Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 22, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

I took this shot about a month ago when I was visiting my sister in Brooklyn.  This was taken from the balcony of her apartment.  I always love this view.  This is very ‘Brooklyn’ to me.  It’s where I was born and raised.  It’s where I am most comfortable, most at home.  It is familiar.  All I ever knew was house on top of house.  I did not cut a blade of grass until I was 26 and moved into my own house with my very first lawn.  I’ve been in this house (in MetroWest, MA) for five years now and I still have that unfamiliar feeling when I am pushing this lawnmower up and down.  I’m used to hearing the compression brakes of a city bus or the klaxon of an ambulance/police car.  I am used to grid patterns to my city map.  And I’m used to other people talking with the same accent that I have.

But, if there is one thing that I am learning each day, it is that some of the most rewarding opportunities are born from situations that you are not used to.  As my very good friend, Peter, says it: ‘If you’re scared about it, then you should probably do it.’

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

It must be because I am getting ready to return home to NYC in a couple of days that I have been posting back-to-back shots from my last trip there.  It’s also fitting because I am really hoping to meet up with two buddies also making their way into NYC for the day to shoot.  Fingers crossed that the rain decides to go anywhere else but there.

This is DUMBO.  It’s actually an acronym that stands for ‘Down Under The Manhattan Bridge Overpass’.  It is one of my absolute favorite places to roam around in NYC.  This archway is literally below the Manhattan Bridge.  I decided to get low and shift up to give create a grandiose perspective.  I love just how large and looming the archway appears in this shot.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

This was another one of those ‘Should I take a chance and get harassed by the police’ shots that we all seem to encounter every now and again, but apparently more so if you are in a major metropolitan subway station.  This here is a long corridor between stations in Brooklyn, NY.  My epic day of shooting around NYC with my good buddy, Peter, was approaching an end but we still found time and energy to snap off a few brackets in this sweet tunnel.  No joke, I absolutely love how this shot turned out.  Another homage to The Matrix.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

Growing up on the Saturday morning cartoons of the ’80s, I tend to look at just about every manhole cover with some fondness and partly expect four giant mutant turtles to pop out wielding various weapons typically used by ninjas.  No such thing happened here, as I was standing in the DUMBO area of my home city of Brooklyn, NY.  Instead, I just focused on framing this shot.  I love the leading lines of the defunct train rails all the way to the the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

Welcome to Astroland Park, in Brooklyn’s own Coney Island area.  I remember going to Astroland Park as a kid and not much has changed.  These shooting galleries were one of my absolute favorite parts of the park.  I remember my father putting a quarter in (I think it costs $1 now) and start knocking off little bullseye targets, each one causing some sort of scene.

This shot was taken during the 2009 Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk, of which I won 1st Place for Brooklyn/Coney Island.  I was really excited to win for hometown pride. 

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, 17mm, F 4, ISO 100, HDR, 9 Exposures

Downtown Brooklyn at night is a very, very awesome place to be if you’re looking for some funky structures, lighting, and characters.  Peter and I stumbled upon this restaurant and its appeal is immediately evident.  The graffiti design just draws your eyes all around the frame.  To accentuate storefront and the graffiti on the staircase (my favorite part), I tilted so that the right portion of the frame faded to bokeh.  Enjoy!