Weekly Photo Challenge: Street Life

Here are two scenes from midtown New York City street life.

It takes a lot to get attention in New York City.

This is “what’s his name?” on Avenue of the Americas

Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections

The following are photos of egrets that I took in Staten Island, New York, where I live.

Photo taken at lake at Snug Harbor

Same guy as in first photo,  but now he is flying away from previous pose.

Photo taken at Willowbrook Park 2012

Weekly Photo Challenge: Perspective

These are two photos (below and header photo) that I took in Paris in 1983. I was looking at the boats parked along the Seine from the perspective of through the tunnel.  My idea was to use the tunnel like a frame for the boats–like.  I don’t know who the heads are of.  If anyone knows, please inform.

A hand-tinted black and white photo.   It was a rainy day which is why the pavement looks wet.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Object

These are some useless objects I had around the house that I attempted to turn into art objects:

I had some empty toilet paper rolls and I made this out of them.  I painted them and then wrapped them in beads, and stuck the flowers in them.  I named it “Cathedral”

I bought a cutting board with four kitchen knives, of different sizes, at a dollar store near my house for $5.95. The cutting board was raw wood that hadn’t been refinished in any way, so I painted it, then sprayed a protective crystal-clear finish on it. I’m now busy painting the other side.  I plan on turning it into a clip board.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Juxtaposition

Please forgive me if I’ve shown this photo before, which I think I did sometime ago, so I’m hoping no one will remember, but I couldn’t find another that illustrated this challenge.

Back in 1980 when I took this photo, one had to manually progress the film on one’s camera. Sometimes the film didn’t move or one would forget to advance the film to the next frame, so one would get an overlay, which was what happened in this photo. On the bottom left of the photo, in North Beach, is our neighborhood derelict, who lived on the street, sitting on the curb.  On the right side of the photo is the famous photographer Richard Avedon signing autographs at a gallery opening of his photos.  I think the juxtaposition of these two people from the opposite ends of the social spectrum is what is interesting about this photo.  During the day, I took the photo of the derelict and the hungry i, a San Francisco nightclub which featured topless entertainment, and then that night I went to the Avedon opening at an elite art gallery, so another juxtaposition is that of the hungry i (a sleezy North Beach joint) and the elite Nob Hill art gallery in which you can see a man in the background looking at the exhibit.

Below is another photo that I took on the same night of the Avedon exhibit. You can see Avedon’s portrait of Francis Bacon on the back wall. What I think is interesting about this photo is the juxtaposition of the 3 women. These 3 woman are all entirely different types. One is very sexual, the girl in the middle looks like an innocent college girl, and the girl on the left looks like she is the type that is exactly in-between the other two types.

I consider this photo the best one I’ve ever taken.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Family

The following are photos of 2 animals who were once a big part of my family, whom I loved with all my heart,  and whom I will never forget.

My dog Mary (1995-2007).

My cat Rosebud (1985-1995) on my front porch on Layton Avenue in Staten Island. Hand-tinted photo.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Window

Window Washer on a San Francisco high rise.  Hand-tinted black and white photo. 11″ x 14″.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Joy

These photos were taken at a Blessing of the Animals ceremony at Christ Church on Park Avenue in midtown of New York City, December of 2011.  One day a year people take their pets to be blessed by the Church’s ministers.  The ministers first bless the animals outside that are too big to come inside, then they bless the animals that fill the sanctuary.  It goes back to how Jesus blessed the animals.  It’s a very joyous occasion, at least for the pet owners.  Anyway, it makes for an occasion for pet owners to get together and meet each other.

Girl getting her pet duck blessed.

Girl with pet Mallard.

He looks like he knows that he has been blessed.

I think the NYC policeman was probably working, and while there, he thought he might as well get his horse blessed, but maybe I’m too cynical.  He wouldn’t look at my camera, but he managed a peace sign.

weekly photo challenge: ONE

One-of-a-kind pedicab passing the entrance of The Dakota building. located at 1 West 72nd Street, where John Lennon, also one-of-a-kind, was murdered on December 8, 1980.

One day, I was walking on 72nd Street toward Central Park.  When I stopped in front of The Dakota to take a photo of the spot where John Lennon was killed, this pedicab dashed right in front of my camera, changing what would have been a very dull photo into one maybe slightly less dull.  Thank you God for making my photo better.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Let There Be Light!

After deciding not to show landscapes with a bright sun, because I couldn’t find any photos of mine like that, I decided on artificial light. The epitome of artificial light in New York City is Times Square; therefore, here is one of my brightest Times Square photos.  I’ve lived in New York City for almost 30 years and I still feel excited whenever I go to Times Square.

When God said “Let there be light,” I don’t think he had foreseen Times Square.

People below are lined up to get half-priced theater tickets which are sold on the night of the performance for shows that still have empty seats.