Looking up at the sky from Bryant Park is always a visual experience and offers wonderful opportunities for the photographer interested in capturing the distinctive way the city expresses its personality. The shapes change throughout the day and across the different seasons, of course, but in winter, the bare trees allow the backdrop of buildings and skyscrapers surrounding the park to stand out in a prominent and very “New York” way.
Those familiar with the place have certainly observed that the park seems to be “trapped” between modern skyscrapers and older buildings, and yet, its gardens always exude a sense of spaciousness that contrasts with this, especially in summer, when these gardens fill with people enjoying the free, high-quality performances presented there. On those occasions—I often think—the surrounding structures seem to be the guardians of a sacred temple where contemporary druids, to the sound of music, theater, or dance, invite the crowd to perform their own rituals of relaxation, friendship, hope, and happiness. But the winter view of these guardians gives an artistic feeling that I love. They are sculptures in the sky, which, despite embodying the mercantilist and capitalist drive of New York, offer a very particular beauty when viewed through the maked branches and trunks of dormant vegetation.
Here are a few shots of this, enhanced by the magic of analog photography, which adds an extra touch of magic.
Technical Info:
Camera: Yashica Electro 35 G
Film: Ilford HP5+ 400
Last Round in Sight 