View allAll Photos Tagged Lean
I wasn't expecting this when I went down into the 96th Street subway station this afternoon, on my way downtown to take some "Streets of New York" photographs in the SoHo district of Manhattan ...
And there wasn't much to it: no band, no keyboard, no guitar, no fancy electronics. Indeed, it didn't even look like this guy was even soliciting donations.
Just singing ... and keeping the rhythm and beat to himself.
Still, it was a nice way to pass the few minutes before the express train arrived ...
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This is part of a set of "subway music" or "street music" that I encountered on various subway platforms and trains in 2015, and which I video-recorded on the spur of the moment, typically with my Canon G7X digital camera or (in this case) my iPhone6+ cameraphone.
As such, it's a continuation of a series of subway photos that I began in the spring of 2009, and which you can find here. I created another Flickr set here in 2010, with photos from IRT subway stations at 96th Street, 42nd Street (Times Square), and Christopher Street/Sheridan Square (in Greenwich Village).
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Over the years, I've seen various photos of the NYC subway "scene," usually in a relatively grim, dark, black-and-white format. But during a spring 2009 class on street photography at the NYC International Center of Photography (ICP), I saw lots and lots of terrific subway shots taken by my fellow classmates ... so I was inspired to start taking some myself.
One of the reasons I rarely, if ever, took subway photos before 2009 is that virtually every such photo I ever saw was in black-and-white. I know that some people are fanatics about B/W photography as a medium; and I respect their choice. And I took quite a lot of B/W photographs of my own in the late 60s and early 70s, especially when I had my own little makeshift darkroom for printing my own photos.
But for most of the past 40 years, I've focused mostly on color photography. As for photos of subways, I don't feel any need to make the scene look darker and grimier than it already is, by restricting it to B/W. Indeed, one of the things I find quite intriguing is that there is a lot of color in this environment, and it's not too hard to give some warmth and liveliness to the scene...
To avoid disruption, and to avoid drawing attention to myself, I'm not using flash shots; but because of the relatively low level of lighting, I'm generally using an ISO setting of 3200 or 6400, depending on which camera I'm using. As a result, some of the shots are a little grainy - but it's a compromise that I'm willing to make.
I occasionally use a small, compact "pocket" camera like the Canon G-12, but most of my photos have been taken with my somewhat large, bulky Nikon D300 and D700 DSLRs. If I'm photographing people on the other side of the tracks in a subway station, there's no problem holding up the camera, composing the shot, and taking it in full view of everyone. But if I'm taking photos inside a subway car, I normally set the camera lens to a wide angle (18mm or 24mm) setting, point it in the general direction of the subject(s), and shoot without framing or composing.
What I find most interesting about the scenes photographed here is how isolated most people seem to be. Of course, there are sometimes couples, or families, or groups of school-children; but by far the most common scene is an individual standing alone, waiting for a train to arrive. He or she may be reading a book, or listening to music, or (occasionally) talking to someone on a cellphone; but often they just stare into space, lost in their own thoughts. Some look happy, some look sad; but the most common expression is a blank face and a vacant stare. It's almost as if people go into a state of suspended animation when they descend underground into the subway -- and they don't resume their normal expression, behavior, and mannerisms until they emerge back above-ground at the end of their ride.
Anyway, this is what it looks like down underground ... or at least, this is what it's like in the stations I've visited and photographed so far. If I feel energetic enough in 2011, maybe I'll try to photograph people in every subway station. It would be interesting to see what kind of variety can be seen...
Bahia Honda Rail Bridge ~ last used 50 years ago
109 Year-Old Decaying Bridge to Nowhere
The Florida Keys U.S.A. ~ December 6th, 2020
*[left-double-click for a closer-look - 50 years of decay]
*[stands alone - 5055 feet long - 24 feet deep @ center]
*[it seems to be 'leaning to the left' - 'bent' by hurricane winds]
Bear with me. I felt compelled to do a series of shots of my favorite bridge in the world, with her magnificent colors of water and sky. I visit only once a year (for 46 straight years), and every time there is nobody here, leaving her and her ruins lonely and forgotten. I will never forget her beauty, or Henry Flagler. Thanks for looking.
The Bahia Honda Rail Bridge is a disused bridge in the lower Florida Keys connecting Bahia Honda Key with Spanish Harbor Key. Originally part of the Overseas Railway, the State of Florida purchased it after the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and converted it to provide automobile use as part of the Overseas Highway in 1938. After a replacement Bahia Honda Bridge was opened in 1972, two spans of the bridge were removed (in the 80's) to accommodate boat traffic and make the majority of the bridge inaccessible to pedestrian traffic, but the rest remain standing. Red bridge-rust.
It was originally built by Henry Flagler as part of the Overseas Railroad which was completed in 1912. Flagler funded the construction of the bridge, along with the rest of the railway himself. It was purchased by the state of Florida and converted for highway use in 1938 after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. Rather than completely rebuilding the bridge after the hurricane, the existing structure was repaired and the deck for the Overseas Highway was added on top, as the existing deck inside the truss was too narrow for vehicular traffic. The bridge served as the primary mode of transport to the islands of the lower Keys, and as a primary evacuation route.
A new four-lane bridge was built in 1980, a few hundred yards north of the old bridge, replacing the old route of U.S. 1. Today, the former bridge provides a scenic overview of the area for tourists. Two of the truss spans have been removed in order to facilitate boat traffic, as the new bridge has an increased span height. The original bridge has fallen into a state of disrepair and signs have been posted on the bridge warning boat traffic to watch for falling debris, but all of the sections have remained standing (not counting the two that were removed). The easternmost section remains open to pedestrian traffic and is maintained by Bahia Honda State Park. Bahia Honda Rail Bridge ~ Spanish Harbor Key ~ Lower Keys
www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahia_H...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_East_Coast_Railway#History
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Railroad
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Highway
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_keys
Modern Marvels video - (long, but very, very interesting!)
Bahia Honda Bridge history - Keys History & Information
Lean On Me at a distance. After four years walking through these woodlands, I never noticed I could see the Lean On Me tree from across the lake. Using the 70-200, this scene has very nice isolation amidst the snowy forest. This was taken on Christmas Eve 2024.
I've been keeping myself in shape recently by going to the gym 3 times a week and hopefully it's starting to pay off. Being able to still squeeze into my slinky dresses is a good incentive to continue!
The alarm on my phone bleeps at 2:30am, wearily eyed I hit the dismiss button and trope downstairs for my morning ritual, coffee. I drink it at a faster pace than usual, mindful of the fact that I'm setting off in half an hour, within which time I'll have to make myself a bowl of cereal and consume that too.
My camera gear is primed and ready from the night before. It makes a huge difference when everything is ready, including your clothes, rather than rushing around first thing and scrambling to get everything together - it's probably as much to do with mindfulness more than anything - if you're rushing around, that leads to feeling frantic, and that's the last thing I wanted to be feeling like when arriving at my destination. It's important to be on the same level with nature when trying to convey the sheer beauty of it.
Having checked the weather forecast the night before I knew I might be arriving to sublime conditions. And you have to picture that in your mind, I think, to feel at one with them and make the most of them. Do you want to be frantic and arrive late or get there early, feeling connected with the atmosphere nature provides?
Arriving well before sunrise meant that the woods were shrouded in the most beautiful depth of mist I've ever seen.
Brian, lit with the same Sunpak 120J + Grid Spot setup as before. At the One Light Workshop in Berkeley, CA.
This image brought back a memory of Bill Withers' iconic song by the same title that was released in 1972. In these unusual times, "we all need someone to lean on" . By ourselves, the situations being generated are overwhelming.
The Schooner America 2.0 with Full Sails! She is one of the most majestic tall sail-ships in the Key West sunset-sail fleet. Her huge sails catch the wind and the light as she roams the harbor, giving passengers a day/evening of excitement and open-water beauty.
Schooner America 2.0 - Key West Harbor - vertical
Key West, Florida U.S.A. - The Florida Keys - 11/24/23
SUNSET - Autumn Light 2023 - seagulls - 4-Sail Beauty
*[left-double-click for a closer-look - harbor sunset-cruise charter]
*[harbor sunset moment - the day after Thanksgiving - Friday night]
*[taken aboard the "Commotion on the Ocean" Fury Catamaran
Sunset Cruise in Key West Harbor with the Cory Heydon Band]
History: Designed and built by Scarano Boat Inc. in Albany, N.Y., the America 2.0 had big shoes to fill. Its 1995 predecessor, the 139-foot America (now berthed in Santa Barbara) won the hearts and minds of many islanders on and off the docks. That ship replicated the original America, a 101-foot sailing vessel that won an 1851 race against 15 yachts of the Royal Yacht Squadron in what would become known forever as the "America's Cup" in honor of that ship. The 1851 original America ended up a blockade-runner for the Confederacy and after the Yankees seized her, became a blockade-buster for the federals. She remained government property until falling victim to a shed collapse in 1945, and with the shed was scrapped and burned. A 170-year history with two replicas built.
America 2.0 (105 feet) replaced the 1995 replica schooner America (139 feet). The '95 replica is now berthed in Santa Barbara, Calif.
The America 2.0, the Adirondack III, the Western Union, the Appledore and many other tall ships are credited with helping
to keep Key West's maritime traditions alive for years to come.
Key West: Far from Normal - Close to Perfect
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West,_Florida
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_keys
"Margaritaville" - Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffett
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4XtBiWgXLE
"It's Five-Oclock Somewhere" - Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffett
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPCjC543llU
RIP Jimmy Buffett - Passed 9/1/23
Normally, you lean into a curve, but there's a spot on CSX's Monon Sub where a train tends to lean out, instead. There's a constant low spot in Dyer that the Maintenance department is always working on, but the soft subsoil tends to swallow all the ballast that the track dogs can throw at it. I caught Q643 doing the "lean" on its way south back in August of 2015. I've seen the lean here much worse than this, but you get the idea. A pair of old C40's, no longer on the roster, provide the horses this day. The 7532 is a little bit of a rarity for me - it has matching number boards. Seems that most of the CSX C40's I've seen usually had mismatching fonts. It was always interesting to see, just like seeing the outside lean.
Depend not on another, but lean instead on thyself...True happiness is born of self-reliance.
The laws of Manu
Model : Nassir Mestarihi
What could be more fun than rolling around in the snow in -24C.
Voyageurs Winter Carnival
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