Sometimes I'm able to switch to black and white to milk a bit more contrast and sharpness from a low quality image. It didn't work in this case. It was kind of a lucky shot anyway, so I can't be too grumpy, but the focus it not quite what I wish it was and I'm not sure the black and white helps all that much.
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Maybe a better view of the roadway?
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I have a great "Read Window" backyard view, but I don't often post these photos in case a neighbor freaks out about it.
The color in the bottom photo is actually true to what the light looked like. Weird reflected city streelight halogen.
The B&W came a little dark but the image quality started to fall apart when I played with it too much.
Manhattan Ave, Greenpoint (that's Russ Pizza)
I was standing there taking the top photo, trying to figure out why there's that weird bevel in the the floor lay out (some kind of loft?) when a random local came over to tell me that at some point the rear wall of the building fell over onto the neighboring house (lower picture) crushing the roof. The old house was subsequently condemned and the residents had to move out - or so went the tale from this local. When I remarked about the odd looking diagonal corner on the new building he made a Bronx cheer.
(Random photoblogging note: Photoblogging with a baby in a stroller draws a lot more friendly reaction than walking around alone.)
I have been waiting for there to be no cars in front of this place forever. The time of day was not quite what I wanted but you can see the lights a little. I watned to do a square shot but again, the light being a bit too bright meant that it would have been a picture of myself in the window.
I'm pretty pleased with this one as well. I thought I heard him telling a camera crew he is one of the organizers.
These kids found boundless glee in attacking this guy with pillows. He'd run away and a trail of kids would follow behind. As he ran his pants kept falling down. Somewhere out there is a shot of his naked butt running from a swarm of pillow wielding kids. I was lucky to snap this one off quickly as they passed. UPDATE: OK, this video explains it.
View the full set here.
This isn't the Chumley's building, it's the one next to it in the shared courtyard, the corner building, although one of the signs says 89, which is weird since it's the wrong side of the street and the wrong side of 86. Maybe it's 89 Barrow?
In the inner courtyard there's not visible construction.
I was surprised to see someone on Curbed call this Eyesore Park. I kind of like the look of it.
Downing Street.
By the way, this is its brand new neighbor.
Java St.
McCarren Park
I tried a new way of rendering black and white that involves the "color lab" mode and grayscale. The difference is almost indistinguishable and in the end I like the simple "desaturate" button better.
Even though I took the color out of the shot above, there was almost none to take out. See?:
Regarding this last shot, I think it's usually a point of criticism when the lighting is so uneven, but I kind of like the way the facets of the skyline make the eye refocus.
I don't spend much time in skyscrapers and I almost always hate the photos I take from the windows of them. I wish I'd brought something zoomier.
This is the 7 platform in Grand Central so hopefully I'll try again next time I get out here. I liked the balanced escalators but this guy would not get out of the shot. It's funny that usually the challenge is to find a way to take a picture of someone but in this case I wanted just the escalator wall.
I have more of just the truck but I liked the real people with the poster people with the graffiti people.
Lafayette, Noho
With the tarp torn off by the weather, I like how the guts are looking.
I guess vertical makes the best composition.
Bowery.
Ultimately I think it's the black and white that gives the best sense of being surrounded by books. I'm not crazy about the contrast.
This guy was actually kind of far away but I heard him cry out as the wind driven sleet nearly yanked the balloons from his hands. He hid in a doorway until the gust passed. I literally ran up the block to try to get the shot but he was already on his way into the bank. Still not a bad get.
Manhattan Ave, Greenpoint, Brooklyn
I may do one more of these with the sign cropped out. What I see is all those books lining the walls, but it occurs to me as I look at these now that there's no reason to keep the banner across the top and getting rid of it might actually make the books pop more.
The huge wheels on the car gave it a crazy look, but what you can't see here is that the rims were spinners that weren't spinning, so basically it looked like the wheels weren't turning as it slid down the street. I'll let you imagine the volume of the rap music coming out.
14th Street.
This is Bedford Ave between N5th and N6th. Sam & Seb was a kids store. Their site says they're closed for good, gone back to Australia. Meanwhile, the permit says, among other things, "...INS COOKING EQUIPMENT, PLUMBING FIXTURES, RANGE HOOD..." which sounds like a restaurant of some kind to me.
Downing Street
Liquor license application notice in the window. Peeking in, the bar looks pretty well set up already.
These were taken in the dark, so rather than wrestle with the yellow/orange street light color I desaturated it and was then able to brighten and contrast it more effectively.
N10th, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Historically I've been wary of these places that look like KFC knock-offs, but I always feel like I'm getting a good value when the mood strikes me to go to this place (Manhattan Ave & Nassau). I don't get anything too daring, just the chicken tenders and something called "munchers" which are fried balls of dough, cheese and jalapenos (12 for a buck 99). I tried the mac & cheese once and ended up adding cheese to it to give it some more flavor.
3rd Ave near 22nd. Funny that I was just in this neighborhood last week thinking there's a lot of stuff going on here and now I find myself meeting friends here. Sawdust on the floor, real fireplace, waitress with an accent.
Since there's too much glare on the sign to make out the "rented" I took this one later in the evening yesterday.
A classic stalled Williamsburg construction project. I took a picture from this perspective last week and the place had a cool haunted quality but the lighting of the picture was poor so I went back this weekend to try again. Now I don't see what I saw in the first one. I may have to try a different time of day.
Wythe & N9th
Oops, caught me at the last second.
This is that one on Bedford Ave. It's such a rarity when there's no car parked in front.
On the south side of North 6th, just off Bedford Ave. Looks like an empty room with another in the back. I didn't see any cooking equipment, so I'm guessing it'll be a store.
The lines felt like they were out of square so I rotated it to make that verticle line a true 90 degrees. Looks worse. It's a hazard of taking a picture of something on a hill I think.
The only paperwork I saw was a bunch of stop work orders to make the site safe.
South 2nd off Driggs
I think this is the waste treatment plant. It didn't really have a sign and it looks like it's under contruction still, but it's within the Newtown Creek facility and I think I remember reading that this was being built. It's pretty surreal to look at in the whole.
These were taken at twilight, which worked as far as getting both the lighted sign and the wall but I ended up having to lighten the whole thing, so a very qualified success.
N9th, Williamsburg
They've got quite a light show going on there now. Those lights making streaks are flashing and shifting. It's pretty dizzying.
This ended up being more awkward than usual storefront-at-night shots I take. The mirrors made for nasty glare.
This is Public, Metropolitan at Wythe
