NEW YORK NEW YORK – I explored midtown today with my Alpa TC, 36mm Schneider Digitar and 60 meg Hasselblad back, stalking the Chrysler building. About the same angle as one year ago. Here you go:

On this day one year ago: Look up!

Lexington Avenue and 93rd Street

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PRINCETON NEW JERSEY and NEW YORK – I started the day with a series of meetings; moved back to my office where I caught a window washer out of my window; then on to Princeton where I spoke at the Princeton Photography Club – a serious group of people and a lot of fun.

This is from the Princeton campus. Not much going on here creatively (I was rushed) but at least is shows off my Alpa TC, 36mm Schneider lens and 60 meg Hasselblad back.

Princeton

As noted above here’s a window washer and the Chrysler building captured with my Leica M9 and a 28 mm Summicron lens.

Chrysler Building

On this day last year: one of my many “Hello Kitty” images.

Hello Kitty

Rating: 4.8/5 (4 votes cast)

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – I spent most of the day in the office. Fortunately in the late afternoon there was a moment when the light was wonderful, so I caught this image looking south from 919 Third Avenue with my Leica M9 and 35mm Summilux II lens. It’s two frames stitched.

South from 919 Third Avenue

On this day last year: Dinner at Le Bernardin.

Le Bernardin

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – I had lunch with a friend, Bill Hoar, at Blue Smoke, Danny Meyer’s BBQ joint. We had very good burgers but the service was poor, uncharacteristic for a Danny Meyer restaurant. After lunch I stepped out onto Lexington Avenue and was amazed: the light was spectacular. Golden, slightly filtered sunlight from the southwest, just illuminating the west side of the avenue, with a very dark sky to the north as a backdrop. The key feature in this urban landscape was the Chrysler Building, a long-time favorite subject of mine. I hadn’t planned on walking, but I ended up walking from 27th Street to Grand Central, dodging traffic and snapping all the way. I’ve been dreading this post for several days now – I can’t possibly edit the images down to one for today without a bit more perspective so I’ve included four images of the Chrysler Building.

No fewer than three passers by commented to me about the light (this is New York – people don’t talk to strangers on the street); one commented that I was lucky to have a camera to be able to shoot this. I’ve thought a lot about this. It wasn’t luck that I had a camera with me – I actually carry a camera everywhere. But I’m lucky to live where I do at this time; I’m lucky to be able to make the time to pursue photography and this daily photo blog; and I’m lucky to be able to shoot with brilliant and exotic equipment.

Anyway, here are the images, all shot with my Leica M9 and a 90mm Elmarit lens.

Chrysler Building I

Chrysler Building II

Chrysler Building III

Chrysler Building IV

On this day last year: Empire State Building. An odd coincidence; stalking the Chrysler Building this year and the Empire State Building on this day last year.

Empire State

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – More Manhattan in the early evening, with shooting tucked in between meetings. I’m shooting with a long lens on my Leica. Night shooting with a long lens is a serious challenge in Manhattan. Decent image quality requires low ISO and f-stops in the f8 – f11 range resulting in long (multi-second) shutter speeds. There are serious issues using a tripod in Manhattan: there are many plazas and parks that are actually private property and where they are banned; the police think that they are illegal, and they are heavy, bulky and in fact do get in the way of pedestrian traffic in the dark.

The solution is to use a bean bag to stabilize the camera against a tree, parking meter or whatever is at hand. The available of something to prop the camera against constrains point of view, which makes the process more interesting. Here’s an image of the Chrysler Building looking south on Lexington Avenue with the moon:

November 11, 2010

Here’s my “tripod”, a red athletic sock filled with lentils:

On this day one year ago: James Beard Foundation 2009 gala. Looks like time is more cyclic than linear in my universe.

James Beard Gala

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Once again I’m stalking the Chrysler Building.  This time from behind the UN Secretariat Building, in color, shooting with medium format.

Chrysler Building and UN Secretariat Building

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Once again stalking the Chrysler Building.

Chrysler Building

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Back home.  Once again the weather is cold and wet.  This is my second try of a post for this date.  The first was a personal memorial for a 24-year-old woman who was evidently killed when her bicycle was hit by a car – it was moving in person but not a good photograph.  On March 26 I took it down and replaced it with this image, also taken on March 23, of the Chrysler Building from a long ways away (just north of the UN), which I think is more interesting.

Chrysler Building from the far East Side

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – A perfect winter day.  I spent a good part of the day in the 30s and 40s in Manhattan with my Leica M8 and infrared filters.  This was an opportunity to stalk one of my favorite subjects:  the Chrylser Building.  A very productive day with some interesting experiments with out of focus images.  I’ve taken the liberty of posting two outtakes in a comment.

Chrysler Building

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – More work on icons, in this case the Chrysler Building at night.  It turns out that this is a little early in the winter to shoot Manhattan at night.  It looks best after the end of daylight savings time – it gets dark an hour earlier – so people are in their offices with their lights on.

The Chrysler Building

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