Moving from Manhattan to Denver afforded the opportunity for some photography. Some of the images were on "the fly"-taken from the passenger seat at 60+mph.
Here are a handful of photocollages from images obtained in New York City from 2011-2013.
Here are a few images from early mornings on the Isle of Mon. Often foggy, always very peaceful and relaxing.
Street Players
Robert Anderson
Chessmen
Ed Barnas
Robert Anderson
The phrase “decisive moment” implies a degree of spontaneity that is often not the case. To catch a critical moment one does not merely look and snap, but rather stops and looks, taking the time to observe a space, evaluate the visual possibilities, and then, wait for all the elements to come together before releasing the shutter, sometimes multiple times.
Robert Anderson’s collection of portraits of pay-for-play “chessmen” in Union Square Park is a good example of this. On his commute through the Park, Anderson observed these players, their boards set up on makeshift tables, ready to play all comers for a small wager. Stopping along the way to or from the subway, he has photographed them since 2010, recognizing the regulars and their opponents. Twenty portraits of these players are now on view in the Robert Anderson Gallery.
Entering the back room one feels like an observer in the middle of the action. The 11 x 14 pigment prints are framed in white mats and hung in two rows. The faces are closely cropped, mostly from the chin to the forehead, and shot as horizontal images that provide only a small bit of out-of-focus background to place the subject in the context of the street. Taken while the players were in the “game,” these are not posed portraits. The faces are rich with texture and, printed in black and white, offer no clue as to what decade they might have been taken. Aside from the close horizontal cropping, what unites these images and makes them a cohesive body of work is the reflection of a chessboard in the eyes.
Robert Anderson
In several images the subject appears to look impassively at the viewer, sometimes with the slightly superior smile of a master. Generally, however, the player is not looking directly at the viewer but at the board, brows furrowed, presenting a façade of utter concentration on the game. But since they are playing on the street, they are “players” in more than one sense of the word and must allocate at least a modicum of attention to their surroundings, if only to note who is watching and who might be their next opponent.
While I don’t normally associate close-up portraits with street photography, this body of work definitely fits within that genre. And in a digital world where color is the norm, consciously suppressing color in digital media to concentrate the viewer’s eye on the essentials of the image is a welcome continuation of a tradition that works quite well here.
One of the great things about New York City is the multitude of small independent stores and shops. They are disappearing quickly!
Here are 12 of my personal favorites from 2012
Visiting these canal cities in October can be windy and wet. Despite the weather, there are always great views to enjoy!
Paris in the fall can be cold, grey and damp. Nonetheless, you can always find something to photograph and of course, eat!. Here are a few images from the last week of October, 2012.
Here's a selection of black and white abstractions done over the last couple of years. Enjoy
Want a change-up from New York City? Try Leadville, CO. At 10,152 ft elevation, this old, quaint, chronically down-on-its-luck mining town is interesting. Here are a handful of images. Enjoy.
Always "action" here. Protests, performers, speed chess, vendors of "art," sand painters, food trucks, Farmer's Market, a new generation of hippies. You name it, you can find it here. All pretty orderly and peaceful. A haven for people watchers.
The High Line is a public park built on an abandoned elevated rail line on the west side of Manhattan. Now comprised of a beautiful walkway with lush vegetation, it is crowded during the day. Before 7am on weekend mornings, you'll have the place to yourself. Here are some views taken in-between enjoying the greenery.
I walk about 6 blocks through the heart of mid-town Manhattan's commercial district several mornings a week and in SOHO about twice a month early Sunday mornings. I am continually impressed with the store windows-imaginative, often colorful, always changing. Here are some views rendered in black and white with glass reflections thrown in.
Each year several blocks are cordoned off along Fifth Avenue for an unofficial Easter Parade. It's jammed with people and interesting sights.
If you are looking for sun, temperatures in the 70's, pleasant people, great food, a gentle pace and uncrowded sandy beaches, try the low country of South Carolina in late March. Here are some images from Pawley's Island, through Charleston to Edisto Beach.
You don't have to walk far in NYC to see a sign that catches your eye. New ones show up with great regularity. Here is a handful of hundreds I've seen- sanitized to remove the edgy/risque ones!
Throngs of people, low wind chill, a long stream of unknown politicians to address the crowd and then a great spectacle. Here is a very small sample.
You don't have to look very hard to find someone asleep somewhere in Manhattan, not counting the subway where everyone is either asleep or on their iPad. Here are 11 "sleepers" encountered over the past year.
In the southwest corner of Union Square, you can almost always find a game of blitz chess ongoing. There are a handful of Chessmen that take on all comers. Most of the Chessmen are very skillful and a few I've never seen lose. The action heats up when the Fall semester at NYU starts and a new crop of young blood comes to test their skill. These games don't last long and the balance of payments is strongly in the favor of the Chessmen.
Apartment life in New York City often requires schleping your dirty stuff to a neighborhood laundromat periodically. Each has its own character and clientele. I've seen more than fifty in lower Manhattan. Here is a sample.
About the last week of September each year, Colorado's immense aspen forest produces some great scenes of nature. I enjoy photographing the aspen but am always looking for a different view.This set of images are a handful of hundreds that I've made over the years by either making multile exposures of a single image or moving the camera during the exposure. I hope you enjoy them.
Friday nights are spent trying to find the world's best dive bar. Trouble is, there's no definition and the really good ones are closed down by the health department. Photographing them is even more of a challenge-dark and no one inside wants to see a camera. Here are a few candidates.
Denmark is a striking contrast to Manhattan. Generally slowed-paced, peaceful and quiet, neat and tidy, cool and temperate in the summer, surrounded by magnificent pastoral scenes and supported by clean, efficient and well-maintained infrastructure. Altogether, a wonderful respite from the city. I hope you enjoy the views.
New York City loves parades. They come in all flavors and frequently. Most are colorful and many attract throngs. Here's a really brief look at the recently completed Gay Pride Parade.
A constantly changing panorama of views is the norm in New York City. Here you'll find some New York City doors.
I walk near Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in mid-Manhattan daily. I enjoy seeing the fruits of the labors of what are surely some of the best window designers around.
One of the longest, coldest and highest snowfall winter seasons in New York City history made a sunny, warm weather respite essential. In five words, Old San Juan was sunny, colorful, balmy and slow-paced. Old San Juan was narrow, cobblestoned streets, short hills, colonial architecture, ocean breezes, kites, cats, great dive bars, friendly people, massive cruise boats with ant-like streams of passengers disembarking, plenty of history, blue-green oceans, a variety of small beaches and, sometimes, tangled automobile traffic.
I like to walk the neighborhoods of lower Manhattan early in the mornings. I especially like to find small "scenes" within larger pieces of street art, rusting surfaces etc. I call it accidental art. I'm not sure you will consider it in such favorable terms!
The Robert Anderson Gallery opened on 02/07/2011. The gallery is located at 24 West 57th Street, Suite 503, New York, NY 10019 (between 5th and 6th on 57th Street, one block west of Park Avenue). The gallery is specializing in regional and modern photography.. For more information see: Robertandersongallery.com.
Black and white photography has never been a particular skill of mine. I'm working on it and enjoying it more and more. Here are a handful on black and white images in forays made throughout Manhattan in the winter, 2011.
Each year seems to fly by more quickly than the previous one and this year was no exception. The last week of 2010 afforded me the opportunity to do a lot of walking, much of it in snow and slush, around New York City. You will find nine diverse images from these "last of 2010 walks." I hope you find the views enjoyable.
Whenever you want some sensory input, head to Chinatown. There are fabulous side streets with tiny shops, people crowded into doorways, vendors sitting on boxes, children talking excitedly, ads marketing everything imaginable. Wonderful sights, sounds and smells. I prefer it early in the morning on the weekends or late in the night. Always a pleasant experience.
For many years, I have started each Saturday morning at a Farmer's Market, either in Denver, CO or New York City. The sights, colors, tastes, smells and freshness and variety of what is available bring me back each week. The seasonal progression of herbs, produce, fruits and other offerings is a reminder of earth's bounty and the cyclic nature of life. Here are some Farmer's Market images.
The last week of September and first weeks of October are when I head for the hills of the Rockies or the forests of Vermont and New York. Cool nights, usually sunny days and hundreds of shades of gold, red, yellow, amber and green cover the trees. Long hikes, peace and quiet, small towns and villages, friendly people and a feast for the eyes at every turn draw me back year after year. The images depicted in this section are from the Catskills and Adirondacks in New York and rural Vermont.
One of the many appealing aspects of photography is the variety of applications. One such application is photocollage. There are multiple ways to create a photographic collage. In this series, several were created "in-camera" via the use of a reflecting surface which results in superimposition of multiple images.
When the temperature exceeds 90 degrees and the humidity is high, outside activities, including photography, take a rest. Enclosed find images from the last two weekends taken either early in the morning or in the evening when the temperature has moderated. The images are mostly from street-level although a few are from unique vantage points. Enjoy.
I enjoy walking the steets and noticing things. Signs, passersby, storefronts, pets, street scenes, graffiti, street art and just about anything else catch my eye. Here is a handful of images, taken over the last few weeks while meandering the streets of New York. Certainly not "fine art" and maybe a little quirky. I hope you enjoy some different sights.
I ride the NY subway about 20 times a week. Some of the stations are caked with grime and you may have to wade through ankle deep puddles to get to out when it rains. On the other hand, it's relatively inexpensive. You come to appreciate the massive people-mover function it serves. You can also find some hidden scenes not present elsewhere-brilliant colors, snippets of art, unusual posters and signs and, of course, some "street performers." You might as well learn to enjoy playing with the cards you're dealt! Here are a few subway scenes from across NY.
One of the most pleasant aspects of traveling the back roads in search of a good image is the "unexpecteds" you encounter. I have made many visits to the Hillcountry of Texas during the the first two weeks of April over the past 20 years. I always enjoy myself and am enriched not only by some timeless scenes, but also by the friendliness of the people and the unique culture. You'll find some sights from my most recent Texas trip in my "New Work" gallery. I hope you enjoy the views and come away with a sense of place for this unique area.
The 20 or so images in this gallery are drawn from many that I have taken during several visits to the high plains over the past five years. The high plains represent a large geographic area including parts of eastern Colorado, southeastern Wyoming, western Nebraska and Kansas and northeastern New Mexico. These high and dry short grass prairie plains are punctuated with abundant, low-lying cactus and scrub brush. A few trees can be found near creeks and rivers. The population density is among the lowest in the United States. This is the land of extreme temperature variations, constant wind, dust, hailstorms, tornados, and ground blizzards. Dryland farming, ranching and some oil/gas industry are the main draws. The small towns on the plains are progressively disappearing. I have tried to capture a sense of what was and what is left in this lonely, slowly vanishing landscape.
