Urban and Street Photography in New York
This summer, StartupBus, an entrepreneurial competition that takes place on various buses across the USA hired me as their official photographer to document the experience of taking part in a project like this and create visual and textual content for their social media accounts. It was a fascinating professional experience both in terms of photography and marketing and I got the chance to finally travel to a country that has been on my travel list for some time now, the USA.
More about this amazing professional experience on another dedicated article since there is much to say and show. This article is about what I saw and how I felt after spending 8 hours in one of the most impressive cities in the world. New York.
After an almost 11 hour plane-ride from Athens to New York, I reached my destination, still not fully believing that I was in the USA and would soon witness the emblematic city of New York with my own eyes.
I took the airport-shuttle and metro, straight to Brooklyn since the National Director of StartupBus, Madalena Mak had agreed to host me for a couple of days until the project began.
Arriving in New York - The first glance
Like many other people, I also wanted to travel to New York for a long time. I had seen so many images from this city through movies, photographs, and magazines and now I was finally here.
It was already evening when I arrived and Madelena wanted some help with a few posters for the project that was about to begin 2 days later, so there was not much time to go out that day.
Nevertheless, the ride on her car to the print-shop offered some images that I will never forget. The first time I witnessed the cloudy, Manhattan skyline while crossing Brooklyn bridge is an image that got imprinted in my mind and will probably stay there forever.
The skyline of Manhattan on a cloudy day.
I have traveled a lot throughout Europe during the past few years, but that scenery was unlike anything I had ever seen before. As we approached Manhattan, going towards Chinatown to reach the print-shop, my eyes sparkled with excitement. The photographer in me was aching to get out, grab the camera and photograph this otherworldly urban environment. The heavy rain and moody atmosphere only enhancing my need to photograph the scenes I saw along the way.
We arrived at the print-shop and the rain was pouring heavily, acting as good suppressant to the need I felt to shoot everything around me. After spending some time at the print-shop, chatting with the people who worked there and me looking around like I am in some sort of a playground it was time to grab the posters and head back to Brooklyn.
A photograph I managed to snap from the inside of the print shop before heading back to Brooklyn.
We started heading back to Brooklyn, looking at some equally exciting views along the way, enjoyed some incredibly tasty tacos (the best ones I have had so far) and went back home.
Brooklyn
Before calling it a day I decided to take a short walk around Brooklyn and see how this renowned neighbourhood looked like at night.
A man walks by an artistically decorated cafe in Brooklyn.
The subway exit seeming like a passageway to another world.
A woman enjoying a joint after finishing her shift at a nearby bar.
Street art everywhere, dark streets and wet roads playing games with the reflections from the surrounding lights. Most places I passed by were too dark to be captured bu the camera without getting tons of noise but still, I felt good with the few shots I got and the girl I met at the photo above.
It was getting late, it was a long, tiring day and I needed some rest. After all, tomorrow I was going to have the full morning and afternoon free, so I could roam around until 7 p.m. when I had to photograph an event for the kick-off of the Advancing Black Entrepreneurs bus, a project by StartupBus dedicated to empowering black entrepreneurs.
Manhattan
The next morning I woke up at 7.00 am, went out for a quick run, prepared my camera and headed out to grab something to eat. After tasting the famous bagel from New York I was ready to go and explore Manhattan. I took the subway which by itself can be a stand-alone photographic project, offering some incredibly candid and intimate images of the people who use it daily to commute to work.
The tired face of a woman gets reflected on the window, as a man is sleeping on her right.
A woman playing games at her phone as she waits for the train in the New York Subway.
The clock was ticking so I couldn’t spend more time in the subway if I wanted to see Manhattan. I got off the train, climbed the stairs and there I was, standing at the centre of one of the most iconic cities in the world, looking around me like a child who sees ice-cream for the first time.
Manhattan in black and white
I don’t usually shoot in black and white but in this case, I chose to take some of the images without color to show the intertemporal feeling that New York imbues to someone who visits it for the first time. It’s a city I have seen countless times in movies, TV, books and magazines since I was a child and although it was my first time there it felt familiar. It was the turning point in many photographer’s careers and countless other people embarked on a journey into uncharted waters to reach the shores of New York to pursue a better future.
Through the absence of color I was able to focus more on the stunning architecture of the city and the interesting characters that are a part of it to freeze time and create photographic moments that I haven’t created before.
A giant skyscraper above a hot-dog stand, an emblem for the street-food culture of the city.
Steam rising from a manhole is another iconic symbol of the city as it is being used to clean the dishes in a New York restaurants, sterilize hospital equipment, and heat up cheese curds in artisan shops.
A man smoking a cigarette as he takes a break from work.
A man sitting in solitude.
The imposing New York World Trade Center Station.
A woman reading her book just outside of the New York World Trade Center Station.
A man riding his bike between the giant buildings of Manhattan.
I felt like the buildings in Manhattan have their own characters, as they look down on you with their imposing presence .
On the way to the American dream.
A taxi driver at dusk.
Men walking on the streets of New York.
A man crossing the road. He looks a bit like Putin, doesn’t he?
Black and white street photography was and still is something very new to me but after looking at the shots from Manhattan I feel happy that I made this decision.
Manhattan in color
Going back to familiar waters, I continued the second half of my stroll taking photographs with color, still feeling totally mesmerized by the vibe of the city and its imposing buildings.
“I have a dream”.
The raging bull of Wall street surrounded by hundreds of tourists who want to get a photograph with him.
Brooklyn bridge, with its metallic cables looking like a spider’s web.
Helicopters are flying constantly above the skyline of New York.
Williamsburg bridge
The iconic yellow, American school bus was something I definitely wanted to capture while I was in the USA.
The symbolic Statue of Liberty standing vigilant at New York’s skyline, welcoming those who reach its shores.
The iconic skyline of New York, everchanging, expanding and developing. The Empire State Building can be seen at the left of the image.
Time is running out
I felt overwhelmed and inspired. I wanted to explore more; see more; capture more. To roam around the streets of Bronx, Brooklyn and explore New York by night as the sun started setting down. But as the daylight was slowly fading so had done the free time I had left. It was time to head back to Madelena’s house grab my gear and photograph the first event for the rigorous 4 days StartupBus hackathon that was about to come.
I was around New York for only a few hours but despite of that, I felt full. My camera didn’t have time to capture many pictures but my eyes did. I felt grateful for the professional opportunity I got, allowing me to see one of the most unique and atmospheric cities in the world. I entered the subway, asking for directions like a typical half-lost tourist and finally found my train with the help of some very helpful construction workers from Ecuador. I sat down and looked out around me, inhaling deeply, taking in the moment and feeling excited for the next days that were about to come.
As I got off my stop and climbed the stairs, reaching Brooklyn I looked back at the subway entrance one last time feeling an urge to go back and photograph the precious, simple moments it offers endlessly. I took one more big breath and promised myself that I would be back as I turned my back and started walking in the wet, dark streets of Brooklyn. It was time to go.
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