New York - Black & White Street Photography 1

I put up a bunch of my New York photos on Flickr the other day (Click the image below to go to my Flickr). While I was there I had the opportunity to try out a few different photography styles. One was street photography. I went mainly with black and white shots because my coloured shots tended to come out looking quite confusing. I think it's partly a composition thing and partly just because in a big city, there is so much going on, that it can be difficult to capture just one thing at a time. I found b&w helpful in drawing attention to the things I wanted to draw attention to.

This shot was taken just outside the Fashion Institute of Technology. SUCH a great place to go people watching in the city! I became comfortable with out-of-focus shots while I was in NYC and love the softness of this particular one. The tree is obviously young, but perspective makes it seem tall compared to the girl sat on the wall. To me, the bike, tree and girl all seem quite vulnerable but like they've found a safe place to just rest in the midst of all the activity.

As I look through my shots of New York, I see an appreciation of the scale and movement of the city, but alongside that, constant reminders that the skyscrapers are only context. It is the individuals, their stories and their struggles, which really make the city what it is.