Tickertape 2012

I had my third opportunity to observe a tickertape parade up the Canyon of Heroes winding its way up Broadway (which is by the way counter to the way cars travel).  The New York Giant Super Bowl heroes (who play in New Jersey) were once again honored for their victory (last time had been 2008, one of the other times I saw the tickertape).  I also saw the Yankees in 2009.  

The crowd was fully assembled along the parade route as early as 8:30am in preparation for the 11am start to the event.  I made the mistake of trying to get some of the early setup shots up near City Hall, the eventual site of the ceremony.  It took me about 15 minutes to travel only one block amongst the blue and white jerseys and turned back to a side street.  Barriers were up since the night before and people began aligning themselves against the obstructions, even in those spots that were back from the street.

Giant Shadows

As the parade came, the battle for prime viewing positions began.  This mob was on the roof of this car (which looked like an unmarked police car, as there was a police sticker in the window).  The roof start denting, and they all ran off.  Realizing that they couldn't see anything from the ground, and the roof was already dented, they all climbed back on.  

Dented Car

I was able to work my way into a building that had a sunken glass lobby.  It was below street level, but they eventually opened up the doors to let people move into a secondary area not far from the street.

Below the Crowd

The people were everywhere, as people waited for the players, as the video from my iPhone shows.

As a photographer, one of the first subjects that caught my eye was a girl hanging on a bus stop sign raising a "we are number one" finger.  

Number One

There heroes began passing, I couldn't really see much but did grab some photos of the players as they passed between bodies as they were elevated.  Here is the obligatory shot of quarterback hero Eli Manning.  Also on the truck is Mayor Bloomberg, the team owner, and the Lombardi Trophy.

Eli the Hero

Then the crowd began to disperse.  The layers upon layers of shredded paper was everywhere.  And, the people were everywhere.  Happy crowds of Giant fans clad in Giants uniforms with not much room to go anywhere, but they slowly started to make their way away.  I focused on the people and went into Street Photographer mode, capturing what I saw.  

Dorothy in Tickertape LandTickertapeThe Party's OverGiving the ThumbSunburnTalk to the HandPizza FanThe Manning Brothers

And, in the end there was only the tickertape and the swirling wind.  I got this video from my iPhone of the wind whirling the paper into the air.

Yankee Tickertape Recap

Friday was my second tickertape parade. The first was the one celebrating the Super Bowl victory of the Giants in 2008. While crowded, I had good positioning to get a feel for the parade and got some decent photos. But, that crowd seemed to be nothing compared to the Yankees parade. I couldn't get anywhere near the parade itself and didn't even try.

To get an idea of how far back the crowds went, in the shot below, the parade would be passing by near the traffic light way up ahead. The girl is looking the wrong way.

Instead, I focused on the people in their Yankee outfits. They didn't always feel like cheering. Many of them had been there since 7am (parade time was 11). Add on to that time to get your face painted.

Several were fighting to use the bathrooms in office buildings nearby, even though signs said NO PUBLIC BATHROOMS. Even the face painters got tired and eventually lost their enthusiasm. These two seemed to be done (this was after the parade).

Finally, I got this amusing moment on video from my iPhone. Apparently this flag was considered a weapon, and the guy holding it was removed.

New Series - Street Shots

 You might have noticed I have not sent an update since January. That’s because I have not added any new sections to the website. This does not mean that I have not been taking pictures. In fact, I have probably taken more pictures than ever during that time. The major reason for that is that I was given a new high caliber camera in April for my birthday, an Canon EOS 40D. This is my dream camera and can rattle off pictures rapidly (I think of it as a machine gun). This really helps with capturing the precise moment of action. Also, the quality of pictures in low light is far better than I’m used to.

 So, as I commute to my job in downtown Manhattan, I’ve had ample opportunity to explore the camera and as a result I have taken thousands of shots in the last few months… many to just see how the camera works, and many more that were immediately deleted.

As a result of the frequency of shots, I have been posting shots almost daily up to my Flickr.com account. Posting to Flickr is a bit quicker to do compared to creating pages on the website. And it gives instant measurable exposure and social links with other photographers.

The Street Shots series is a highlight of the Flickr pictures taken over the past few months. Many of the people shots were with the new camera, but there were also many taken with the older Konica Minolta camera I was using. My goal is to capture the feeling and the people of the City. Sometimes it may be an object, or silhouette. Sometimes it is a group of people in conversation, or a pattern of people with an interesting composition. Sometimes I pick a spot and wait for the people to come, other times I am capturing my own experience, such as the commuter shots.

 Not on Fraissi.net, but of interest, are pictures I took of the Tickertape Parade that went up Broadway’s Canyon of Heroes following the football Giants Super Bowl victory in March. These are posted in a set on Flickr. I have very few shots of the parade itself, it was just too crowded. But there are some interesting crowd shots. The picture to the right was from the 39^th floor of my office building taken at the beginning of the parade.

Say, if you didn't take see the last series of pictures posted with the subject of Wall Street, here’s another chance to check them out.

Tickertape Parade

A tickertape parade. I always wanted to experience one, but they are not as common as they once were. There are commemorative strips embedded in the sidewalk up Broadway that record each parade. They were rather regular in the '50s, any visiting dignitary seemed to have one. Lately though, it has only been for NY sports champions.

The victory by the Giants in the Super Bowl, quite a feat as they beat the undefeated Patriots, sparked the parade that I had sought. The crowds started assembling 5-6 hours before parade time. The streets were busy with excitement as the anticipation grew.

While, the focus was on the Giants as they went by in the parade trucks, there was a buzz and electricity on the blocks, called "The Canyon of Heroes". Waves of enthusiastic crowd noise circled up and down the avenue. People hung from balconies and looked out of windows, and the floors were littered.

I started taking pictures as people got ready, then as the parade approached I got a perspective from the 39th floor of an office building. Then descending in the midst of the crowd to see what was going on there. The atmosphere was electrifying.