As a long time resident and photographer of New York City with its subways and skyscrapers, I have seen that it is a great place for high and low, light and dark, near and far, and the myriad other opposites of reality. Eli Siegel was absolutely right when he said, “New York is a good place to begin to be fair to reality as such.”
I’m grateful to Aesthetic Realism for encouraging me to see people and reality more the way they deserve, as a moving drama of opposites. My photography, I hope, reflects that seeing.
Wall Shadow
24th Street &
8th Avenue, Manhattan
10 x 15 in.
$400 - framed
$250 - unframed
It was late afternoon/early evening last spring when the sun was on its western journey and was casting a rich, golden light on 8th Avenue. There was a hot dog vendor and persons walking, and the lively shadows they cast on the quiet wall were dramatic. That stationary cart with its graceful umbrella anchors the scene while persons quickly walking by accent the motion of things.
A Macy's Worker
35th Street, Manhattan
10 x 10.25 in.
$400 - framed
$250 - unframed
Amidst the hubbub around Macy’s here was this worker looking rather thoughtful and dignified. I asked if I could photograph him. I was taken by the whiteness of his outfit and the dark gates in the background of the freight elevator. He has an open and honest, direct gaze. The way the light is on him and the way his hand is raised I feel make for an almost religious quality to the image.
Dr. Giuseppe
at the Parade
5th Avenue, Manhattan
10 x 10.25 in.
$400 - framed
$250 - unframed
The band members standing in line make for a symmetry and stillness. Then you have “Dr.Giuseppe” walking at a diagonal through the phalanx. I think he represents something surprising, as he moves against the grain. As I gazed out toward the band members I was thrilled to see this man walking quickly toward me at somewhat of an angle, looking a little disgruntled yet kind of friendly at the same time. I tilted the camera slightly to give the composition a touch of levity. When I saw this image in print, I thought of myself some years ago and my membership in the Against the Grain Collective.
Gallery Lady
West Chelsea, Manhattan
10 x 15 in.
$400 - framed
$250 - unframed
The vastness of some of the art galleries in West Chelsea can lend themselves to an aura of reverence and quietude, while some of the works are rather wild and often very colorful. Here I stood looking at this neon installation when a young woman walked into the scene. She looked so graceful and lovely as she stood observing the art work. I was affected by the combination of dark and light, surface and depth, something contemplative and playful in the scene. The position of her right foot as she stood on the reflection of the art work gives a feeling of repose and energy.
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