On 34th Street

On Monday I attended a talk by documentary photographer Natan Dvir which was presented at B&H Photo in Manhattan. I was initially attracted to his work because I had seen on the internet a series of his images entitled 'Coming Soon' which is a collection now on exhibit at the Anastasia Photo gallery in Manhattan.

The weather was really wonderful that day, so after the talk I found a spot on West 34th Street to sit and enjoy the people parade. It's a street I walk quite a bit, but usually from Penn Station enroute to somewhere, or to Penn Station to catch a train home, so I never really spend much time there to take photos. There were quite a number of photographers in the area, probably because of the proximity of the B&H superstore. I chatted with several of them, including this gentleman who was shooting with a Nikon film camera.

I stood at the corner of 34th Street and Seventh Avenue for a time, and noticed this woman standing just next to me. She stood there for several cycles of changes in the traffic signals, so she wasn't waiting to cross the street. She was trying to look nonchalant and uninterested that I was taking photos at the corner. I think she was posing for me, hmmm .........

Then, when I turned to head to Penn Station this gentleman started babbling some unintelligible stuff directly at me and posed for this shot. Sometimes I walk the streets and can't find a decent shot, or when I do people curse and sneer at me. Somedays people knock each other over for a chance to get in front of the camera ....