TWILIGHT

I've always thought of those moments after the sun sinks as magical. Everything looks warm and inviting in the sun's afterglow. Tonight I glanced out the window at the same stuff I see every day which has become rather ordinary and the view was anything but.

A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

GREENE AVENUE, BUSHWICK

I was taking the side streets to try and avoid rush hour traffic today when I spotted this truck covered with graffiti. Graffiti isn't unusual in New York City, it is everywhere. However, this truck made me do a doubletake.

EIGHTH AVENUE PRIMARY COLORS

Lost in thought as I was walking up Eighth Avenue these bright storefronts caught my attention. Predictably one of them is for rent. I'm still wondering about the yellow store which offers "well drinks" (whatever that is) for five dollars during happy hour. I'm sure we can all use a "well drink"!

JUST MARRIED

Wandering around lower Manhattan this afternoon this couple that had just been married seemed oblivious to all the passersby.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Right now I feel like everything in my life is under construction. I am trying to find some kind of balance in my life, a routine if you will... my life is under construction as I struggle to find a rhythm between working, caring for my Mom and managing things in my own life I feel as though nothing is normal right now.

A SIMPLE SCENE

As I drove around looking for the quintessential weather picture today I was struck by how simple, yet universal this street scene is. It could be almost anywhere in America, but I found it here on Long Island.

INTERSECTION

After a long day of driving in snow, sleet, ice and finally fog I was stopped at an intersection not to far from my home. I have driven through this spot countless times. Today as I looked at the tree silhouette which seemed even more dramatic in the fog, I also saw the symmetry of two stop lights and two telephone poles. I like the stark appearance of the tree, and there is something I like about the parallels of the telephone poles and the telephone lines. The punctuation of the red lights add depth. I guess I just like seeing this familiar spot in a new way.

EARLY LIGHT ON 125TH STREET

The first thing I noticed as I walked to my car on West 125th Street was the crisp light on the facades of these buildings. Then I noticed how they look like a bunch of building blocks, stacked on top of one another and next to each other. A hodgepodge of buildings that have had their raison d'etre reinvented time and again. I guess in that respect the lives of buildings are not unlike our own.

HARLEM

I think it is the symmetry of this photo that appeals to me. The white graffiti on the left side of the photo is balanced by a part of the tree on the right side. The arched doorway on the lower half of the image is balanced by the rectangular window above. The brick color of the lower part of the building versus the burgundy color on the upper part of the building. The woman dressed in black lends scale and interest at the same time. I wasn't sure if I liked this picture when I took it, but I like the balance of the photo. Perhaps because things seem so off balance right now.

LOOKING UP

Sometimes things look better when you just try to change your perspective. So, today I just kept trying to look up!

HOTEL EMPIRE

TAIL LIGHTS

Heading East along the Long Island Expressway service road in rush hour is always a test of my patience. I liked the way the elevated highway and high retaining wall on the righ seem to be swallowing up the long line of vehicles. This picture just seems to have a lot of geometry and angles to it which I think make it interesting.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS

Columbus Circle is all torn up with construction, but the holiday lights on the Time Warner Center are magnificent. When you sit in traffic and stare at them for a while they even look better!

LAUNDRY DAY

From the looks of things, these women will be spending a lot of time in the laundromat!

RECYCLING

This man is very serious about his recycling efforts. His shopping carts and plastic bags add a lot of color to the streetscape too.

CANDY MAN

I was so surprised to see this cotton candy vendor on Amsterdam Avenue near 133rd Street that I grabbed the photo from my car. He seemed out of place in the midst of this urban landscape. Everything looked so gray that the pastels of the cotton candy just jumped out at me. I shot it so quickly, that I didn't think I had much. However as I looked at this image I started to like it more and more. I like the parallel vertical lines of the street sign, the pole holding the cotton candy and the corners of the buildings. These repeated vertical lines give the picture a kind of energy. When I shot it I wished I could see the face of the vendor, but I think his anonymity is an asset. I think seeing his face would have completely changed the focus of the photo. New York City is filled with characters, but not all of them are as colorful as this one.

CITY REFLECTIONS

I loved the graphics of this image, the way the building under construction is reflected in the windows of the building across the street and all the strong lines and angles. And the one lone person gives a sense of scale to it all.

FIFTH AVENUE AT TWILIGHT

As the sun was getting lower and the temperatures getting cooler the warm light emanating from the Fifth Avenue entrance of the old B. Altman department store seemed very inviting. The store was a favorite of mine. I sure wished I could pop in there to buy a pair of gloves tonight!

OLD COUNTRY ROAD

I hate it when the clocks "fall back" and the days get shorter and shorter. Today as I was driving west on Old Country Road, a road I have been driving on since I got my license I saw the last remnants of the sun slipping below the horizon. I liked the counterpoints of the dark sky and headlights/taillights with the bright spot of the sun. I saw this road and intersection in a way I had never seen it before. At the end of the day (no pun intended), isn't that what photography is all about?