Best of 2008

I found that subjects have evolved somewhat over the course of the year. Some previous themes were related to landmarks or different perspectives of particular areas (perhaps I’ve exhausted some of the major categories associated with the New York City area). Anyway, I am now very interested in Street Photography and these reflect this. The newest photos are frequently pictures of strangers on the street, many translated to Black and White. Besides being interesting to myself, I’ve noticed that when I post these pictures to my online Flickr account, these draw a lot more “views” than the more “beautiful” types of pictures I’ve worked on in the past.

Some of the Top 10 pictures come from the most recent Street Shots series on my main site. There are also a few that are brand new. It was a bit tricky to get down to only 10 pictures, and I actually left many many favorites out (it was a very productive year, photographically anyway). Here's what made the cut. (You can click the photo's name to see it on the site’s page). You will see that some of them are linked to blog entries in which I discuss them in detail:

1. Queen Mary 2 – The Queen Mary 2 ocean liner was preparing to rendezvous with the Queen Elizabeth 2 which was making its final trip across the Atlantic. A view from a skyscraper between the buildings of the massive ship.
2. Man with Coffee – It is a lone man sitting in the window of a coffee shop. This was noticed and cropped from a picture of a completely different subject.
3. Fan Fan – A vintage-style capture of a girl behind a spinning fan at a flea market.
4. Alone – A figure silhouetted on a rainy sidewalk taken from above.
5. Watching the Tickertape Parade – Hundreds at their windows overlooking a tickertape parade for the New York Football Giants taking place below on Broadway.
6. Cig – A cigarette dangles from a man’s hand.
7. Crossing Silhouette – The silhouetted legs of a pedestrian in a crosswalk near City Hall.
8. Cigarette Swing – A classic street photography view of a stylish woman walking down a rainy street with a cigarette gesture.
9. Financial District People - The most viewed picture of the year on the Flickr account. A mixture of moods of individuals walking down Broadway.
10. Twilight Windows - As evening approaches, the glowing lights of a brownstone building provide a mixture of moods from each window.

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.

New Series - Wall Street

There were all taken on Wall Street itself, or within the three block vicinity.

The Wall Street area is an eclectic mix of people, stores and buildings. There are stockbrokers, security police, tourists, TV crews and business people all intermixed in this small area.

Besides the NY Stock Exchange, there is Federal Hall, where George Washington was sworn in as the first president of the US. The steps of Federal Hall are an interesting place to sit and observe people passing by (and eat a sandwich). From this one vantage place, there are views of: tourists posing for each other in their pictures, police patrolling with machine guns, CNBC cameras being setup, and floor traders taking a smoke break while talking on their cell phones.

The major entry roads to Wall Street have security barriers built into the pavement that block traffic. They are raised and lowered like drawbridges to give vehicles access when needed. Otherwise, the core of Wall Street is a pedestrian mall. I made about 5 trips to Wall Street to get this assortment of photos.

Say, if you didn't take a look at the site last month, here are my selections for the best pictures from last year, Top 10 of 2007.

As you might notice, I've been doing more street photography, many of strangers who I find interesting. These work best in black and white.

As an example, I was walking down Nassau Street, and saw a lookalike couple sitting in the window at a coffee shop who I found interesting. This picture on Flickr shows them staring into space, seemingly bored with each other. I really like this one.

Best of 2007

It was a bit tricky to get down to only 10 pictures, and I actually left a few favorites out that will be featured in upcoming montages. Here's what made the cut:

1. Flooded Park - A storm brought a deluge that caused the river in the local park to swell and flood. This resulted in mist and trees growing up out of the water creating a surreal mood.
2. Driving to Manhattan - As I drove from Queens into Manhattan, the sun was going down between two skyscrapers. I grabbed my camera and got the shot while I drove towards the EZ-pass lane.
3. Pittsburgh Skyscraper - Light from the setting sun turned the Pittsburgh Avila building orange.
4. Striped Girl - Vertical blinds creating a striped effect on Caroline's face.
5. Statue Pigeon - A pigeon rests at the base of a statue at the Wall Street location where George Washington was sworn in as first president.
6. Jersey Garage - Glass brick highlights a parking garage slated for demolition on a rainy day.
7. Conference Room - A law firm conference room overlooking New York Harbor is set up with many manila folders.
8. 9/11 Ceremony - A ceremonial international police force attends the 2007 New York City 9/11 remembrance at the World Trade Center site.
9. Brooklyn Bridge - The lamps of the Brooklyn Bridge create an interesting balance in composition.
10. Pittsburgh Bridge - The arches of a historical Pittsburgh hotel frame the Roberto Clemente bridge in an evening time exposure.