NYC: Wall Street Architecture

When I was in New York earlier this month working on the Upper East Side Reno I spent an afternoon walking around the financial district on a sweltering hot Saturday afternoon.   Although I happened to have my DSLR with me it wasn't a pre-planned photoshoot destination but once there I was simply overwhelmed by the architecture that surrounded me.   I had never been to Wall Street before nor did I know much about this iconic eight blocks except for the image I had in my head from movies, television and the media in general.  I've been to the city many times but honestly I had never really had any interest in visiting Wall Street or given it much thought at all (what can I say, I live in the world of Design not not high finance!).  You can imagine how ecstatic I was to discover this haven of architectural beauties.  How did I not know about this!?

Its difficult for me to find the right words to describe my impression of Wall Street,,,because it was so unlike anything I had imagined it was or expected it to be.  The sheer towering scale of the buildings viewed from the very narrow streets is sensational, the neighborhood is strikingly charming and quaint in a way (?) with its centuries old architecture, cobblestone walkways, a Tiffany's,  and the historic Trinity Church holding court at the end of the street.  The street is a pedestrian only zone with no vehicular traffic and facades are void of signage or advertising only flags, all this completly evokes a feeling of being in a world of another time and is so unlike a typical urban streetscape.   Since I'm really not doing a good job here of describing what I saw, how about I just show you a few of the photos I took.....

What I love about the buildings here is that the colours are all so grey toned that even when you shoot and view the images in colour its very monochromatic looking.  All the images above are shown in colour except one!

I'm a complete amateur photographer but it is a passion of mine.  I love to shoot landscapes and streetscapes particlarly, I don't use photoshop or edit my photos in any way except to convert to black and white or crop images.  When I want high quality prints made for framing I send the image off to Elevator Digital and they take care of all the technical issues for me (resizing etc.).  Mostly, I like my images to remain true to the way I shoot them without any enhancing or special effects.  Sometimes I like to shoot slightly overexposed, sometimes underexposed depending on the mood I'm trying to capture.  What I love to do with my photos the most is have them printed and framed for wall art, sometime for myself, sometimes for clients.  When you frame an image it takes on an entirely new dynamic, I'll be getting several of these printed and framed and they'll be something like this...

Unless I'm doing one large oversize print, I try to group images into groups of 2, 3 or 4's combining both landscape and portrait orientation as I did above.  Once I've decided on which images I like grouped together, I'll decide if I want them printed in black and white or colour.....

....and then I figure out my final image sizes, matt sizes and decide on frame colour by doing mock-ups similar to these (very rough above!), often I do this on a scaled elevation of the wall and I'll normally include the frame too (not shown on the above).  For frames I always do a simple rectangular profile in white, black, silver or natural wood.  Lately I've been doing a lot of white framed coloured photography, which I LOVE.  Then once all this is figured out I send the original image files off to Kevin at the printing lab who takes care of printing, matting and framing for me.

If you ever visit NYC I highly recommend a visit to this neighborhood whether you're passionate about architecture or not, its simply an experience like no other.

All Photos:  Carol Reed

Weeping Willows

I love the colours of early spring,,,,when the fresh green leaves are so bright they practically look neon.  It can be especially surreal looking at dusk as the sun is low and the fresh leaves are illuminated in the sunlight.  Its still too cold here for the cherry blossoms to make an appearance or the magnolia buds to bloom (I'm anxiously waiting and watching, camera in hand) but today I came across the most beautiful setting of weeping willows that were a sure sign that spring has finally sprung.   The willow buds were a bright fresh chartreuse green they were almost glowing, the sight of them against the calm blue water and the bright green grass was spectacular.  Although I could have sat there for hours and just stared, I only spent about 20 minutes taking this series of photos today.  Some of them I'll have printed and framed up in contemporary frames for client spaces (or my own) one day, I just love the modern element photography adds to a room and that the subject matter and colour palette is limitless.  

I'll keep my eye on these weeping willows in the coming weeks,  maybe if I'm lucky I'll catch them on a misty morning or basking against a colourful evening sky.......

All photos:  Carol Reed

Countdown to Spring

I'm fascinated by how beautiful winter is and could never imagine living without it.   I never complain about the snow or ice unless it intereferes with travel plans.  I happily bundle up in boots and scarves and parkas, I'll drive in the snow, walk in the snow, but the best of all is sitting inside all cozy and warm looking out at the snow! : )  Two weekends ago it starting snowing heavily late on Saturday night and I stayed up really late into the night/morning just watching it come down, it was so still and quiet it was breathtaking.

I grabbed my good digital camera and sat on the front porch for a while just snapping away, handheld, no flash, no tripod.   I loved the effect of the streetlight and the snow and how it created this sepia effect.

The way the snow covered branches look like a painting, it was so surreal.  I feel a bit sad when I think of those who don't experience winter where they live and have never seen the pure beauty of it.  When absolutely everything is coated and weighted down in fresh white snow its magical, you can't help but stop and stare in wonder.

Despite the fact that Spring is less than two weeks away we're still in the midst of blustery snow and sleet every day here in Toronto.  As much as I enjoy winter, this one has felt unusually long.   I've been indulging in all the good things winter has to offer for what seems like forever; wood fires, hot chocolate, fur blankets, sweaters, boots, hearty soups and comfort food,,,,and I'm more than satisfied that I've had enough already.  I'm ready for a change and all the fresh new starts that Spring brings.  I'm looking forward to wrapping up projects I've been working on since early fall and gearing up to start some new ones.  

I'm off to the fower shop to pick-up some blooms, I just can't wait for mother nature any longer - I'm craving all things Spring right now!!

All Photos:  Carol Reed