New York, New York (in BW)

There are some books that are written out of order– they start somewhere in the middle and piece together the various strands of the story into a woven tapestry of scenes, pictures, and images.  Not every moment is recorded, and not every scene is explained, but it all becomes one cohesive whole at the end (or beginning) (or middle).

My blog is much the same way.  It’s mostly linear, but I jump around like a nervous flea, unsure where the next juicy tidbit will be, but sure that it will be delicious when I get there.

Thus so, too, are my images from New York City.  We had three days to wander this massive city, and everything in memory became jumbled.  Some of it comes back in a rush, focusing on the lightspeoplesoundssmells– the hum of a massive life form that is the city itself.  The crush of people was incredible!

Other memories come back in snippets: of hot steam with a faint stink rising up under my skirt, of aching feet, of glimpses of people who stand out in this town where anything goes.

And yet, somehow, typical me, I find the pockets of quiet in between the people.  My camera lens is drawn to peace, even when there are actually hordes of people around.

Chris, observing me, once said, “Many people, when they need alone time, they go to the quiet of their homes and spend time by themselves.  You– when you need alone time, you seek out people and spend time with them.  Alone, but not alone.”

He’s right.  I become wrapped in the quiet envelope of space that is all my own. I can be surrounded by people and yet hidden in my own pocket of peace.

I’ll be back in this City That Never Sleeps for a few days starting this weekend.  Hoping to capture a few more shots of this fabulous city!

//35mm black and white film photos taken with my Canon AE-1 on Ilford HP5 400 film.  Images were taken in SoHo, Central Park, and the Upper East Side (I think that’s what they’re called).  Captured a few in color, so I may throw those in for good measure in another post.