New York Public Library #5
April 13th, 2006 - New York, United States
When I visited New York in April 2006 - I like to try to get there at least once a year if I can, so invigorating and exciting do I find it - I had hardly taken a photograph in six months. I wandered the streets looking for the iconic (or, failing that, the stereotypical) Big Apple shots, and though I half-heartedly took one or two snaps of a young man leaning against a wall on 5th Avenue playing the saxophone, with the Empire State Building looming in the background, I found I hadn't quite got my street photography mojo back. It had taken me a long time to get up the courage to take candid shots in public back in Geneva less than a year earlier, and not having done so for so long, I reverted to my natural discretion and self-consciousness.
Eventually I decided to give up and went into the New York public library behind Bryant Park, where, ironically, an exhibition of street photography was being shown. Once I had been round the exhibition I explored more of the magnificent building with its astonishing grandeur and gorgeous artworks. Finally, exhausted - I had walked over 120 blocks in the day - I sat down on the bench opposite the one in this picture with the intention merely of resting, only to have my photographer's instinct ignited by the arrival of a young Japanese couple.
This and the next photo of the couple in black and white may not strictly speaking be considered street photographs, but to me they represent the best I have so far achieved in the genre.
Click here to view large on black - I'm not sure it's better, but I'll leave you to decide.
This image has been used on the Metalife Project website and on the associated blog, Metalifestream, both of which are thoroughly worth exploring. In a nutshell, the Metalife Project is an exploration of the way in which our personal and business lives are unwittingly changed by our interaction with communication tools. There's some fascinating material on the website, and it's been beautifully designed by Steve Haynes.
Blogged on Kristo Nikkolo on January 6th, 2008 - Kristo is an Estonian, so unfortunately I
don't understand a word of his post, but I owe him thanks as (I
believe) my first ever blogger !!
Also blogged onThings Look Like This and Happy LOL Day on March 15th, 2008.
Blogged on Siam Intelligence on April 30th, 2008.
And blogged on Narcissique Blog on June 22nd, 2008 (Merci, Thomas!).
Blogged on Flickr Art of Color Photography on July 31st, 2008.
Blogged on www.submityourarticle.com/creative-article-marketing/2008... on September 18th, 2008.
Blogged on Beyond The Book on November 5th, 2008.
Selected as one of Yahoo Travel's Best of 2008 and featuring on the
page Top 10 Destinations 2008.
Blogged on Weblogs and Wikis Daybook on February 1st, 2009.
Blogged on Prelovac on February 11th, 2009.
Blogged on Wide Open Spaces on April 6th, 2009.
Blogged on Greek Rider on May 20th, 2009.
I'm also flattered to say that this image has also been used here by MarcSanDiego to create what is known as an RL/SL (Real Life/Second Life) montage in honour of .:Galatea:., one of Flickr's leading Second Life artists - thanks to Marc for introducing me to a whole Flickr sub-culture I knew virtually nothing about !!
Finally, on May 4th, 2009, this became my first picture to reach 20,000 views. Thanks to everyone who has viewed, faved, commented on, or simply enjoyed this image !!
Comments and faves
s-and-s, guigia1 Luca Guigiani, lillergy, Papstel, and 528 other people added this photo to their favorites.
le cercle (70 months ago | reply)
great work. I like that you can't see her face. it mimics the portrait in the background.
Bitterjug (70 months ago | reply)
I found you via your comment on flickr.com/photos/silvertony/1259850048/ and came to have a look at YOUR stream. Your work is also excellent and very witty. I am inspired!
catbagan (70 months ago | reply)
wonderful!
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http://www.flickr.com/groups/closeencounterso fthephotographickind/ (?)
lillergy (70 months ago | reply)
This is such a beautifully composed photo. I love all the movement and stillness, and I also enjoyed reading the backstory.
an untrained eye (70 months ago | reply)
Many thanks to everyone for your comments and for faving this picture. It's a favourite of mine, but I was never sure of its wider appeal - now I guess I know !
(Plus I'm secretly relieved that my most interesting photograph may soon no longer be a picture of a building - a very colourful building, admittedly - but still a building).
D. Alan Harris Photography [deleted] (70 months ago | reply)
This is simply fantastic....period.
B G (69 months ago | reply)
Cool!!
I have faved and tagged your picture with BRAVO and this serves as an invitation to The Best: BRAVO.
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Seen in a discussion of The Best: BRAVO (Invitation Needed). (?)
bnzai9 (69 months ago | reply)
Beautiful shot. Great color. Nicely composed.
Seen in The Best: BRAVO
Christiane Michaud ... (69 months ago | reply)
Wonderful shot ! Great composition !
Seen in The Best: BRAVO
Christiane Michaud ... (69 months ago | reply)
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This Masterpiece deserved to appear in :
" ╠Art Libre-Free Art-Arte Libre-Freie Kunst-invited pix only╣ .
tag with : "ArtLibre" and consider joining us :o)
“ All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness.”
[Eckhart Tolle ] German spiritual teacher and thinker
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Sanjurocito (69 months ago | reply)
Very nice picture, great job
broddi (68 months ago | reply)
Fantastic shot indeed. I like the colors, setting composition... it's just a good photo
Vasili Andreyev (66 months ago | reply)
EXCELLENT!!!!!
First I thought "Good composition".
The I chose "Original size".
Then I understood everything.
Excellent not only because excellent composition & colors.
Keep in touch,
Vasili
an untrained eye (66 months ago | reply)
Thank you to all those who have commented or faved this photograph over the last few weeks.
Thanks, Vasili, for taking the time to view the original size. I think this is one of the very few amongst my photos that is actually worth looking at in that sort of detail. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Robert Croma (66 months ago | reply)
Superb.
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Seen in your 12 set. (?)
j_photo [deleted] (66 months ago | reply)
great capture!
malluboy (66 months ago | reply)
Loved this shot. Almost voyeuristic
Nikkord (66 months ago | reply)
Fantastic Shot!
Great moment!
Nico
Karlina - Carla Sedini (66 months ago | reply)
I love your photos and the way you comment them!
time for a new beginning [deleted] (66 months ago | reply)
I'd say it was street. And I love that the composition could almost be an artwork itself. For me, the painting is nice, but made so much nicer by the girl on the bench.
Absolute gem of a shot.
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Seen in a discussion of Beginner Street Photography. (?)
Jonas Ollmar (65 months ago | reply)
Excellent!
Discaciate (65 months ago | reply)
Fantastic capture!
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Seen in Cream of the Crop - Please read the rules (?)
Dreamer7112 (65 months ago | reply)
gorgeous !!!
VOiDTEK (64 months ago | reply)
good capture .....
+fav
Rundadar (64 months ago | reply)
!!
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Seen in SECONDS2REAL street photography (?)
marec01 (64 months ago | reply)
Fantastic !
I have a question : the painting is about Lot and his daughters (the flee from Sodom and Gomorrah). Could someone help me to find it on Internet because i would like to see the details in the uper part of the painting. Thank you for your help
J'ai une question: Le tableau montre Loth et ses filles (La fuite de Sodome et Gomorrhe). Est-ce-que quelqu'un pourrait m'indiquer ou trouver ce tableau sur Internet car je voudrais voir la partie haute de ce tableau. Merci pour votre aide
lemon hound (64 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Books & Portraits, and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.
an untrained eye (63 months ago | reply)
Thanks for the invitation lemon hound, I've taken you up on it.
Marec01, apologies for the late reply. Astonishingly, this is the only full size picture I've been able to find of this (you may need to click on Continue to Gallery if the image doesn't appear immediately). It turns out that the upper part depicts Moses bringing down the tablets from the mountain. I've searched but not been able to find much more information about it - maybe you'll have more luck than I did !
Marec 01 (63 months ago | reply)
"an untrained eye", oooh !... It's fantastic, you found the missing part ! frankly you are very gifted because we were several people in France looking for this painting, thanks a lot
(it's because I am doing a paint of this nice photograph, thank you again)
madalena.leles (63 months ago | reply)
Art!
EdV_Photo [deleted] (63 months ago | reply)
wonderful image, I wish I could one day take one as good as this one
espressoDOM (62 months ago | reply)
* * Follow the " top-v_aa " tag * *
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Seen next to a fellow photo of Top-V, The Original 'Top Views' Group. (?)
Eli the Bearded (62 months ago | reply)
The story makes the picture.
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Seen in a discussion of Top-V, The Original 'Top Views' Group. (?)
Kriptonite in real life Samoamax [deleted] (62 months ago | reply)
great capture!!!!!!
JPChamberland (62 months ago | reply)
Great capture. I love it.
an untrained eye (62 months ago | reply)
Thank you Madalena, you flatter me !!
EdV, I'm sure you will. I hope one day I'll take another as good as this. We must hope to be lucky.
EspressoDOM, as I said on the thread inthe pool, I'm humbled to be selected as an admin's choice - thank you again.
Thanks Eli, Alex and JP.
1994SS [deleted] (62 months ago | reply)
This is another great moment well seen and seized. I like the colors in the shot and the story created by the visitor and painting.
Essam Al Hedek (61 months ago | reply)
Great capture .
dieselgirl_777 (61 months ago | reply)
this is wonderful. it looks like the women in the painting are trying to block his eyes from what the girl is doing! i love your NY photos!
fbechwati (60 months ago | reply)
very nice composition and framing, excellent photo
alexindigo (60 months ago | reply)
Great one!
bloggersmosaic.com (60 months ago | reply)
nice
alexislanee [deleted] (59 months ago | reply)
I love this photo.
jarob (59 months ago | reply)
awesome composition!
Man & Machine (59 months ago | reply)
Great great great
Michael LaPalme (59 months ago | reply)
Excellent. Awesome shot!
Merkur* (59 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Art Photography in Color - Is Your Art Universal?, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
MarcSanDiego (59 months ago | reply)
Absolutely love this unscripted moment ... wonderful capture!!! There's just something about it that draws you in and that's what makes this shot so powerful. Well done.
Carlos Alberto Ávila (59 months ago | reply)
Oi! Sou administrador de um grupo chamado Pessoas do Mundo ( People of the world ) e nós adoraríamos ter isto adicionado ao grupo!
abousymbel (59 months ago | reply)
added in my favorites
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Seen in Art Photography in Color - Is Your Art Universal? (?)