The Lights in New York
The lights in New York are varied and unique, just the way the inhabitants are. Effective lighting can be taken for granted, and many do not give a second thought to all the different lights that lend to New York’s never ending glow. I decided to have my theme focus around the lights found in New York because I can appreciate the power and significance of lighting in creating a mood or just serving a practical purpose.
I was inspired to choose this theme because of the recent end of daylight saving time. Literally, the streets would be dark by the time of got out of my 5:25 class. This abrupt and harsh adjustment made me notice the use of lights throughout the city. From neon signs displayed by businesses to the dim glow of candles in a nice restaurant, the effects of lighting are apparent.
I chose to photograph images of the lights that I feel represent a quintessential New York experience. The neon shop signs, the chandelier in the imported goods store, and the color blocked exterior of the furniture shop seem to be things that only those tourists can find interesting or picture worthy. The simple candle in the chic Chelsea eatery Cafeteria creates a mood of tranquility while the white glow of the industrial, fluorescent lights of the subway can make the trip seem sterile and uninviting.
There were expected difficulties that arose in shooting the street photography project. The main issue dealt with the fact that all of these images deal with taking pictures of light sources. This causes a starburst effect, and in some cases the reflection deemed an image unusable. Angle is crucial in taking picture of light sources, to avoid the glare or starbursts that may show up in the photograph. Another issue is shooting in darkness. I chose to not use the flash option on my camera because I believe it takes away from the image. There is something more telling about taking a picture where the background is very dark and the only thing emitting light is the subject of my picture. It makes the light source, such as the image captured of the subway globe, seem more important to not only the meaning of the picture but to the actual technical aspect of the picture: without a flash, the absence of that additional light source would render an image too dark to make out.
When planning out which images would be meaningful to capture, I hoped I would not have come upon taking pictures through glass. This was a challenge because there is a dimension lost when the glass factors in. I tried to avoid it, but for images where the subject was behind glass, there was no other option. Proximity became an issue for taking some of the pictures. I wanted an ideal distance away from the subjects of the photographs so they could be capture just the right amount of detail. In order to take a picture from an ideal distance, I would have to have been standing in the middle of the street for some of the images. Keeping safety in mind, I had to sacrifice some distance, so I ended up being closer than I anticipated.
Actually taking the pictures became a bit of a problem in some instances. Many stores have policies that prohibit taking flash photography. Through careful questioning, I found out that for some places, they are concerned that competitors are taking pictures of certain trade secrets. As I learned the hard way, you are not supposed to take photographs inside the subway. This is for security reasons and even a college student taking innocent pictures for a street photography project is not allowed. The most awkward factor was that of onlookers or those who ended up in some of my images. Many passersby on the street looked at me as if I were completely insane to take pictures of the subway exit or the façade of the building. As I took the picture of the dry cleaner, an employee gave me a menacing look the whole time I was there. There was a bit of embarrassment involved in taking the images inside the Cafeteria. The place is very hip and many were enjoying cocktails when I was taking pictures. The bartender did not look too pleased with my behavior either, and such scrutiny made it hard for me to take my pictures.
Aside from some of these obstacles, I surprised myself with how in awe I am with some of the images. I am in love with some of them for making me realize how something as simple as lighting can make so much of a difference.
December 25th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
The concept behind your street photography project seems very appropriate to our city. New York is the city of lights, after all, isn’t it? Or is that Paris? Either way, you have some really great shots. I’m pleased that you decided to post one of the shots that I particularly liked from your power point in class: the one with the colored lights on the side of the building. It seems very fantastical in a way yet somehow familiar at the same time. Good stuff.