I gathered my courage and took the train in to the city to practice taking street photos.  I realized that combining the photography and cycling was probably silly — I want to keep riding when I’m on the bike (or at least pounding for home if I’m tired).  Walking through the city with a camera, on the other hand, was surprisingly peaceful.  I figured I’d start in the village, near where I used to live.  I sat on the stone steps on the southeast corner of Union Square Park and practiced panning on the cyclists as they drifted by.  I got better as the morning went on; I fiddled with exposure times and f-stops until I felt reasonably comfortable.  Still plenty of room for another practice morning soon.  Here’s my favorite.

East 14th street

I realized that I don’t quite have the chutzpah required to simply take pictures of whatever is happening around me, but it was fun to talk myself in to some shots even as I let others go.  I crossed a few bike lanes (really just the ineffable idea of a special place, marked off by parked cars on one side and streaming traffic on the other.).  I  stood on the corner for a bit, but there were too few cyclists!

The sun burned off the clouds and I wandered up into the High Line Park for the first time. It’s frankly amazing. I’ve always loved the ‘little’ parks that dot Manhattan — having falafel on a stone bench by a tree always seemed cool. Adding the Hudson River Park, bikeway, and the High Line have transformed the whole area.

I took these last two shots while strolling North in a beautiful park two stories or so above the roadway.  I worked on the first one to get at the gritty feel of watching him working in the shadows while I basked in the sun in a park above.  Just as I was wrapping up, he got on the bike and shot off down the street.  I quickly snapped a few as he cycled away.  I wanted this last shot to emphasize the sense of solitude within a city of 8 million; of working in the interstices of the city.  That’s probably a bit too much for the photo to carry but it was fun to work on!

NYC messenger working under the high line.

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