Since we are currently mostly staying home and not traveling I decided to blog about previous trips I had taken. The images in this post are from a visit to New York City in October of 2017. The main attraction for that trip was New York Comic Con, but I will share images I shot of the city and its architecture and some street photography featuring people.

This is a total ad for the airline I flew on. I love the view of the Manhattan skyline approaching LaGuardia Airport. Well not just the view of Manhattan but of the other boroughs that can be seen too. New York City is dingy up close—for better or worse—but from afar it is a beautiful city. I am always fascinated by how much shipping activity occurs on the Hudson and East Rivers.

MTA - Roosevelt Av & Broadway - Jackson Heights

I did not often take many pictures at train stations. On this particular trip to NYC I decided to change things up and use a different MTA station to get from Queens to Manhattan. Previously I always used the Astoria Blvd station at 31st Street. This time I took the bus from LaGuardia to Jackson Heights and the station at the corners of Roosevelt Avenue, Broadway, and 74th Street. The entrance area of the station was quite interesting, and I got a shot of the man above with his case waiting for a train. It was interesting that most of the other people waited in the shadows, as if they did not want to be seen.

The Flatiron Building was once one of the tallest “skyscrapers” in New York City at 20 stories tall. To say that quite a bit has changed would be understating it. There is something new to look at every time I fly to New York City.

Out at 6AM!

The bacon donut at The Donut Pub is to die for.

Taking pictures of churches and other houses of worship around New York City would be a project in itself.

I almost always make a stop at the famous Midtown Comics in Midtown Manhattan. That has waned a bit, as I stopped collecting comic books years ago. Lots of Ms in this shot: McDonald’s, Midtown Comics, Maoz Falafel & Grill.

Times Square is a colorful area, especially with the neon and all these “Blade Runner 2049 billboards. I probably would have presented images here in color if I was there at night, but this was taken early in the morning. Then that would have been another blog post entirely.

“Fake news” and the “failing” New York Times

I am not exactly sure when, but up until a generation ago these institutions were still a trusted source of news and information. The times have certainly changed. I know that news organizations need eyeballs, and they have all done things to get those eyeballs. Not everyone agrees with the how and what, and so I guess that is where the mistrust originated.

The NYPD’s fleet of vehicles is a diverse one. This little car is hilarious. I am not sure if it is a Smart Car, but it is one of those small car brands. I guess they really need to squeeze through that crazy New York City traffic.

The food cart people push and pull their carts from their base depots to various spots on the streets every morning and back again every evening. I always get something from one or more of the carts, as I am a snackaholic. This and the following images are more street photography style images that I want to do more of in general when I travel. People in places are the most interesting.

This shot was a miss in both exposure and focus. I sometimes shoot too fast when I do not want to miss an opportunity. The highlights are blown out and there is motion blur. At least the dog is pretty well seen.

This little guy was cute. Dogs are some of the most loyal creatures on Earth. This one was looking back and forth for its owner. I did not want to get down and agitate it so I shot this from the hip as I walked past.

A lot of dogs that morning. This one was a pretty cool scene, with both the dogs trying to look in the coffee shop window. I wonder if the guy’s hat had anything to do with triangles.

These two were super chill, waiting for their breakfast. What is even cooler is that the woman in between them inside the restaurant had sunglasses on too! I did not notice that at first. Many times there are surprises discovered during post production. That is one of the great things about photography I love.

This last image is the only one from New York Comic Con in this post. I love this cosplayer’s Jessica Jones. It is simple, comfortable (many costumes are not), and easily recognizable if you have seen the show.

I went on this trip with my Fujifilm X-Pro2 set on the Acros film simulation, shooting the entire trip in black and white. Now I have an all monochrome camera, but I still carry a second camera body with me that is capable of shooting color because of the fear of missing out. Looking back on this series of images I did not even think about color at all. It is not something that should concern me. I can always go back and shoot something again another time.

This was my longest blog post yet. Thank you for coming along to New York City with me. I hope we all get to travel for real sooner rather than later. Where do you all want to go first? I really want to go back to New York City again. So many good places to eat! Stay safe, everybody.

Click images to view on black.

I love visiting New York City. I would not live there, but I enjoy my visits every time. These are a series of images from my latest trip there last October. It was raining one of the days I was there, and to say that I do not like being out in the rain is an understatement. However, I wanted a few shots of the city in the rain, and my Fuji X system made it possible for me.

I am not being paid by Fuji, I swear. I wish that I was. The Fujifilm X-Pro2 is one of the few cameras that I have owned that makes me want to go out and take photographs--even in the rain. Having a weather sealed camera body and lens made things much easier. I just had to deal with rain on my glasses. The classic Nikon F2 and the Canon 5D Mark II were the other two cameras that I have owned that I really loved photographing with. I no longer shoot film, and my Canon system was terribly heavy. Fuji has been perfect for walking around and travelling. And the colors are beautiful.

The street performers in Times Square are a cast of characters, and the Naked Cowboy is one of the most well known. He is technically not naked, and I wonder if he was ever really a cowboy.

Food carts are a big thing on the streets of Manhattan. I want to get something every time I pass one. Seeing them is a big test in self control. I did not buy anything when I took this shot.

This image embodies much of the allure of Manhattan for me. The smokestack, the construction, the traffic, the shadow area beneath tall buildings. I have never driven in Manhattan and I never will. I would not be able to deal with this, but it makes for great images.

Click images to view on black.

New York City, October 2017

Two Days in Manhattan