This City

I am going to miss this city. There is just a beauty to it that doesnt go away. The city itself is a living and breathing thing. Its going to be a bittersweet day when i leave. But i am so glad for this chance and this opportunity.

NYC Weather

I love the weather in New York City. The city itself changes so much with the weather. A sunny day makes the city glow. Every building reflects and glows. In the fog, buildings vanish into the clouds and everything becomes a mystery. In the rain, all the colors are saturated more. Darks and lights intensify and the city doesnt stop moving.

Subway Post II

Just a few more shots from within the subway and other shots from traveling through New York City.

 

NYC Subways

Something i find incredibly interesting about NYC, especially since i am from a smaller town in the midwest, is the subways. Everyone uses the subways, from the richest person to the homeless. And you can see almost anything you could think of on the subway. From people dressed in costumes to the homeless using it as a place to sleep at night. The subways systems cover the city and make it easy to travel from one place to another with out any struggle, thats why so many use it. And while it is some times crowded, you will see quite a few characters. If you ever get a chance to ride the subways, take a second to look around you.

 

I love the subways in NYC, you can see almost anything. Tonight i was able to see a really cute couple sharing a private moment in the crazy crowded world that is NYC. At the 59th street stop on the A Train down town, they kissed, then talked closely, and then she looked up at him lovingly.

The views from the Hearst building are always stunning and they change with the weather. This mornings weather was rainy and cloudy and I loved it. 

I come to realize more and more every day why this is the most documented and photographed city in the world. This place is gorgeous. And it holds me captivated every day.

The Highline

Since i have been in New York, one of my favorite thing to do is explore the city. I've already spent days exploring the city and i probably havent even covered a quarter of the city. You could probably explore this city for a year and not see everything. So far i have been staying pretty close to touristy areas, but hope to be branching out from those places soon. One place that i have returned to three times is a place called the Highline.

The Highline is a mile and a half long park running adjacent to 10th Ave in NYC. What makes this place so cool is that it is a repurposed railway track. So while you are at this park you are two stories above the ground.

In 1934 the highline opened to non-passenger trains running from 34th street to Spring street. In 1980, the last train ran on the Highline. Then from the 1980's to the early 2000's, the Highline's fate wasundecided, wether they were gonna tear it down or preserve it in some way. Finally a park is decided on in 2006 and in June 2009 the park opens to the public.

The awesome thing about the Highline is that the designers built every section with different architecture and plants and that they incorporated the tracks into the design as much as possible. This park is often packed with tourists, but that doesnt stop it from being gorgeous. It kind of adds to the whole feel of the place. This park is awesome enough that people even have their wedding photos done here. It seems like its almost built for it.

Just a Quick Update

So the next post was supposed to be about the places i have been to. Things got a little sidetracked because i had some medical things come up (everything is ok, but had to make sure and that took some time). The new post about the places i have been to will be added soon so watch for it. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow.

First Post

I have been in New York for a little over three weeks. It has been interesting to say the least. As a small town guy, it has been kind of a big difference from back home. Back home is South Dakota. I landed a photography internship with Hearst Publishing and it has been kind of a whirlwind of non stop action since i found out. I found out August 20th that i got the internship and i needed to be in New York City by September 3rd. I had 2 weeks to pack all my belongings, get rid of my apartment, get things squared away with my school schedule, find a place to live, and figure out transportation. Luckily i got it all done, with the help of a huge support system of people who care about me. This blog is going up because my professors back home asked me to make it because people at my school were curious what is going on while i am here. So the blog is born.

The first three weeks have been busy and eventful. The Internship with Studio D at Hearst has been both exciting and slightly disappointing. Only disappointing in the sense that it isnt quite what i was expecting. Studio D's main focus is still life product photography for the many magazines that Hearst publishes. They have some people shoots but not many. The exciting part of it is that i am working along side photographers that do much more then just the still life photography. Some of them do some amazing work in the industry. I dont think they are names you would readily know off the top of your head, but they are photographers that you should know. In a later post i will include some links to their photography websites so you can see their work. And the cool thing is that I am the only intern from outside the city that works with them.

Back home, some of the other students are surprised to find out that i am not shooting any photos for the magazines which kind of makes me laugh. There is no way a magazine would ever let an intern shoot photos for them, they dont even let photographers assistants shoot for them. But what i do on a daily basis at Studio D is assist the photographers in light and equipment set up and break down, getting additional equipment they need during a shoot, some times carrying around equipment for locations shoots (ive done that twice so far and its cool), and then some grunt work that goes along with any internship. Now that may not sound all that exciting but what you dont see is that i am making connections with people in the business, from photographers to magazine editors to models. I've already had one of the photographers say that he would hypothetically hire me as an assistant and pay me $250 a day doing that. Connections are huge in this industry. The other thing i get to see is how the industry works, from how photographers set up and shoot, to how they have to interact with assistants and stylist, to how they have to interact with magazine editors to get the shot that the magazine wants. Which will be invaluable information for later on in my life and career path. This internship is the opportunity of a life time for someone from a small town like me. Follow this blog to see more of my adventures in NYC. The next post will be about the places i have explored so far in NYC.