Boy on Rock, 2006

Corner, Brooklyn

Down under the Manhattan Bridge area. Couple of days ago.

Bronx Mural, 2006

The Kiss, 2006

The park under the Brooklyn Bridge a few days ago.

What I'm Listening To...

While Four Rolls of Film Dry...

There are two or three shots that I can't wait to see...

The summer is always the slowest shooting time for me. I don't like the light. I don't like the heat. Man - I can't even hit the 68F water temp unless I keep some in the fridge. Oh - I know you can do it at 70F or 75F - but once I get a formula I like - not gonna change. Superstitious that way...

Every step of the way we walk the line
Your days are numbered, so are mine
Time is pilin' up, we struggle and we scrape
We're all boxed in, nowhere to escape

Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drownin' in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothin' but affection for all those who've sailed with me
- Dylan, Mississippi

Eye

Untitled

Climbing Stairway

Two Shoes

Whenever I see abandoned shoes in the city, I wonder who left them and how they got there. Sometimes, they just seem to have been perfectly placed. Other times just dropped in a random way on the sidewalk.

What's Wrong?

This was shot from the window where I used to work facing east across sixth avenue (between 21st & 22nd street).

It hasn't been doctored in photoshop.

a) What's wrong with this picture.

ANSWER: THE CARS ARE MOVING THE WRONG WAY ON SIXTH AVENUE. SIXTH AVENUE RUNS UPTOWN. THE CARS ARE MOVING DOWNTOWN.

b) What could the reason be?

CLUE: THE FIRST THREE CARS ARE ATTACHED TO EACH OTHER. You can clearly see the bar attaching the first and 2nd cars. The link between the 2nd and third cars is less visible but it's there.

AND THE FINAL CLUE IS: SAMUEL L. JACKSON

YES:
Die Hard: With a Vengeance They did at least one big car crash / explosion on 6th Avenue. The film came out in 1995, so figure this was shot around then. I waited for a while on 6th avenue with my Hexar, for the explosion but they kept having glitches and calling it off. Finally I had to get in to work so I went up to the 4th Floor, and there was a window that you could actually open - leaned out and shot this as the cars were moving DOWN sixth avenue. When I first saw the negative the other day - I was just wondering about the odd configuration of the cars. When I looked closer, I saw the bar and chain holding the first cars together and remembered the movie shot that day.

Blizzard, Park Avenue

(Date Unknown)

Church in Parking Lot

I was always tempted to call this, Church of the Holy Parking Lot. But now looking back on where I was standing (WTC Plaza) when I took it - it doesn't seem that funny. The longer I photograph, the more temporary everything becomes.

Photography is good at grabbing these scenes for posperity. What struck me as an odd juxtaposition years ago - turns out to also be a record, in this case of a scene that was blown away in an instant.



(Detail from one of the signs).

I shot this on a tripod with the EOS 50mm f1.4. You can easily read all the parking rates, and even the make of the air-conditioner sticking out of the back of the church. The monthly charge for cars was $329.81 plus: 18.25% city and parking tax. (And this was with the rather grainy Delta 400 film). I don't think the 50mm f1/4 was their cheapest lens - but it surely was one of their best.