Portrait of a Billboard

Here's some shots of a billboard on a cloudy day. Exposing for the billboard blows out the sky nicely.

Iphone: More Green Glass

Shot and processed with the Iphone.

Published High Line Work

This spring marks the beginning of my fourth year covering the construction of NYC's marvelous High Line. I have enjoyed every minute spent walking the line, talking to the workers, and of course shooting. This project was the spark, the one that inspired me to try to get in and shoot as many landmark construction projects here in the city as will allow me.

Working with the wonderful folks at Friends of the High Line has been a real pleasure. Starting with my initial conversations with them regarding my intentions for covering their project and for the years to come until the fully completed High Line construction finally wraps up with an opening at the Hudson Yards, I really can't say enough good things about them. Thanks Peter, Katie, Patrick, Kate, and of course Joshua and David for your support (and for getting my work into Sternfeld's book!).

Above are some High Line publications where you can find my photographs. Below are links to purchase them.

Designing the High Line: Gansevoort Street to 30th Street (buy here and here)

High Line Opening Booklet, Limited Edition (buy here)

Joel Sternfeld: Walking the High Line, 2nd Edition (buy here or here)

San Juan: Part 3 (Blue Sky, Blue Water, Blue Wall)

Here is the final installment from Old San Juan.

Iphone: Promises and Threats

A rare (as I normally don't show up on film or chip) image of your humble photographer, shot and processed with the Iphone.

Inside the Vision Machine

Last week, I got a personal tour of 100 11th Avenue from Francois Leininger of Atelier Jean Nouvel and Jack Beyer of Beyer Blinder Belle (thanks, guys!). Inside, I got a chance to see a few apartments including one that Mr. Nouvel lived in while he was in town working out design and construction issues (one in which he made many sketches on the walls and lightly furnished). Another highlight for me was the dreamy 1/10+ acre full-floor penthouse.

One interesting anecdote concerned the design and construction of the facade, the most intricately complex yet attempted by Nouvel. It may be difficult to discern, but each uniquely patterned panel consists of 3 different types of window colors. Each panel is one story x 37 feet. Why 37 feet? Because that was the largest size that would fit in a shipping container, of course. Due to cost considerations, the panels were fabricated in China and shipped to New York City (and yes, a few did break in transit).

From the exterior, the tilted, colored panes within each panel throw light and color in different directions. They reflect the sky, the sun, the Hudson, and even the surrounding buildings, such as Frank Gehry's IAC Building. The effect is unique, and something I've never experienced in this way from a building. The interplay of reflections between 100 and IAC is quite striking, as you can see in the photo above. Nouvel and Gehry are friends and fellow Pritzker Laureates. Francois conveyed that it was quite important for Nouvel to not only create his own work of art but also to flatter the adjacent Gehry building. It was refreshing to hear that Nouvel was interested in complimenting rather than outshining his neighbor.

Inside 100, the spaces are amazing and the views are breathtaking--as was expected! It was very difficult to keep my jaw off the floor. Now that the economy has taken a hit, who knows how long it will be before we see another residential project this ambitious.

Wires on White

Simple subjects and simple lines for powerful impact.

San Juan: Part 2 (Ghosts of Tropicalia)

Another dispatch from Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. On sunny days and steamy nights as you walk along the narrow cobblestone streets, you don't feel alone. The ghosts of the old Caribbean are everywhere...

Iphone: Color of Money

Last night I was hanging around on the private roof terrace of of my new $22M penthouse apartment at 100 11th Ave. By private, I mean private. Not private from just the filthy masses, but private from the wannabes living on the lower floors. You see this entire roof is all miiiiiine! Its a tad on the small side, but I suppose it may just be big enough to land the helicopter in a pinch for the ride out East to the beach house.

As I was sipping my wine and enjoying the gentle breezes, I had a fleeting thought. Wouldn't it be nice to give "real folks" a glimpse into something they couldn't possibly understand---what its like to walk in my shoes and see the world through my eyes.

So here it is, and trust me when I say this--just this small fraction of the 360 degree view from my terrace may be more than you can handle. Please don't hate me. I cannot help the gifts that allow me this luxurious lifestyle. I am who I am and being me is just as much a curse as it is a blessing.

Tanks

From an ongoing series of mine entitled Tanks, Containers, and Stacks: Photos of Industrial America Snuck from in the Car, Outside the Fence, and Behind the Trees.  These beauties were shot in and around the ports of Elizabeth and Kearny New Jersey in areas that most people would seldom venture to see--large tank farms and industrial shipping zones.  

Shooting for this project, I try to work quickly to avoid run-ins with private security and police.  If I'm lucky it's one shot and off to the next one.  I'm usually far gone by the time security arrives.

As profiled on PDN's Photo of the Day. 

Wee Firenze

Here is the last mini I will be posting (for now). We're going waaay back for this one, as it is the first one I ever did. After a few years and a few more memorable minis, this one is still my favorite.

I shot this nice little Florence scene from the famous Duomo. Lots of steps but so very worth the effort. You can see all of Italy from the top, I kid you not.

High Line: Git R Done

The High Line, due to the intricate and labor-intensive nature of its construction, is the closest you can possibly get these days to being hand-built. There are no paving machines, no climbing masts, and little crane work. You don't see "a floor per day" like you do in high rise construction. In fact, on many days the untrained eye would have trouble discerning any progress at all. But a lot happens in a day and most of the battles are small ones. A few dozen pavers are lifted into place with sheer muscle power at one end while skilled hands lay down a hundred feet of weld at the other. Seemingly little efforts add up to a project that moves forward slowly but steadily. Here's a pictorial tribute to the men and women that are up on the line through rain and snow and wind building your future park--piece by piece, day by day, year by year (all shot in 2010).

IPhone: Polaroids

Some eye candy, shot and processed with the Iphone.

San Juan: Part 1 (Stylized)

Here are a couple of shots from a trip to Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. I'll be posting a few sets of photographs from this gem of a city in the upcoming weeks. Special thanks to the man with the red pants for making a cameo in the second shot. Catching him in the 5 minutes I was set up here was a minor miracle!

San Juan is known as "La Ciudad Amurallada" (the walled city). San Juan was founded in 1521. In 1508 Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement, Caparra, now known as Pueblo Viejo, behind the almost land-locked harbor just to the west of the present metropolitan area. A year later, the settlement was abandoned and moved to the site of what is now called Old San Juan. San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean and is the second oldest European-founded city in the Americas (after Santo Domingo, which was officially founded on August 5, 1498.).

--From Tour Puerto Rico

LIRR Noir

This is the end of the line...