New York by night
Doesn't New York City just sparkle at night?
I have to admit - I am not much for shooting at night. Many people love to do so, and do a great job with it, but it hasn't really ever been "my thing". Golden hour? You bet! Blue hour? You bet! Sunrise or sunset? Yes and Yes! But evening shooting? Nah, I'll pass.
I'm not really sure why either, but that has sort of been my method. I will happily shoot deep into blue hour, but once it gets dark, I usually pack it up in search of a meal or a beer. But on my trip to New York a while back, I was with my wife and daughter, and we would wander all over the city, which also meant we were out at night (usually returning from dinner). I had my camera.
Since I was traveling with only my Sony 28mm f/2 prime lens, I figured I may as well give it a shot at night. After all, that's a perfect time to use the f/2, right? And since I didn't even bring the tripod on the trip, everything had to be handheld (another reason I wanted that prime - being able to travel without a tripod at times). There's something very freeing about shooting handheld. I love using my tripod most of the time, but boy is it nice to just let loose at times!
What I discovered is that it is actually very fun to be out shooting in a city at night. I probably already knew that - and you did too - but sometimes I have to do something contrary to my habits to actually learn it. You know?
So today's pics are a collection of shots from some of my evening wanderings in New York. Even without a camera, it's a fantastic place to wander, and doubly so at night when all the lights are on and it takes on a bit more magical of a quality.
You might even classify some of this as "street photography", at least in some respects. Then again, you may not. I assume we each hold our own definition of what street photography really is, and these shots may not fits yours (but they do fit mine).
