While walking around the expansive landscape that is New York, there are so many millions of things that you could take pictures of. As I was trying to decide on what message to base my photo portfolio on, I could not help but look up. New York City itself was not built out, it was built up. The building and skyscrapers that surrounded me were enchanting. But, as I stared at those buildings, I realized that not all of New York looks this way. I feel that when anyone thinks of New York, they automatically think of the New York City skyline, the Freedom Tower, and Times Square. New York is so much more than that and has so many different characteristics. This caused me to make my goal in this photo portfolio to show off New York’s different identities through landscape and architecture.
In this photo portfolio, I wanted to showcase the different identities that New York has. I began my portfolio with the stereotypical images that first come to mind when someone says “New York”. The first image is one of the typical New York City skyline in the middle of the day. This photo is packed with a perfect line of high-rise buildings as well as the Chrysler Building front and center. The next photo I took was one of the Flatiron Building on 5th Avenue. The Flatiron Building is an iconic landmark in New York and is completely set apart from all of the other buildings because of its triangular structure. I then included a photo of a clocktower, buildings and some foliage from Madison Square Park, a couple block away from Baruch College. These three photos were taken and were added to the beginning of my portfolio because they show the stereotypical “New York” that everyone knows. The skyline and beautiful buildings that are showcased in these photos introduced this “city life” feel that people think is all that New York is about. They serve as the foundation of my message that New York is not only made up of New York City.
My next set of photographs were ones of New York, but they are obscure and to me, show the New York that not most people think of. This is the New York that New Yorkers know about. The first photo in this set is one of the Madison Square Park Fountain. Before I took this picture, I hadn’t seen the fountain full and bursting with water. This intrigued me greatly and inclined me to add it to my portfolio. The next photograph is one of the Titanic Memorial on Pearl Street. This memorial is of a lighthouse in memory of the lives lost on the Titanic. When I was walking down Pearl Street and saw a lighthouse in the middle of New York City in the distance, I was completely caught off guard and enchanted by such an obscure structure emerging from the crowded New York City streets. The last image in this set was one take by Baruch College at around eleven o’clock at night. The sky was pitch black but the city itself was still illuminated. Cars whizzed by and left beautiful streaks of colors trailing behind them. I chose these photographs as a transition to the end of my portfolio. These photographs all show the evident contrast between the buildings and skyscrapers in the first set of photos. Hidden in all of the skyscrapers of New York are these little gems that provide an escape from the fast paced city life. While many people think New York is only made of high-rise buildings and busy streets, these photographs prove that this is not the case and there are many other sides New York.
The last set of photographs are ones of the side of New York that I don’t think many people acknowledge. The first photograph is one of the Throgs Neck Bridge with an eight o’clock sunset behind it. This photo was taken about 10 minutes away from my house. This is the New York that I see and love everyday. The last photograph is one of a pumpkin patch at a farm I visited over the weekend with my family. The farm had hay rides, pumpkins, corn maizes and apple trees; all things that are not advertised as being typical to New York. These two photos show the spacious and grassy parts of New York that are very evident but many people don’t even realize exists.
The photographs presented in this portfolio individually show a different part of New York from many different boroughs. All of the photographs work together however to reflect that New York has many different identities. In some parts of New York you are surrounded by tall buildings and skyscrapers while in others you are surrounded by pumpkins and corn mazes. I wanted my photo portfolio to change the stereotypical view of New York that most people have. New York is so much more than just a bustling city. It is Madison Square Park fountains, Pearl Street lighthouses, sunsets behind bridges, and pumpkins in patches. New York has so many different identities that go unappreciated everyday; I hope my photo portfolio was effective in changing that.
