Awakenings

New York City is a bustling town. People are constantly rushing past you, bumping into you, and sometimes even tripping over you. This is what New York City is known for: its lights, its crazy taxi drivers, and its people. Street photography, born out of the depths of despair and depression, was an outlet for photographers such as Jeff Mermelstein, Diane Arbus, Evan Walker, and many more. These photographers chose a number of themes to work with but something that struck out for me was the connection they shared when capturing the city. On my adventure to accomplish what these notable photographers were famous for, I realized that this was not going to be easy. Taking pictures of things around you came easily, but putting meaning into them was extremely difficult. I did not have a purpose for my pictures, lacking direction or meaning. It wasn’t until looking through the frivolous pictures I had taken, that I noticed something I captured unintentionally. It was a picture of a man walking by. I remember that shot clearly. It was taken in haste but I just felt the need to take my camera out and take a quick shot. It was not of anyone in particular, just a fellow Baruch student. I didn’t extend an invitation or greet the individual. To a great extent, I invaded his privacy and caught a glimpse of his life, as he sped by me.
In tackling this assignment, I felt this battle inside myself. I was fearful of the responses by those I would take pictures of and hesitant of what I could take pictures of. In the beginning, I decided to take inconspicuous pictures, which lead to several pictures of inanimate objects. But then I realized that taking pictures did not mean I had to capture the expression of the face. Body language became a big part of my theme. It was extremely hard to capture people in the city being still. In fact, it was near impossible. The norm of the city life is to be unstoppable, constantly moving and out of reach. I decided to capture the motions of New York City.
I went on the streets, taking pictures of taxis and buses, streetlights and flow of traffic. Then, my friend suggested going to Rockefeller Center because they were just starting to put up the tree. Once I got there, I was inspired to take pictures of people ice-skating. They skated as if they were free and liberated from the mundane problems of their lives. They were having fun; not a single care in the world. Children, couples, and parents alike were whizzing by on their rented blades, going faster and faster. Ultimately, some individuals fell because they went faster than they could handle. This image struck a cord with me because everyone in New York City are always trying to go faster and faster. But, what will happen when we fall? I believe we will be like that little boy who fell: dust ourselves up and start over again. This is the magic of New York City, what makes us unique from other places and communities.
After September eleventh, New York City dust itself up and started a campaign to revitalize their community and to prove to the world that they are stronger than others perceive them to be. New York City is more than just a tough exterior. The people and the community are strong and resilient. The streets of New York City are different from any other place in the world. People move fast, cars and taxis move even faster, lights are glaringly bright, and the city never seems to sleep. The most perplexing question about New York City is how does it continue to move so fast without sleep? Somehow, New York City pulls it all off and I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this in my photographs.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 2nd, 2007 at 7:20 pm and is filed under