Like A Ton of Bricks

I could never afford to live in one of the new super skyscrapers that are popping up around NYC. That said, I wouldn’t mind seeing the city views from the top floor, but I’ve heard that many of the elevators have problems, and I have no desire to get stuck on the way up or down. Not to mention water leaks and getting battered by high winds. You know, I think I prefer the views from street level after all. I remember standing near this spot in Central Park a couple of decades ago when my brother first arrived in the city. Things change more than you realize. That’s what hits you when you stop and think.

Tasting notes: iPhone.

A Short Trip to NYC

Albus and Fergie world headquarters will be relocating to NYC for the week. For fun, I’ve decided to post about trees, an important source of inspiration for my images over the years, especially the fine art work I do (but don't typically show here). Today's image was taken in NYC a few years back using the LX-100 camera that I was very fond of, that is, until dust started getting stuck all over the sensor. At that point we parted ways, but I do have a soft spot for these types of cameras. These days, a good phone would probably do just as well, and without the dust accumulation.

Tasting notes: Panasonic LX-100.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

I wish I could remember the details, but I've heard it said that if you want to get classic images of a city like NYC, you should aim your camera to the third floor or higher when you shoot. I thought it would be fun to test that hypothesis by comparing an old photograph I made on a visit to NYC several decades ago with something current from Google Street View or Apple Maps.

So, here we go. Shown below is a photograph from the mid 1980s shot on the corner of Lafayette and Bond Streets looking roughly east along Bond. Great Jones would be the first street you came to if you went to the left. Canon AE-1, 50 mm f/1.4, Tri-X, Rodinal.