Sunday, February 27, 2011

Absence

There's something wonderfully mysterious about this image, somewhat like a graphic novel.
On a trip into Manhattan this past week, I was sitting on the train, a double-decker, shooting down at the door. When it opened at each stop, I photographed the people coming in and out. Of all the images, I found this one most interesting.
Like in writing, it's sometimes what is left out, what is absent rather than what is included in an image that makes it memorable. Here we can feel the anticipation of waiting for someone to walk through the door or sit down on the bench. Our imagination starts to work...
Will it be someone old or young, male or female, black or white, healthy or infirm?
I'm also attracted to its black-and-white properties with a hint of red repeated inside and out. None of this could have been planned. And how it happens is always a mystery.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Canopy

Around now we're all sick and tired of the winter. Enough already. It's so bad for me that I can't seem to find any inspiration to take photographs around here. I've covered the ice, the snow, even the train tracks. A week has gone by and I haven't taken one photo...
So today I decided instead of braving the cold and trying to overlook all the dirty snow that still lingers, I'd continue to reflect on the week of warmth in Florida (I've been back for only a week).
Here's an aluminum canopy framing the palm trees in a municipal square. While South Beach is known for its Art Deco architecture, there's also an abundance of contemporary sculpture that caught my eye. Many of the gates, doorways and public spaces are adorned with intricate metalwork bending in all directions.
For all its associations with the old and the infirm on the inside, I found Miami to be a place with a healthy appreciation of the new on the outside.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Escape

If you were wondering where I escaped and missed posting last week, the answer is Miami. Arriving on Super Bowl Sunday, I stayed right on the strip in South Beach in the heart of the Art Deco district across the street from the ocean. For the first few days, I wandered around in disbelief feeling guilty that my friends and family were home freezing. How could it be 80 degrees and sunny in this place when most of the country is covered by snow?
When I accepted my good fortune and let go of the guilt, I started to look around and appreciate the architecture and tropical colors. Since I was focusing on people on the street for another project, I hadn't taken any sightseeing photos. But on the last morning there, I spotted this Chevy BelAir parked in front of the Edison Hotel and raised my camera. Its canary yellow was a wonderful complement to the Wedgewood blue. If it wasn't for the motorcycle parked behind the car, you might think this image was taken in 1955 when this car came out, a year before I was born.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Oasis

Between storms I had the opportunity to take a brisk walk with my dog in the sunshine yesterday around noon. Instead of circling the block as usual, I headed toward the tiny marina at the end of my block where the town launch is located--a busy place during the summer but quite desolate during the winter.
This time of year I'm always surprised to see islands of ice floating in Shinnecock Bay in lieu of cabin cruisers, sailboats, and jet-skis. But this time I was drawn to this group of pilings standing at attention, some cushioned by pools of water.
Its an oasis, I thought, just like this place where I can always find something new to behold in the sky, in the water, or on the dock.