Day Trip Downtown NYC - 9/11, World Trade, Battery Park, South Seaport

I love creating great experiences that make visiting New York City easier, and since so many people ask "What should we do?" when visiting NYC, I thought I should create a guide that will walk you through the neighborhood the way I would if I could be with you.  Most people have an interest in visiting the 9/11 Memorial and the Statue of Liberty, but this neighborhood has so much more to offer if you know where to go!  So, I've laid out my insider perspective stop-by-stop in an order that helps you spend a day on foot in this neighborhood anytime of year in order to get the most out of it.  If you start this tour around 9am, you'll be in good shape to do all of it!  Some sites may require advance tickets to be purchased in order to avoid a long line or not getting in, so please check out those websites in advance if you've interested in spending more time at those sites.

9/11 Memorial Park & Pools

Address: 160 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10006
Hours: Park Open 7:30am-9pm, Museum Open 9am-6pm 

Time: 30 minutes for just the park & pools, or 2 hours for the museum

Cost: Free to visit the park & pools, Museum is normally $18-$40 but free Tuesday evenings

Start here in the morning, when the air is cool and the tourists haven't fully crowded the park yet.  You'll see the two large pools that are memorial footprints of the buildings and the people who died in 9/11 carved out of the pool's edge.  If you have young children, the actual museum may not be the best content or environment for them.  If you have older children, you may be interested in visiting the museum, which has a somber and reflective tone as it shares movies, memories, and moments of the day and the people who were lost.  If you plan to visit the museum, check in advance for tickets and entry times available: 

https://www.911memorial.org/

One World Trade 360º Observatory

Address: 285 Fulton St, New York, NY 10006
Hours: 9am-8pm

Time: 60-90 minutes depending on wait times or lines

Cost: $34-$61

Is the sky clear enough to see the top of the One World Trade Building?  If so, you should have a good clear view across the city from the top of the observatory as well.  If it's a rainy or low-cloud day, it may not be worth the visit, but if it's clear, take advantage of the weather and enjoy the elevator ride up which has basically been turned into its own amusement ride through time, history, and space as you soar the 100 flights to the top observatory deck over the highest view of NYC.  

https://oneworldobservatory.com/en-US/experience

Oculus / Westfield World Trade Center 

Address: 184 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10006
Hours: 10am-7pm

Time: 30 minutes to explore different levels and views without shopping

Cost: Free to enter,  Retail shopping available

A modern skeleton designed to be a grand public space for commuting downtown, shopping, and viewing the ever upward skyline and perspectives through the various windows and skylights.  Architecturally unique and spectacular as it connects the descent and the ascent of the new world trade center.  After walking around here, take the underground tunnel past the Path Train and down the hallway to Brookfield Place, which has many great food options for lunch!

https://www.westfield.com/westfieldworldtradecenter

Hudson Eats / Brookfield Place

Address: 230 Vesey St, New York, NY 10281
Hours: 10am - 7pm

Time: 60-90 minutes to explore, order, wait, and sit down for lunch 

Cost: Free to enter, Food Court, Restaurants, and Retail Shopping Available

This is the best place to eat downtown because it has the largest selection of restaurants and high quality food options to stay, to go, or to sit down and enjoy as long as you want.  The lower level near the palm tree atrium has grocery and some sit down restaurant options, while the top level has a food court where you can order at individual eateries and then find a table.  If you can get a table near the windows overlooking the Hudson Yacht Marina, that's one of the best views here.

Battery Park City Esplanade / South Cove Park

Address: South Cove, Battery Park, New York, NY 
Hours: Dawn to Dusk

Time: 30 minutes to walk, stop, take photos

Cost: Free

After a good meal at Brookfield Place, take an easy stroll along the waterfront as you make your way down to Battery Park.  It's so easy to forget that this metropolis is an island surrounded by brackish river and ocean waters, and a good walk along the water will help put that back into perspective.  There are plenty of places for shade to stop and sit, as well as a few public restroom options along the way.  If the weather isn't great, it's a short taxi ride to the Ferries at Battery Park.

Take a Ferry - Pick One Option... 

Option 1: Ferry to Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island

Address: Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park, New York, NY
Hours: 8:30am - 5pm

Time: 4 Hours

Cost: $9 - $21.50

If you love history and landmarks, this is the choice for you.  Stand at the feet of Lady Liberty or book a visit to climb into her crown.  Walk in the footsteps of early immigrants as they journeyed from other countries to create a new life in America.  Look up your ancestors in advance through the Ellis Island online registry to see if anyone in your family shared the journey of arriving at Ellis Island.  Reserve your ferry time with Statue Cruises, departing from Battery Park:

https://www.statuecruises.com

Option 2: Staten Island Ferry

Address: 4 Whitehall St, New York, NY 1004
Hours: 24hrs

Time: 2 Hours

Cost: Free

This is the fast & free way to get a closer view of the Statue of Liberty.  New Yorkers who don't want to visit Ellis Island will often take their friends and visitors on this ferry just to pass by for photos.  It's also great if you're just tapped out and tired and want to sit for a while, which I've found has been appreciated by my family members and friends who aren't used to walking all day long like I am.  There isn't much to see in Staten Island right now (they have plans for a large Ferris Wheel attraction), but you still have to hop off when you get to Staten Island, so if you can't catch another Ferry back to Manhattan right away, grab an ice cream cone and look at the little aquarium in the terminal until the next Ferry takes off back to Manhattan.  You can find the ferry schedule here:

https://www.siferry.com/schedules.html

Option 3: Governor's Island Ferry

Address: 10 South St, New York, NY 10004

Hours: 10am - 6pm Summer May 1 - October 31 (Closed November 1 - April 30)

Time: 4 Hours

Cost: $0 - $2

My personal favorite way to spend a good weather afternoon is at Governor's Island (not open in the winter).  Most tourists never even learn about Governor's Island, let alone visit it, which is another reason why New Yorkers love it.  It's a place to escape the city while still being close by.  The island has zero traffic because it's designed for pedestrians and bikers.  There are historic sites on the island that are operated by the National Park Service, there's a small farm and eco-education center, there's a food truck alley, a hammock grove, a slide hill, and a bunch of other things you can discover while you're there.  It's a space to relax, breathe some cleaner air, and slow down the pace a little.  Find the Governor's Island Ferry Terminal by looking for the historic victorian ferry terminal to the east of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.  For information about events happening on the island, visit the website:

https://govisland.com/things-to-do

Seaport District Fulton Market 

Address: 19 Fulton St, New York, NY 10038
Hours: 10am - 10pm
Time: 2 Hours
Cost: Food Court, Restaurants, Retail Shopping
The perfect ending to a full day must include good food and good drink.  As the rest of the financial district closes down and empties out in the evening, the Seaport District and Fulton Market area restaurants light up as a place to relax, eat, and drink after a long day.  Getting here from the Ferry terminal is either a long walk along the waterfront, or a short taxi ride.  You can find restaurants and food options for all diets, as well as indoor or outdoor seating in the good weather months of the year.  There are retail stores for all ages as well as a Seaport Museum and a Pier with Brooklyn views along the water.  This is one of NYC's hidden districts that often isn't explored by visitors unless someone tells them about it.  The district website lists a few of the businesses, but there are many others not listed here:
https://www.seaportdistrict.nyc

Do you have sites you'd recommend to visitors spending a day downtown?  
Leave a comment and share your favorites!

NYC's Unwritten Rules of Foot Traffic

Have you ever felt like a New Yorker was angry with you but you had no clue what you did to warrant that treatment?  You probably broke one of the unwritten rules.  Eventually you learn what those rules are by breaking them enough times, but if you live here long enough, you can easily forget that these rules aren't understood by everyone, which then puts you into the category of an angry New Yorker who gets pissed off at people don't know the unwritten rules.  Here's a quick and easy guide to help prevent getting run over or scoffed at by a New Yorker...

New York's Unwritten Rules of Foot Traffic:

1. Walk on the Right Side of the Sidewalk
We treat sidewalks like streets for feet in NYC and since we don't drive on the left side of the street, we also don't walk on the left side of the sidewalk, unless we're passing someone who's moving too slowly on the right.

2. Speed Walking IS Normal Walking
New Yorkers are almost always in a hurry during the day going from meeting to meeting, and if it's after dark, they're in a hurry to get home.  If you're not speed walking, you might as well be obstructing the sidewalk because now we have to find a way to pass you on the sidewalk without getting hit by an oncoming speed walker.

3. Never Stop in the Middle of a Sidewalk, Street, Staircase, or Doorway
You could actually be seriously injured if you don't abide by this unwritten rule.  Because we're in such a hurry and we expect everyone to follow the unwritten rules, there's a potential to be accidentally pushed, shoved, or knocked over if you choose to stop in a place where people expect you to keep moving.  If you MUST stop to look at your phone, map, or anything else, find the nearest wall or pillar and plant yourself against it, OUT of the stream of moving foot traffic.

4. Stand to the Right on Escalators
If a New Yorker is in a hurry, they expect to be able to walk up the left side on an escalator with room for two.  Much like passing you on the sidewalk, they expect people will be standing on the right and making room for those in more of a hurry on the left.  That means keeping your shopping bags in front of you to make room as well.  If you stand on the left side of an escalator and someone yells at you- it's going to be your fault because you were inconsiderate of those who are in more of a rush than you are.

5. Let People Out Before You Go In
This is a general rule of thumb for occupancy reasons, but especially important when subway doors open or there's major foot traffic in and out of a building.  Always let people come outside before you head inside, besides, it makes you look really nice and friendly when you hold a door open and let someone else out first.  Don't expect a New Yorker to hold a door for you, though, they may not even see you there.

6. Always Make Room for Others on Sidewalks
You want to stand next to your friends to talk to them while you're walking together, but if you're on a 2 person sidewalk, and that means taking up the entire sidewalk together- you're creating a hazard that forces other people to go into the street or to just stop in front of you because you decided to hog the sidewalk.

7. Beware of Bicyclists
Despite the bike traffic rules that are often ignored and dismissed by bikers, as a pedestrian, you have the ability to stop faster than they do at full speed, and you will inevitably encounter bicyclists going the wrong way on a One Way street.  Always look BOTH ways before crossing a street, no matter what the traffic sign says, and keep an eye out for bicycles, not just cars.

8. Obey Crosswalks
Just because a New York resident looks to be dashing across an intersection at a red light, doesn't mean it's a good idea for a visitor.  Visitors are often on sensory overload in the city and tend to miss the subtle things an experienced New Yorker is highly attuned to when dashing across red lights.  This is one case where it's not wise to follow the lead of a local.

AIANY New York New Design Show

On February 11, 2016 the AIANY New York New Design show opened at the Center for Architecture and it will run until May 28, 2016.  While I love these exhibits as a chance to geek out about architecture, this one is most exciting for me personally because this is the first time my architecture work is being exhibited publicly.  It's even more awesome that it's not just a random gallery, but a gallery curated by architects and dedicated to the architects of New York.  I'm especially grateful that the images chosen represent the New York Aquarium Shark Tank project I worked on with JVC Architects & Stephen M Taylor AIA, LEED, AP.

My dear friend Brian Wright stopped by and grabbed a photo of Stephen and I standing next to my images of the Shark Tank's interior "shark rollercoaster" yellow overhead crane, front exterior with viewing glass and shark, and rear exterior elevation to allow easy transport of sensitive marine life into the tanks.  The Center for Architecture did a great job of curating and designing the exhibit in such a way that I will probably go back a few more times to look at all of the other works as well.

In one of these images, it is so tempting to want to retouch an unfinished paint job on the fencing.  However, when the architects and I were discussing what should and shouldn't be photoshopped in the images, it was decided that that little odd detail helped prove that this was a real photograph and not just a rendering.

You can see a few more images from this project over on my --> Facebook Page.

World Trade Inspired | Behind The Image

It's hard to think of interiors and architecture as having "moments", but this was one of those moments when several things aligned and made me geek out about an otherwise very plain image of office furniture.  

I knew I wanted a detail of the carpet, stools, filing cabinets, and desk, to highlight some of the designer's choices, but there were several of these to choose from throughout the office, so I kept looking until something inspired me. Then I noticed a set with the One World Trade building right outside the window- and that's when the "moment" of inspiration struck. Not only were the stools shaped like One World Trade as the edges angled upward toward a flat rounded top, but the carpet's hexagon design was a close relative of the octagon formed in the middle of the One World Trade building as its isosceles triangle facades aligned at even widths. Finally, my creative vision for making stools, carpet, and filing cabinets look more interesting.

The only problem was you couldn't tell exactly what building was out the window from the standing height normally appropriate for this desk. In a straight-on-view mid-height, the mirrored facade of OWT reflected the mid-height clouds in the sky and distorted some of the building shape.  So I squatted lower, and lower, and then even lower, until basically laying on the ground for a window perspective looking upward that allowed the crowning shape of OWT to be compared to the detail of the stools and carpet.  To give you a broader image of this scene, there were people working in this open layout office while I was there, just going about their regular office routines until spotting me essentially laying on the ground in the middle of their office to take a photo of some stools. It's probably good that I'm not embarrassed easily. When a "moment" of inspiration strikes, I'll do whatever it takes to make it work.

However, the work never stops at the capture of the image. This image wasn't actually possible in the camera itself, so if you'd like to know a little more about the technical process of creating it, read on...

First it required two different RAW exposures on site in order to get a proper exposure of the interior and a proper exposure of the exterior. From the settings below you can see these exposures are 3 stops apart (the only difference was changing the shutter speed from 1/10th of a second to 1/80th of a second). While RAW files can be pushed and pulled about 1 stop of light in over or under exposure without too many artifacts or distortions, anything beyond a full stop difference really needs to be a separate exposure.

Next was color correcting the interior image color to more accurately reflect the material and design colors without too much of the florescent orange light color cast and without too much natural blue light color cast. This is one of the most subjective parts of editing because it relies on the color sensitivity of our eyes both on site when photographing as well as our color memory when we're behind the computer.  The window exposure was already perfectly daylight balanced. If I tried to color correct after combining images, the window view would become an unnatural neon blue.

While many people think a grey card can solve the problem, it isn't very reliable under mixed lighting conditions and is highly likely that you'll still end up tweaking it in post-production to find something that balances better over the entire scene. Grey cards are great when you have consistent color across scenes as you do with studio lighting, but interiors are a messy blend of natural and artificial light, sometimes up to five different color tones of light across one space. If you're color blind, yes, use a grey card to get colors somewhere close to where they need to be. If you have great color sensitivity, you'll likely be doing the same amount of adjustments with or without a grey card.

Once my interior colors were as close as I could get to what I saw when I was on location when adjusting for various color reflections, the next step was to bring the window exposure detail into the interior exposure image using layers and masks in Photoshop. Sometimes it's possible to combine exposures with HDR software, but I've found that you end up losing a lot of latitude in highlights and colors when a software tries to average different images together.  

To demonstrate this, below is an example of the best possible detail after using HDR software on the left, versus masking in the window exposure manually on the right. The HDR software failed to pull in any of the blue sky outside, and yet decided to fill in a highlight on the filing cabinet with a blue color cast. You can also see how the HDR version reduces the amount of detail in the ceiling. Occasionally, when exposures are close enough, HDR software can be effective, but when the difference is this dramatic and selective, masking provides more control. I was also very careful not to allow the window scene to be bolder than the interior, because that would also be unnatural to the eye, and take the focus off of the interior design choices.

I believe that when an image is crafted well, you don't actually see all of the work that went into it. If it looks as natural on screen as it would to our eye in person, than I feel like I've done my job well to convey the design as clearly as the air that surrounds it.

Gates Hall | Morphosis Architects

While exploring the Cornell University Campus during a recent vacation, I had one of those drive-by, step-on-the-break moments when the lighting on a building was so perfect that I had to stop the car to get out and document it.  Never mind that the only thing I could take a photo with at the moment was my phone- when color and light align so perfectly on a structure, it's a rare treat and all that matters is freezing that moment in time because it may never happen again.

I just love how perfectly the light filtered through the glass scales and reflected back again to highlight the simultaneous translucency and reflectivity of glass.  The brilliant gold ceiling creates the perfect color contrast to the deep blues that were present in a rare clear Ithaca twilight.  I'm trying not to beat myself up about wishing I'd had my other cameras with me... and just enjoying that I caught the light when I could with what I had.



To learn more about this building, check out:

Cornell Engineering: Gates Hall : A New Home for CIS

Cornell Blog: Explore Gates Hall

Archpaper: In Detail > Cornell University's Gates Hall

Archpaper: Crit > Bill & Melinda Gates Hall

Church of the Redeemer - A Decommissioned Sanctuary

When I received an inquiry about tracking down and photographing a few works of stained glass art that remained in a Brooklyn church, my heart skipped a beat.  A project I'd always been passionate about - preserving architectural artistry and history- coming to my inbox through a client commission.  Little did I know what work was ahead, or even if the stained glass art still existed.


I've always loved churches with big sanctuaries.  The atrium-like spaciousness of the high ceiling, the echo of the chamber that allows songs and chords to last a little longer, and the peaceful quality that people bring as they enter in humility, grace, gratitude, and gathering.  The sanctuary often built in stone as a symbol of safety and stability, but with delicate stained glass to bring in ethereal light.


In recent years, it seems like there's an increased frequency of these vast sanctuaries going into disrepair, many without enough congregational tithes to keep them maintained or even occupied. So many beautifully crafted buildings, adorned with donated artifacts and artistry, but difficult to maintain on volunteer efforts.  What will become of them all?


In the case of Church of the Redeemer, it will be torn down to become a mixed use building set on prime retail and residential real estate with the subway below, the neighborhood behind, and more shopping across the street.  But what will happen to the artifacts?  The Midmer/Gunzelman pipe organ, the stained glass windows, the wooden doors and pews?


For one stained glass artist, Jessie Van Brunt, who signed her own work before donating to the church, there is still hope that her works will be recovered and preserved.  Though Jessie died in 1947, one of her surviving relatives, Karen, has been on a mission to recover as many of her art works as possible and got in touch with me to help.  This hunt has led Karen to inquire about churches in places like Alaska and London, only to find that the churches have already been destroyed by fire or war, leaving little hope that Jessie's work would remain in a decommissioned church.


Even though the historic building was sold in 2012, I found it still standing on the corner of Pacific Ave & 4th Ave, giving direct reference to the subway tiles immediately below when I first arrived in April 2015.  Hardly any scaffolding had been put up yet and it seemed as though many of the original windows were still in tact.  It amazed me that this church hadn't been landmarked with such an iconic presence and location, but for whatever reason, this 1866 bluestone building never made it through the process.




I compared historic Smithsonian Archive photographs to see if I could first identify if the windows were still there.  While the windows were mostly covered from the outside, a few of the window shapes appeared to be similar enough, so I grabbed whatever reference photos I could get on my first visit in order to zoom in later and get a closer view for comparison.


Many of the windows on the building had similar shapes and similar visual themes, so it was only through getting as much detail as possible from all of the photographic records I could obtain on site and comparing them to the Smithsonian archives that allowed me to determine that yes, Jessie Van Brunt's stained glass windows were still in the church and still in an acceptable condition to photograph and to potentially remove for preservation.  However, gaining access to the interior proved to be an entirely different challenge that would take months to unfold, as the developer wasn't interested in providing access to the building.


A tip from the Brooklyn Historical Society helped me learn that The Demolition Depot was able to make arrangements with the developer to remove many of the artifacts that the community was concerned would be destroyed in the processing of tearing the building down.  Several of the items that I had been sent to photograph had already been removed from the building, but the windows that I could identify from the exterior of the building remained.  The challenge was then to create as much of a detailed archival record of the stained glass window as possible, so that if it suffered any damage during removal, it could be pieced together exactly as it has been created.  Unfortunately, one window was now completely obscured by construction scaffolding on the front of the building, which did not exist when I first requested access back in April.  Instead of focusing on obtaining the best color from the light no longer available through the covered window, I turned my focused to the texture and construction of the stained glass.  I also chose to provide enough context around the window in order to demonstrate its architectural placement and the space that had been carved for it in the building, which would be lost once the building was gone.


This church sat empty for 3 years before an architectural salvager was allowed access to remove the artifacts for preservation.  If access had been granted sooner, less damage would have been done and more materials could have been recycled or preserved before they were rusted, warped, or broken.  Some other decommissioned churches I've seen have been in much worse condition than this after just one year.  The damage is almost always a result of a leaking roof or broken windows that could easily be repaired with small fixes accomplished during regular observation.  The neglect and failure to act on minor problems until they become large problems are what create the most damage.


One of my hopes is that by sharing this story and these images, any future churches seeking to be decommissioned or sold will give time for family members, their congregation, and any historic groups an opportunity to find ways of preserving what is meaningful.  Quite a bit of the labor and artistry put into churches was done on a volunteer basis, or as a gift of gratitude.  It seems the least we can do is to give the craftsmanship of these artisans some consideration and opportunity to be saved, even if the structure itself cannot remain.


I'm grateful that I was given the chance to preserve what is left in imagery.  Even if further damage is done or if the artifacts end up in a private collection, what has been preserved in images now can be remembered and shared in clarity and colorful detail.  To see more images from my documentation of the Church of the Redeemer, visit:
Church of the Redeemer - Brooklyn, NY - 2015

Deutsches Haus | 8th St. & University Place, Greenwich Village, NYC

It's not often I feel compelled to do a photo study on a building I haven't been hired to photograph, but after walking by the Deutsches Haus several times, it compelled me to return with my camera in hand, specifically for the direct morning light on its East facades.  NYU has recently invested in deep cleaning many of the building exteriors around Washington Square and this building is one which can easily attract the black grit of the city into its many different textures, so I felt especially lucky to capture it in such pristine condition.

It's such a unique design among the other buildings in the neighborhood, which also means that it gets plenty of attention on its own, but I wanted to document some of the specific details that make it a truly hand-crafted work of love.  In order to highlight the dimension and detail on the arts & crafts style tile work, I knew I needed direct lighting at such an angle that the depth of details could be highlighted without too many shadows or reflective obstructions.  It took about 40 minutes after my arrival for the sun to move into a position that allowed the tile color and dimension to really stand out beautifully against the stucco walls.











I especially loved this dream-catcher style motif surrounding this door as it makes me wonder if the resident or former tenant had a special connection to Native American culture.


As you can see in tile detail, due to the deep relief and age of the glazes, some of the tiles are coming apart and would be very difficult to replicate with the same glazes originally used.  I'm just happy that I'm able to document it as it is right now, before further damage can occur.


I love that each entrance maintains a separate design that still flows with the entire building design.


I found it especially interesting how the ironwork contrasted to the other elements of the building.


The architect and designer created just enough unique elements between different sections of the building so as to delineate each vertical section of windows as a unique set from the adjacent columns of windows, emphasizing a row-house arrangement on the interior while retaining a sense of grand cohesion on the exterior.  I especially like how the rooftops are different shapes and create an outline for each column of windows intending to represent which windows belong to the same or different units.


Even here, where there is structural symmetry, the exterior design clearly defines that these are to be regarded as uniquely separate spaces.


This particular skylight section almost suggests that there should be a bell tower here, as if it were a Spanish mission.


At the far end, it feels almost Italian with the crest relief and faux balconies under windows.


If you're interested in learning more about this building's past and its current occupants, I found a great lecture on the history as well as a link to public events sponsored by the NYU Deutsches Haus:

Video Lecture on the History of Deutsches Haus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS5MTahTknk&feature=youtu.be

Public Events at the Deutsches Haus:
http://deutscheshaus.as.nyu.edu/page/events



Historical Note: these images were taken on August 1, 2014 and are not altered beyond exposure and white balance adjustment in order to preserve historic archival integrity.  If you would like to use or license copies of these images, please contact Anne Ruthmann Photography directly for more information.

Living in Manhattan - My First Year in NYC

We did it.  We survived our first year in Manhattan and learned a lot along the way.  In many ways it feels like one year of living and working in Manhattan is like a lifetime in other cities.  So many things can happen in just one day, plus the city is in a constant state of change, so there are new experiences to be had even if you walk the same streets every day.  It's hard to know where to start with what I've experienced over the last year of living in this city, so I'll just go with what comes to mind after meeting over 200 residents living and working with me in this little overpopulated island of people... (all photos are from my personal instagram feed)

1. Manhattan Can Make A Millionaire Feel Broke

Overheard at a party, "... they aren't hedge fund rich, they're just lawyers and doctors."  Professions that would likely score you a mansion with a nice plot of land in the rest of the country can score you a cozy 500sq.ft. studio apartment in your favorite neighborhood of Manhattan.  I've met CEOs and CFOs of major companies looking to rent out their space in Manhattan while they travel because they'd like someone else to pay the rent so they can enjoy a little more vacation cash.  In a way, it's also a bit leveling in the playing field.  What neighborhood you found an apartment in and if you got a deal on rent is often a topic of discussion as you get to know people here.  It's not as taboo as other parts of the country because it can occasionally take people 6 months to a year just to find an affordable place to live.  The people who get shy to share are the ones who are paying under market rate for their place because they know jealousy will ensue.  To emphasize his rent-control deal without revealing numbers, one guy said, "if I told you what I was paying in rent, you'd punch me in the face."  I bring this up because EVERYONE feels like it's very expensive to live here because they KNOW they can get more for their money elsewhere, no matter what end of the income spectrum they happen to fall on, but they continue to stay, pay, and make sacrifices because they love this place and wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

2. Manhattan is Designed for Short Skinny People

As a tall and large-framed female, I am very aware of how much larger I am compared to the intended comfortable consumer of this crowded city.  I would estimate that you might feel quite comfortable with only 2sq.ft. of personal space around you if you were a 5'5" 130lb person.  At my height and size, that leaves me with little more than 3-4" of space on any side of me, which becomes a blessing in a crowded commuter train where everyone is just attempting not to sweat on each other.  However when you're having dinner, those few inches of space are crucial to being able to move your arms for things like cutting your food or grabbing a glass of wine on your table without elbowing a diner sitting at the table next to you.  I'm quite certain the maximum occupancy and fire codes for Manhattan buildings are based on a completely different standard than the rest of the country.  While there are certainly exceptional places that provide a comfortable sense of personal space for even an NFL player, there are enough places that are not designed with this in mind to remind me every day that that the average New Yorker is more petite than the Midwestern types.

3. A Couch in Manhattan Is Free Hotel Room for Friends & Family

When the alternative is paying $300 - $400 a night for a hotel room, the couch in your living room is suddenly an amazing option for anyone interested in visiting you.  I knew people would want to visit, and we certainly did our share of encouraging people to visit, but we almost needed to create a separate visitor calendar for our couches just to make sure we could accommodate our visitors.  Once you move here, you become a destination trip for friends and family who want to visit for a long weekend or more.  Hosting guests in Manhattan teaches you exactly how to sleep 6 people comfortably in a one bedroom apartment with two couches, and it gives you reason to do all the touristy things you rarely make time for otherwise.

4. Manhattan was Made for Walking

Before moving to Manhattan, a mile seemed like a long walk.  I now think nothing of walking 15-20 minutes or 20 "short blocks" to my destination.  I probably walk 3-4 miles a day when I'm on assignment shooting different properties around me.  Depending on your destination, walking may even be faster than taking a taxi, bus, or the subway.  When friends and family visit, we usually take them on a tour of the neighborhood which can easily turn into four hours of walking around outside and stopping various places.  Then, like clockwork, they end up crashing in a 45-90minute nap in the middle of the day.  If they stay overnight, their hips usually hurt the second day from all the walking the first day.  While there is accessibility for those who are handicap, it's rare to see anyone in a wheelchair on the subway, but I frequently see 90+ year seniors almost doubled over in half walking around without a cane.  These lifelong New Yorkers are inspiring with their elderly mobility.  This city is best experienced on foot any day of the year and you can easily miss a lot of the random cool things around you when you're flying by on a bike, in a taxi, or underground.

5. Manhattan Is The Loudest City On Earth

Aside from the public health issue of not having enough oxygen-producing plants to compensate for the 8 million people living here, there's also the public health issue of protecting your hearing.  That blasting fire truck siren may be an annoyance in your apartment building at night, but when it approaches and whizzes by you on the street merely 5 feet away, the decibels of that siren are at the threshold of auditory pain.  The trains pulling in and out of the subway as they squeal and rattle by can also be seriously ear-drum piercing.  Talking to someone in a crowded NYC restaurant or bar is easily the same loudness required by an opera singer projecting to a crowded ampitheatre.  If you think New Yorkers are stubborn and loud, it's more likely that they are just deaf and used to louder environments.  (Caveat: I haven't been to Mumbai or Beijing - but I imagine they'd be equally as loud.)

There are many more things I've learned since living in Manhattan, but those are the ones you should definitely know if you plan to move here too.  New Yorkers learn to tolerate a lot of things that might bother people who aren't from the city, either out of necessity or because life is simply less stressful when you aren't bothered by everything.  I've learned which people sitting and begging on the street are neighborhood regulars and perfectly sane people versus the ones who may need to be avoided.  Also, for the amount of people and the diversity we have in this city, it's actually quite safe, and I've gone an entire year without being a witness to a single crime, theft, or assault (knock on wood.)  That doesn't mean I completely let my guard down or stay out really late, but I'm more relaxed walking around than I was when I first moved here.  Of course there are a lot of bonuses to living here that I haven't shared, but I'll save those for another post ( now available: Living in Manhattan - My Second Year).  ;-)

Photo Tip: Using a Tilt-Shift Lens on Washington Square

One of my favorites images from this weekend was tilting the focal plane to focus all the way up 5th Ave from Washington Square....

(I don't do many art prints, but I love this one so much that if you'd like a copy, contact me with the size you'd like and I'll send you a paypal invoice for your own special edition signed print. ;-))



The Tilt-Shift lens was originally designed to simulate what a bellows can do on a large format camera, which has historically been used most often in architectural photography, but with DSLRs this technique has also gained popularity for use as special effect photography, like miniaturizing a scene from above with a shallow plane of focus not usually possible at such focal distances.



If you haven't used a Tilt-Shift lens before, here are some basic tips of how you might use it:

What Does Shifting Do?
The "Shift" allows the camera to get a vantage point higher and lower, or further right and left than the actual camera position, without moving the camera.  This is great for when you're at the top of your tri-pod but just need a little extra vantage point, or you're on a rooftop and need your vantage point to be just a little lower without hanging your camera from a ledge.  It's also ideal for creating panoramic images when shifting from side to side and stitching together later without needing to do any additional barrel distortion corrections, because it's basically just adding width to either end of the lens.  This can also help in situations where there's street traffic in front of a building, you can shift your vantage point up to basically eliminate it from the frame without cutting off the bottom of the building.

What Does Tilting Do?
The tilt's main objective is to tilt the focal plane from being parallel to the sensor, to being at an angle from the sensor.  At the extremes of the tilt spectrum, you can end up with a thin line of focus to infinity in just one slice of your image at a much lower f-stop than is possible without a tilt lens.  Most often now the tilt function is used to blur distracting elements that would normally fall on the same plane as a subject, or create the miniature images from focal distances that generally don't make a shallow depth of field possible.  The images in this post and yesterday's were mostly using the Tilt function to create different planes of focus.

Can You Tilt and Shift at the Same Time?
While it's possible to both Tilt and Shift at the same time, the results really aren't going to be as great as if you're just using one function rather than both at the same time because with every exaggerated movement, you're also creating more distortion in the image and letting more light into the camera.  There's a little metal button on the side of the lens that you push to spin the lens element into portrait or landscape mode depending on how you want to tilt or shift the lens- you can even tilt or shift at a diagonal if you'd like, and the lens element will lock the lens in where you'd like.

How Do You Focus a TS Lens?
Because of the mechanics of the lens, there's no auto-focus capability.  You must manually focus the lens and use your eye as a gauge for sharpness with confirmation from your camera's AF points.  Unlike other lenses, you can generally see what's going to be in focus right in the lens, however it can be slightly difficult to distinguish exactly how much will be on the plane of focus depending on your aperture, which is why you should know your focal length math for greatest accuracy.

How Do You Get Accurate Exposures with a TS Lens?
Anytime you tilt or shift the lens, there are light leaks into the lens and the sensor, which means that your camera's meter won't read correctly when you're shifted or tilted.  You can get the closest exposure with your in-camera light meter when the tilt and the shift are set to "0" on the lens- at which point you would set your exposure settings in Manual mode before tilting or shifting to retain proper exposure.

What TS Lens Focal Length Should I Use?
Tilt-Shift lenses only come in prime focal lengths due to the mechanical structure, so if you're going to be using one, you'll need to choose the best focal length for your needs.  The images I've shared here are all from a Canon 45mm TS-E lens which works best if you have some distance between you and your subject, or are using it for more street photography, full size portraits, or product photography.  I've used this lens to get all the flowers down the aisle of a dark church in focus at f/2.8, but it's not wide enough to photograph the Chrysler building when you're on the same street.  The 17mm would be the ideal lens for dramatic sweeping landscape images or shooting ridiculously tall buildings from one street away, the 24mm would be great for interior architecture or photographing smaller buildings and exteriors like homes, and the 90mm would be best for macro or small product photography.  One tip for finding images taken with a particular lens is to search the Flickr catalog of images by the lens name.  There's often either a group dedicated to featuring the lens, or the lens info will show up in the EXIF metadata of images.

Want a little more explanation?  Here are some decent YouTube videos on the topic:

Demonstration of using the Tilt-Shift Lens:

Demonstration of creating a DIY bellows for Tilt-Shift effect:

New York City: Winter Weekend in Union Square

After weeks of relentless below freezing weather, we finally had a Saturday above 50ºF and everyone wanted to be outside and soak up the sunshine.  I had already blocked the day off in my calendar for myself so I decided to have some fun shooting with my 45mm Tilt-Shift lens, which rarely gets used. These were some of my favorite candid captures of people enjoying the time to relax outside...















Check back tomorrow for more Tilt-Shift images and some tips on how to use a Tilt-Shift lens!