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From London to New York, living in an expat daze

Posts from the Photography Category

Family and Friends


As many photographs as it is possible to take with a digital camera, I am always more than a little
flummoxed at times as to how many to show in a post.  Sometimes the narrative sets the tone with a 
series of photos telling something of a story.  Or so it is hoped.

And just when I think I have a narrative in development - this was going to be all about the fabulous
"HAIR" out there on the streets, I stumbled upon this recent shot which could have qualified as a hair
shot, maybe, but then I thought these dudes are far more than the sum of their hair.  (Aren't we all?)

But here's the thing about this shot.  I don't have a vivid memory of taking it . . . it sits quietly
between two bursts of street performances, those squeaky doors which get all the attention and which 
most likely will stay in the dark of the hard drive.

I could go on and on about taking the hand that reaches out, that we are all a part of the collective
force of nature that is family and friends . . . but I won't!

We can Carpe Diem all we want but sometimes it is a moment which seizes us, only to disappear in the 
fine star-dust of distant memory.

In which case, how many photos are too many photos?



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Muscle Bound

Always, there is something in the air down at Union Square and never more so than when nimble
limbed bodies are throwing themselves around down there, up there.

This is the un-cropped view from my seat on the steps.  I try, most of the time, to take shots
from a fixed point, to catch moments happening around me.  

By virtue of simply passing through anywhere, we are all of us on the edge of a frame at some time
or other.  Some of us are lucky enough to be able to hit the top of the frame!

IMG_4308/UnionSq/NYC/PA*F/JVB

So many people come to New York City with exhausting lists of things to do, places to see, 
shows to catch. Restaurants, diners, cafes and bars to eat and drink at. Museums, galleries
and exhibitions around town that absolutely must be seen.  Then of course there's the 
shopping . . . my move to NY sparked off many comments of expressed envy at the phantasmagoria
of shopping opportunities ahead of me in this fabulous city.  Sad to say however, I am not a great
shopper.  

My number one recommendation for what to do here in NYC?  Give yourself a break and do absolutely

NOTHING!

Stop..... Relax..... Sit down and kick back!

New York City is blessed with green spaces and park benches, ring side seats at one of the best
shows in town - not only watching the world go by but becoming part of that world, part of the
never-ending tableaux putting meat on the bones of the city streets.

Regular readers know by now of my love affair with Union Square which I visited for the first time,
on my first visit to NYC, in October 2001, when the city was still so raw from the events of 9/11.

Crowds had gathered in candlelight vigils and as eerily quiet as the surrounding streets were,
one felt here the pulse of the city, still beating with a sense of passion and care.  A safe place
in an unknown world.  A place I have come to know where stories and anecdotes fall like leaves
from an autumnal tree, where the traumas and joys of life, love and the universe are tossed
and discussed in bonds of friendship.

A place in the world which feels like  . . .  home.

Have a wonderful week-end everyone!


UPDATE:  My grateful thanks to the wonderful Justin Vivian Bond for gracious confirmation at having
been caught unawares in the spring sunshine of Union Square!

After all this talk of doing nothing I highly recommend hightailing it to any one of V's shows, details 
available on the link above!  I still get goosebumps when I think of the heartbreak performance
that was Jukebox Jackie at La MaMa . . .

 

Platform through sliding doors

Faces through Sliding Doors

Man alone

Some after mid-night shots from the New York City Subway where the glare of a different light
exists in the dark of the underground.

There is a gritty sense of companionship on board the train which is missing as you emerge from
that hole in the ground to the quiet, almost empty streets and the long walk home . . . .


reflection late night NY street

But how reassuring to know, that in this city that never sleeps, you can always pick up a banana
from a lone fruit vendor whenever you want one.


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