Upper West Side
the Upper West Side is part of New York, NY (Manhattan) , New York City .Top photos chosen by u all:
Mid-day church service
Made by Ed Yourdon
I saw these two women at the last moment, coming out the darkened recess of the First Baptist Church on the northwest corner of Broadway and 86th Street (for more of a wide-angle view of the entire church, see from September 2005). I had only a moment to snap a few pictures and hope that one or two of them came out. Indeed, this was the only one in focus -- and the elderly woman was somewhat obscured. But it captures the essence of what I wanted to show: not only the dignity and slow pace of two worshippers, but also (from what I sensed instinctively from the scene) the efforts of a middle-aged caretaker to help a somewhat infirm elderly woman participate in a service that -- for all I know -- she had been coming to since she was a young woman, or even a child. ********************** This is part of an evolving photo-project, which will probably continue throughout the summer of 2008, and perhaps beyond: a random collection of interesting people in a broad stretch of the Upper West Side of Manhattan -- between 72nd Street and 104th Street, especially along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. I don't like to intrude on people's privacy, so I normally use a telephoto lens in order to photograph them while they're still 50-100 feet away from me; but that means I have to continue focusing my attention on the people and activities half a block away, rather than on what's right in front of me. I've also learned that, in many cases, the opportunities for an interesting picture are very fleeting -- literally a matter of a couple of seconds, before the person(s) in question move on, turn away, or stop doing whatever was interesting. So I've learned to keep the camera switched on (which contradicts my traditional urge to conserve battery power), and not worry so much about zooming in for a perfectly-framed picture ... after all, once the digital image is uploaded to my computer, it's pretty trivial to crop out the parts unrelated to the main subject. For the most part, I've deliberately avoided photographing bums, drunks, drunks, and crazy people. There are a few of them around, and they would certainly create some dramatic pictures; but they generally don't want to be photographed, and I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of them. I'm still looking for opportunities to take some sympathetic pictures of such people, which might inspire others to reach out and help them. We'll see how it goes ... The only other thing I've noticed, thus far, is that while there are lots of interesting people to photograph, there are far, far, *far* more people who are *not* so interesting. They're probably fine people, and they might even be more interesting than the ones I've photographed ... but there was just nothing memorable about them.
Construction crew
Made by Ed Yourdon
This was taken in front of a church/synagogue on the northeast corner of 86th St. and West End Avenue, during the lunch break. Why this group of construction workers chose this corner to relax (and I mean really relax -- at least four of them are sound asleep) is a mystery to me. Maybe it was because of the shade afforded by the church/synagogue, whose two bell-towers towered high above them. ********************** This is part of an evolving photo-project, which will probably continue throughout the summer of 2008, and perhaps beyond: a random collection of interesting people in a broad stretch of the Upper West Side of Manhattan -- between 72nd Street and 104th Street, especially along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. I don't like to intrude on people's privacy, so I normally use a telephoto lens in order to photograph them while they're still 50-100 feet away from me; but that means I have to continue focusing my attention on the people and activities half a block away, rather than on what's right in front of me. I've also learned that, in many cases, the opportunities for an interesting picture are very fleeting -- literally a matter of a couple of seconds, before the person(s) in question move on, turn away, or stop doing whatever was interesting. So I've learned to keep the camera switched on (which contradicts my traditional urge to conserve battery power), and not worry so much about zooming in for a perfectly-framed picture ... after all, once the digital image is uploaded to my computer, it's pretty trivial to crop out the parts unrelated to the main subject. For the most part, I've deliberately avoided photographing bums, drunks, drunks, and crazy people. There are a few of them around, and they would certainly create some dramatic pictures; but they generally don't want to be photographed, and I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of them. I'm still looking for opportunities to take some sympathetic pictures of such people, which might inspire others to reach out and help them. We'll see how it goes ... The only other thing I've noticed, thus far, is that while there are lots of interesting people to photograph, there are far, far, *far* more people who are *not* so interesting. They're probably fine people, and they might even be more interesting than the ones I've photographed ... but there was just nothing memorable about them.
view from our hotel
Made by thetisons
notice i did not say hotel ROOM we pretty much had a brick wall. i think the shadows look really cool here.
Stained Glass
Made by unforth
On a Brownstone.
SPSA-dark-and-stormy.jpg
Made by Craig S
Nearest places of interest:
| H&H Bagels Collegiate School P.S.9 Perisain Deli | Trinity School Days Hotel Broadway Galaxy Towers Homewood Suites Hotel |
