ages ago now (well, a little over two months ago). So long ago that the next fashion week in February is probably closer to today than the last one was. Moreover, I've had a reader or two suggest that I post less fashion week photos and more photos of anything else. But unfortunately (or fortunately) for me, I shot so many photos during a three-day period at Fashion Week, that my computer is home to many images that I like and still want to post. So, here we go. I call these women the Sunshine Girls because they really do look radiant and sunny. On a related tangent, these photos do make me wonder if the old adage is true . . . that blondes, even bottle blondes, have more fun (and now it appears that they make more money too). I will never know. I have very dark hair and I've never colored or highlighted it. Yes. That's right.  Not once and don't plan to. Also, blonde hues don't work for every complexion, mine included (although, I note that when someone really wants to be blonde, she rarely takes this very key consideration into account). So, I guess I am stuck having less fun and less money than the sunny radiant blondes. Um . . . but I'll take my dark hair any day, thank you.