Melting Pot

Having the Fuji -Pro1 in hand (instead of the howitzer Nikon D700) has made shooting street so much  easier. Most of the time, when I'm on the move, I have the 18mm lens on the camera, but when I find an ideal spot to plop my tired old butt I can take a little time to swap out lenses. The Fuji 35mm lens has proven to be ideal for street portraits. In all the time I've had the M-mount adapter for my Leica lenses I've used it twice - the first day I was out on the street, just to try it out, and maybe one other time. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on the new 14mm lens.

Tourist season in New York is almost over. It's been a big one, and most New Yorkers will breathe a sigh of relief as it passes. But for a streettog, having so many people from various cultures roaming the streets has been a cornucopia of opportunities.  I was sitting in my favorite (secret) spot yesterday and caught this young couple enjoying the sites.

Guess!

A beautiful day in the city .... temperature around 80ᴼF, light breeze, no humidity. It's fashion week in the city and there were model shoots going on all around Fifth Avenue. Lots of beautiful women trying out their new duds, but a few still celebrating summer.

Guess? Ummmmm .... REAL!   

Photography for the masses

In a recent article from the New York Times, James Estrin makes a point that with the advent of cellphone cameras and instagram, millions of very ordinary and common images have flooded the internet through Flickr, Facebook and other social media/photo sharing websites. And that many would-be photographers are crying 'What to do .... what to do?' fearing that their work will get buried in the mire of mediocrity (sometimes I just can't resist a little word fun). But he also makes the point that the coming of writing pads and pencils/pens to most of humanity did not result in a flood of Shakespeares or Miltons.

Actually, availability of the tools of creativity, no matter what the medium, has generally had the same effect on most people. When, having access pen and paper, musical instrument, high or low tech photography gear, etc., people try their hand at a craft, they can realize a much clearer understanding of how much effort is involved in manifesting artistic inspiration, and so doing can develop a much greater appreciation for those who have made the pursuit of their vision into a lifetime quest.

In other words, it can't hurt.

As I walked through Chinatown, Little Italy, SoHo, and the West Village today (it was a beautiful day for un flaneur) I saw all kinds of cameras hanging on necks and shoulders. Digital photography has made the medium wonderfully accessible to everyone - no bother developing film or printing in a darkroom - just click and play (on the computer). And I noticed quite a few streettogs lurking in dark shadows, waiting for the 'decisive moment'. Street photography is flourishing in New York City, which is probably one of the two or three greatest cities in the world in which to practice it.

I got lucky with this shot. But to get lucky as often as I do requires that I have my camera with me and ready to shoot all the time, that I have dedicated chunks of my time to do nothing but get out and shoot, and that I study my craft by poring over the works of the masters every chance I get.

'Whew, something smells fishy!'

Burn fat fast

The latest weight loss craze? Dr Oz has something to say. Seems there's something special about green coffee bean extract. Hell, to me there's something special about coffee in any form (except the way Starbucks makes it, yuck!)

As I walk around NYC I'm amazed at the shape of the world around me. OK, maybe I've been blessed (?) with obsessive/compulsive genes that get me up at 7am every morning and to the pool for my ritual one mile swim. I guess it's the same o/c genes that motivated me to practice violin five hours a day when I was a music student, or out on the street shooting and in a wet darkroom inhaling developer and fixer fumes so I could hone my craft as a photographer. I know everyone can't be the same as me. Thank God! Would be a pretty boring world.

But back to those tried and true good old American rural country values, I was at the Duchess County Fair in New York State several weeks ago. None of those trendy green beans here, it's french fries all the way! YEAH BABY!!!

Waiting for her prince

Friday was a heavy travel day for New Yorkers, before the long Labor Day holiday weekend. Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal were teeming with people coming and going. The interior of Grand Central Terminal is a wonderful setting for interesting photos. Many photographers find the architecture itself stimulating enough. But when I'm there, as beautiful as the interior is, I always try to look people in the setting that tell a story.

The early afternoon beams of sunlight were streaming in the tall glass windows and fell on this grand lady patiently waiting for her Prince Charming to ride in on his white stallion.

Hmmm .... What to do ..... What to do?

Hot pizza? Burgers? Damn, I can't decide!

Aw hell, I'll have'em both!

A Day at the Fair

I had the good fortune this past Sunday to spend part of the day at the Duchess County Fair in upstate New York. I had been invited there to be a judge of a fiddle contest that was being run by the fair in conjunction with the Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association and several commercial sponsors. 

The experience was a step back into rural Americana - prize livestock on show, agricultural exhibits by the 4H club, lots of food vendors selling deep fried anything. 

As I walked through one of the exhibition barns I grabbed this shot I call 'Goggle Eyes in the Hen House'.