Category Archives: Photographs: New York City

Photographs: New York City

New York Bay, Sunset

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New York Bay, Sunset
A winter sunset over New York Bay, photographed from sixty floors up.

New York Bay, Sunset. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A winter sunset over New York Bay, photographed from sixty floors up.

When it comes to visiting New York City we have one advantage — both of our sons and their wives live there, so rather than relying on visitor guides and similar resources we often have our own personal guides to the city. As a result we end up visiting places and seeing things that we probably would not otherwise experience. This afternoon and evening provide an excellent example.

We began with a long walk. We started at Grand Central Station, where we met our eldest, and from there we started south, following a route that he picked, though neighborhoods that we likely would have otherwise missed. (Though along the way we also traversed some familiar terrain.) Eventually we made it to almost the southern end of Manhattan, where we met up with his wife plus our other son and his wife for drinks at Manhatta, a 60th floor restaurant high above the city. I don’t know if it was their plan or not, but we arrived there and looked out the windows at this stunning sunset panorama. (On the other side of the building there was an equally amazing view north over Manhattan.) From this stunning perch we descended back to the streets below for dinner and the unpretentious but delicious Xi’an Famous Foods restaurant.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

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Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Manhattan Food Cart

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Manhattan Food Cart
“Manhattan Food Cart” — A couple of people ordering after dark at a Manhattan food cart.

Most New York visitors have some story they can tell about being “taken” but a street vendor — at least they do if they actually go out and wander the streets of Manhattan. Mine is actually pretty tame, but it is instructional nonetheless. About two decades ago we visited with our kids and (if I remember correctly) on the first day we wandered out towards Madison Square Gardens and its transportation hub. I decided that I wanted bagels (or was it pretzels?) for everyone, so I walked up and said something like, “I’ll take five.” I was handed five and then informed that they would be something like $5 each. Twenty years ago. Lesson learned: sort out the price first! (I can tell a similar story about fresh apricots in Heidelberg…)

That aside, there is something attractive about these stands — in the same way the county fair food booths are attractive if you are in the right frame of mind. I find them even more interesting at twilight or after dark, when their flamboyant lighting casts a right of light outwards onto the sidewalk. (One son who lives in Manhattan tells me, “You know dad, that might not be the best Philly cheesesteak you’ll even have.”)

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Smoke Shop

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Smoke Shop
Night photograph of a man approaching the Millennium Smoke Shop in Lower Manhattan.

Smoke Shop. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Night photograph of a man approaching the Millennium Smoke Shop in Lower Manhattan.

We were in New York City for most of the final week of 2019. There is a lot to see and do there, and walking is one of our favorite Manhattan activities. (Even in winter weather, though we were lucky that it wasn’t utterly frigid on this visit… unlike the last time we visited in winter.) So we walked. A lot. Twice we walked more or less from midtown all the way to Lower Manhattan, though on the day I made this photograph we did use the subway to head back uptown after dark.

Urban night photography with handheld cameras (a.k.a. “night street photography”) has become a bit of a passion of mine over that past few years. Night lends a mysterious atmosphere to otherwise mundane scenes, the darkness can hide many visual distractions, and the pools of light from businesses create points of luminous focus.

Update: After sharing this photograph I thought about it a bit more and came to the conclusion that there is another possible interpretation of the scene. I created a different version that I’ll share in the coming days.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Window, MOMA

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Window, MOMA
A window at the Museum of Modern Art, Manhattan

Window, MOMA. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A window at the Museum of Modern Art, Manhattan.

Virtually every New York City involves a visit to one or more Manhattan museums. On this visit we spent a morning at the Frick Collection and a half of a day at the recently remodeled/updated Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). My reasons for visiting museums often go beyond the obvious one — seeing the collection — and include photographing people and architecture. For years I have been attracted to these exterior windows at MOMA, both for their views of Manhattan and for their own intrinsic opportunities to photograph form, light, color, and sometimes people.

About MOMA… the recent expansion and update has gotten a lot of attention, and one reason we chose to visit was that this was our first opportunity to see the changes. Mostly I think they are fine and even positive. But based on this one visit (admittedly during a holiday peak period) I have a concern: it was so incredibly crowded that in some cases the experience was seriously degraded. In some rooms the crowds were so thick that it was literally impossible to move at times. There’s a ton of wonderful work at MOMA and it is worth visiting… but try to go at a less-busy time if at all possible.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.