4 minute read
Letters from America By Candia Peterson - Part 2, Little Known NYC
Letters from America By Candia Peterson
2. LITTLE KNOWN NYC
When I arrived in Upstate New York in December 2019, with “The City” (as the locals call it) a mere two-and-a-half hours away, I saw myself being down there constantly for culture, photography, shopping, you name it. Not quite what happened – at least yet – but I did manage to get down there in early October for a street photography workshop.
New York City is, of course, a photographer’s paradise although it is also a city of great photography cliches: Cityscapes from on high, Liberty Island from the water, the Empire State Building from many angles and very much more. As of November 8th (latest intelligence, may change) the borders for tourists in from all the banned countries are open once more and I imagine many of you may have a long-postponed trip in mind. Not all the photos in this article are from my most recent trip but it did give me a good excuse to refresh my mind, particularly for paths less well trodden which, in my view, can be far more interesting.
However, if wide cityscapes is your thing, then I can think of no better advice than to leave the island of Manhattan (and don’t bother with the expensive boat trips) and hop over to Brooklyn. If you are staying anywhere in Midtown the F train on the subway is a good, safe and easy bet and will speed you down to York Street station in the middle of the wonderfully named DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass obviously!). Brooklyn Bridge Park does what it says on the tin and is a large and largely pedestrianised area which runs from the piers west of Brooklyn Bridge to a little cove just east of the Manhattan Bridge.
Head left with the river in front of you and you will pass the famous carousel that has featured in many movies, encased in a glass box (which itself makes for interesting photographs) and you will find yourself at Pier 1 with fabulous views back over the Manhattan skyline fronted
by the remains of the pier, the famous Brooklyn groynes. It is worth having a tide app with you as you ideally want to catch them with the tide as low as possible but the scope for compositions is endless, no matter what the water happens to be doing.
The other vantage point is a ten-minute walk under the two bridges to the little stony beach at the east end of the park where you get the Manhattan Bridge in your frame. If you get there just before sunset, (get there early to get a spot for your tripod as it is always busy) you are likely to pick up some lovely skies and, as the lights go on, it is a magical sight.
Groynes In Brooklyn @ Candia Anderson
Manhattan Bridge blue hour @ Candia Anderson
Manhattan from Roosevelt Island @ Candia Anderson
However, this letter is really about the New York the tourist doesn’t know about and I have chosen two locations that are a photographer’s paradise.
Street scene Bushwick @ Candia Anderson
The first remains in Brooklyn, this time the L train to Jefferson Street. When you get out you will find yourself in Bushwick, once a working class, industrial area and now a hip home to avant garde art and music, eclectic bars and clubs and, above all, graffiti (for which it is famous). If you get there early morning, the streets are quiet and free to wander through without distractions. You will find so much to photograph and enjoy – a very easy way to pass a couple of hours getting deep into a very different sort of New York.
Under the Queensboro bridge from Roosevelt Island @ Candia Anderson
The second area which is an absolute must visit – and one I found completely by accident a few years ago having got on the wrong subway train and needing to get off and turn around – is Roosevelt Island. The island sits in the middle of the East River and is only accessible from Manhattan by subway (F train) or, bizarrely, by cable car (they call it a tramway). The few cars belonging to residents on the island have to come in on a small bridge from Queens on the other side. You can walk from one end of the island to the other in less than an hour and it is only the width of a city block. The southern end passes under the span of the Queensboro Bridge and the tip is home to the Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park for which the island is named. The memorial park itself is a marvellous piece of urban sculpture designed by Louis Kahn in 2012. The vistas here are innumerable as are the views under the bridge. At the northern end of the island, there is a lighthouse. This was closed for renovation when I was there with my camera but I’m planning another visit in the Spring.
Roosevelt Memorial @ Candia Anderson
Graffiti Bushwick @ Candia Anderson
