No, not that old Mel Gibson / Goldie Hawn movie, but part of some art installation at Rockefeller Plaza. 🙂
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 28 May 2019
30 Rock
30 Rockefeller Plaza.
We visited the “Top of the Rock” observation deck last time we were in New York back at the start of the decade, but this time I only walked around the bases of the Rockefeller Center complex and the only observation deck I visited this time was One World Trade Centre – which was a great experience but not as nice a view as the one from Top of the Rock, I don’t think.
It’s a nice building and I like how it looks like it’s been put together from Lego bricks in this image.
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 29 May 2019
Playing chess in Bryant Park
On our last full day in New York, the boys were tired after walking around for most of the day and didn’t want to go back out to get something to eat (plus they’d both eaten burgers pretty late in the afternoon, so weren’t especially hungry), so my wife and I left them to their Youtube videos in the hotel room and went out as a couple. As our boys tend to be a little fussy with what they’ll eat, the world was now our oyster when it came to dining choices, but we couldn’t seem to find anything we fancied – it was either cafe’s and Pret a Manger type places, or the pricey touristy stuff around Times Square, so we ended up wandering down to Bryant Park where I took the photograph in today’s post.
In the end, we ate in the food-hall area of the Wholefoods Market across the road from the park on 6th Avenue, where we bought a box of whatever took our fancy from the buffet (it was priced by the pound) and then ate it while looking out over the park and watching the world go by. It was pretty nice actually.
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 28 May 2019
Crossing 42nd Street
Come and meet
Those dancing feet
On the avenue I’m taking you to
Forty-Second Street
Those dancing feet
On the avenue I’m taking you to
Forty-Second Street
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 28 May 2019
7th Avenue
There’s something iconic about the man-made canyons created by Manhattan’s road grid structure and I took a number of shots similar to the one below looking down some of the avenues. I’ve yet to scan all of them, but this one is particularly nice thanks to the sheen of rainwater on the pavement which gives a lovely specular sheen down the centre of the frame.
I was slightly disappointed to discover that “Manhattanhenge” took place on the day we flew home – Manhattanhenge takes place on four days each year where the sunrises and sunsets correspond with the east / west streets of Manhattan with the Sun being placed at one end or the other. My disappointment was reduced somewhat by the fact that it was thundering and raining heavily on the evening of our flight so I probably didn’t miss anything.
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 28 May 2019
Stars and stripes and empty seats
Another photo from Times Square.
Now, you could argue that this is a picture that would work better in colour – primarily due to the huge illuminates Stars and Stripes display in the middle of the frame – but, well, I had HP5+ loaded in the camera, so that’s that. I do have some colour digital shots from the same location, but they won’t appear on here (and I’ve not loaded any onto Flickr as yet).
Anyway, despite the lack of colour, I still really like this photo. Once again, the rain makes it – the silhouette of the man with umbrella against the sign, and the wet, empty tables in the foreground work well I think. I also think that, despite the blazing colours all around, that Times Square suits black and white very well – possibly because it evokes older, classic shots of the location that I’ve seen over the years.
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 28 May 2019
Rainy Times (Square)
I got back from a family trip to New York yesterday so it’d be a fair assumption to expect quite a few photos from there in the coming days (and weeks!). I shot six rolls in total: 2 x Kodak Portra 400 (135); 2 x Ilford HP5+ (135); 1 x Kodak Portra 400 (120); 1 x Kodak Ektar (120). I’m still waiting for the colour shots to be processed, so don’t expect I’ll see those until next week, but I’ve started on the two rolls of HP5 and have scanned a few strips already.
I’m looking forward to seeing the colour shots, but the black and whites I took in and around a rainy Times Square have come out pretty well.
I’d have loved to have spent days just wandering the streets taking photos, but it’s not really possible to do it freely on a family trip, so I just grabbed stuff wherever I could as we went about our holiday. I’d really like to go back and take more photos, but it’s a long way from home and I might never get to visit again – I think if we make another trip to the US we’ll probably aim to visit somewhere else.
Here’s one of my Times Square pics to kick things off.
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 28 May 2019
Capturing the moment
Another photograph from Curbar Edge. I don’t know this couple, but though the composition was quite nice and so I grabbed a quick shot when it presented itself.
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Lomography Color Negative 400.
Taken on 12 May 2019
Curbar cows
A group of cows recline in the grass beside the footpath atop Curbar Edge.
Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Ilford FP4+.
Taken on 12 May 2019
Commuters
This group of people on the Tube in London caught my eye and I decided to take a quick candid. The Sure Shot Telemax isn’t the quietest of cameras and makes a quite audible camera noise as the motor winds the film on, but I took the chance of getting the shot. As the camera’s frame counter seems to be on the fritz a little, I was unaware that this was actually the last frame on the roll, so itnstead of a single, quick motor noise, I instead got about 10-15 seconds of loud motor noise as the film automatically rewound! No-one seemed to notice though.
Canon Sure Shot Telemax & Ilford XP2.
Taken on 17 April 2019
