A Bird’s Eye View
Talk about getting the chance to shoot one of the most photographed cities in the world from a completely unique perspective. This year my lovely wife, Dipali planned the most awesome of all surprises for me on my birthday – a helicopter ride over New York City. The ride started at the South Street helipad, near South Street Seaport, looped over the Statue of Liberty and then headed upstream over the Hudson River up to Central Park before turning around and heading back the base. The pilot took his time pointing out the different points of interest and the history behind them over the communications system. I for one was really only interested in making the most of the fifteen minute ride by capturing the best photographs possible.
It was a perfect day for a photo-shoot, clear and bright, with the setting sun bathing the city in a heartwarming orange glow. I set my camera to an aperture of 8, an ISO of 200 and varied the shutter speed to achieve optimum exposure. That’s as easy it gets on a nice clear day. The rest is focusing on compelling compositions. I zoomed out as far as the window frames of the helicopter would allow me to capture wide sweeping vistas of the city. I’ve included some of my favorite shots from the ride in this post. They include a lot of New York’s signature sights – the Statue of Liberty, the Financial District with the Staten Island Ferry and the new One World Trade Center, the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, Chelsea Piers and City Hall
As always, I hope you enjoy this post and I look forward to hearing from you.
-S
Caging Bull
I had to take this picture. For as long as I can remember the Bull in downtown NY was ‘free’. You could literally walk up to him and take as many pictures as you liked. I have even seen people climb its massive head. However, today the bull is barricaded on all sides and manned 24/7 by the men in blue, due to the (real or perceived) threat, posed by the OWS protestors. You are still allowed to walk up to it but in a controlled fashion, after being cleared by New York’s finest. Sad sign of the times we live in.
Doesn’t faze the tourists though. Rain or shine, they still show up in large numbers for a picture with this New York City icon
-S
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In and around NYC – Radio City Music Hall and the NBC Studios
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While there are countless interesting locations to shoot in NYC, each with it’s own unique character, no location captures the vivacity and pulse of the city than the area around Radio City Music Hall. In close proximity to the NBC Studios and the Rockefeller Center the place is always thriving with tourists and locals alike – particularly once the Christmas tree goes on display and the skating rink is opened up (watch this space for more pictures of those)
Radio City Music Hall is a NYC landmark in itself and boasts it’s own Christmas Tree, nestled between the unmistakable neon-lit signs that identify this iconic building. In true holiday tradition the world famous Rockettes perform here every year in the Christmas Spectacular, a show you must watch if you are in NYC around the holiday season. This is also been the site of the NFL draft in recent years.
Taking advantage of an unseasonably warm November evening (this is a mere observation NOT a complaint) I had head out to this spot to take some pictures. With the neon signs, Christmas Lights and illuminated fountain coming to life after sundown, this place lends itself really well for some stunning night-shots.
Unless on a tight-schedule it is ALWAYS best to give yourself enough time to explore a location before starting to shoot, no matter how well you know the spot. You will be surprised as to how many new possibilities present themselves if you are unhurried. Also wielding a tripod in manic Manhattan takes some doing, so if you are making the effort you may as well give yourself ample time too.
Nothing says NYC like the yellow-cabs that can be found all over this island. I was already shooting for about 15 minutes when I noticed that cars stopped at a light no more than 10 feet to my left. I waited patiently till I had 2 yellow cabs in my frame and took the picture below. This was my favorite shot from the 10 or so I took from this particular spot, because everything about this image screams NY. I even did a throwback version in black and white (see above)
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The next picture is one that I have been meaning to capture for a while now – Radio City Music Hall with the fountains in the foreground.
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This third picture is my absolute favorite. It’s NYC in a single frame, if there ever was such a thing. The bright neon signs, the moving crowds, the cop to the left of the screen and the black Lincoln are all elements that define the city and managing to get them all in one shot was sheer joy.
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As always – I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it.
-S
