NYC  I  II  III | STEEL・GLASS・REFLECTIONS

While I feel very much at home surrounded by the gracefully-weathered stone & stucco so common in Italy, skyscrapers thrill me immensely...I just love all of that steel & glass. I realized on my most recent visit to Manhattan that the reflections must have something to do with the appeal...how the buildings play off of one another, seeming to intersect & collide. It’s just one of the many delightful convergences that make New York so visually—gratifyingly—stimulating.

After years of photographing Italian cities & towns, where it’s relatively easy to keep the buildings standing “straight,” the logistical issues of photographing Manhattan’s architecture came back to me on this last visit. I decided to just give in to the inherent “challenges,” and ended up having a great time allowing the diverging angles to guide my camera. I love how the fire escapes add another wonderful layer to the whole geometry of New York as well. (Photos of the fire escapes are on Page II of the NYC series.)

And I was reminded once again of how essential Central Park is to the NYC experience. It always delights me to find it unfolding there, right in the middle of all that glass, steel & asphalt...like a long platter scattered with gems—and the perfect antidote to the chaos & excitement of the streets. Grabbing ingredients at the Whole Foods in Columbus Circle for picnics in the park quickly became a daily ritual that’s now wrapped in with my latest memories of the city. (Photos of the park are on Page III of the NYC series.)

I am still putting together photo collections from NYC, but the three sets I include here are made up of some of my favorites...