On October 11th, I almost forgot that it was snapshot day. I did not walk around that day looking for something to photograph. Rather, it was during my break form classes in school that I was compelled to take this photo and remembered what day it was.

Initially, I remembered sitting and thinking about what kind of photo I would try to capture a few days before Snapshot day. I wanted to incorporate New York City, and movement. The photo I ended up taking is almost opposite of what I “planned”. I am still very happy with my photo and think it captures a lot. From this I realized that good photography cannot always be planned. Sometimes, a subject will just hit the photographer, how the idea of this photo hit me.

My photograph ended up portraying the stillness of NYC. I took it on the 8th floor terrace at Hunter. I was sitting and experienced such a moment of peace looking out at the skyline. In NYC, everything is fast paced and I fall into the daily routine of brisk walking, waiting for the subway, doing schoolwork, and sleeping. It was nice to stop for a second and take a deep breath. This photo represents my moment of ease, where the sight and fresh air seemed to calm me in the middle of a stressful day.

Putting my feet into the picture portrays the human experience of the city, not just the coldness of tall stoic buildings. I incorporated myself in the picture to put more life into the image, and to have the viewer imagine themselves sitting and looking out. I think my feet change the perspective of the photo. The buildings are vertical lines, and the balcony bar is the main horizontal line. My legs and feet create lines that draw the viewer into the photo more. I tried to use the rule of thirds by making my feet not exactly in the center, my right foot being the vertical 1/3 line. The balcony bar is also not in the center of the photo, being the 1/3 horizontal line. I also love the contrast of the colors in this photo since October 11th was such a nice and clear skied day. Of course, as a lover of architecture, I believe I also captured the beauty of some of the skyscrapers in NYC – something every New Yorker needs to be reminded about once in a while.