In taking my photo for Snapshot Day, I had a difficult time thinking of what would best suit the tone of my everyday life. It had to be a shot I saw often, yet something that fully represented how I saw the city. I entitled my photo “Side by Side.” One of my favorite places to spend time when I’m sick of studying is down by the water on FDR Drive at the Waterside Apartments where there is a huge sitting area, park and a beautiful view of the water. As I sit here, I often think that the city is such a diverse place in that everyone and everything seems to coexist simultaneously; city and island; water and land; bridge, tunnel and buildings; west and east; uptown and downtown. The city has its own dichotomy and its own rhythm. To capture only one of these elements is to betray my experience in the city; I live downtown but I go to school uptown. I work on the East side, yet I attend arts performances on the West. The city is far from a place of isolation or a place where you get stuck in a bubble. More or less, I’ve been everywhere, exhausting my unlimited MetroCard. This snapshot, to me, was an encapsulation of my life in the city as well as the true history of a city like New York, where cultures blend together and where many lives coexist.

In taking this photo I kept the Rule of Thirds in mind; the picture is divided into water, land, and sky to represent the elements that all play an equal part in the city’s habitat. I also kept the lighting in mind; one of the most important elements of my photograph was the clouds–they seemed to be looming dark and grey over the city and lightening up to white, fluffy clouds towards the water. This changing climate, as well as the cloud streak that curves downward, seemed to run parallel to the slope of the buildings into the bridge. This slope of the buildings draws the eye across the picture from left to right, city to island. The bridge emphasizes how the all the elements of the city are connected into one unifying word: Manhattan.

I entitled my photograph, “Through the Looking Glass”. October 11^th, or Snapshot Day wasn’t a great day for me with the stress of my classes amounting and endless list of tasks augmenting. My sister and I were eating lunch together and I was half listening to everything she was saying since I was so frustrated and worried about all the things I had to get done. When I looked up and saw this view from the 7^th Floor Bridge at Hunter College. The view was beautiful with the sun hitting parts of the buildings, creating shadow and depth to the city view. I had a feeling of tranquility and realization. The view reminded me that I was in the middle of in New York City and there are amazing opportunities, people, and experiences to be taken advantage of. Like Alice, when I look at this view I get transported into a new world (less literal for me) that comes with visions for my future and memories I wish to have in the city and that became my saving grace. I had to get through what I had to do in order to achieve my visions and cross through this looking glass.

The concepts of the rule of thirds, diagonals, and lighting played a crucial part in my photograph. I wanted to capture the view as I saw it with the light coming in, which represents my realization to the situation.  I didn’t want to just take a picture of the city but rather show my viewing of the city through this glass. I used the rule of thirds to emphasize the glass with the bottom of the glass being on the bottom horizontal line. The diagonals of the shadows show the passage of time and the depth and multitude of things that the city is composed of.

Even though my phone didn’t take a great quality picture, I will remember the thought behind the photo. Every time I’ll on sit on the 7^th floor bridge, I will remember why I’m here and appreciate my surrounding and dream of what is behind this looking glass.