By James F. Finn
Growing up in a Southwestern Connecticut suburb of New York allowed me to see and experience the City for what I thought it was: big skyscrapers, cross-town traffic, ad ambushes, bright lights, expensive shops and restaurants. I thought I had seen it all. Returning as a tourist told me otherwise.
Gail – a recently retired colleague and fellow photographer – invited me to join her on a photo excursion throughout the City. She had never been to New York and I was to be her tour guide. As we walked the crowded streets, I was hit with the realization that I had never explored New York as a wandering tourist. My time was always spent with family, friends and a destination in mind. For the first time, I lacked a destination and was in no hurry to set one.
Before returning to the United States in 1996 from Paris, my parents purchased a beautiful glow-in-the-dark painting of the New York City skyline. In daylight, the rich colors and luminescent paint detailed the large blue canvas. In the darkness of night, the paint glowed and illuminated the New York City skyline. The thought of this painting guided me as I composed my shots through the camera viewfinder in Midtown, Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The following photos are the top one percent of 495 clicked off on a weekend-long trip. During the editing of these photos, I found that the concrete buildings and constant swarms of people in a hurry are reflective of the daily “rush” of New York. This “rush” involves everyone searching and trying to get to their destination. As I got to the night shots, I found that New York City truly comes to life at night just like the painting hanging in my parent’s house.
Please take the time to also view the work of my friend, Gail Vitikacs: http://gailsgallery.smugmug.com/