Natural and Manmade Beauty, both awesome in the literal sense of the word; that is inspiring awe. However there does seem to be some tension between the two. Where one thrives, the other shrivels. New York City, Manhattan, in particular is a mecca of man-made feats. Huge skyscrapers and strong sturdy all-brick buildings are testaments to human achievement. However, we are reminded that theire is a natural force; one much stronger than our own. Experienced by Storm Sandy, we understand we cannot control nature and its power is often overwhelming.
I took some creative license when attempting to capture my scenes I wanted to present. Although our assignment was “street photography:, I decided to be a little bit more creative. A street can be a road, highway, or path and each of these words has a totally different connotation. A path is a small human encroachment onto that which is nature. I picture a small dirt walkway that winds through forests or parks. Streets intrude further upon the natural beauty, and highways often blot out nature entirely. My home in Saint Louis and my residence on 97th and 3rd could not be more opposite. In Saint Louis, we live on 4 acres of grass and trees. Here, I live on the 15th floor sharing a one-room residence with a roommate. There is no outside place to call your own or somewhere you can be guaranteed silence.
Because I’m in New York City, and there isn’t very much natural beauty to capture. I decided to shift my focus to human architecture and the building that have become evidence for man’s innovation and power. Many have stood for over 100 years. I chose to focus most of my attention and time to the NYCPL (New York City Public Library). I love the old meticulous design of the building; the ornate staircases and floors.
My photos spanned a few different scenes. One of my favorites was taken from the plan near Saint Louis. I love the winding river and the plains. It is very stereotypically Midwest. I took one picture of a tree almost blurred out by sunshine. It reminded me of a sunny day in the country.
The major challenges I encountered was trying to get photos at interesting angles and deciding on which scenes to shoot. I shot probably 75 images, finally choosing about a 15 or so.
I am very proud of how the photos cam out as I wasn’t expecting my IPhone camera to take such detailed shots.
