On Monday, I began with the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge:

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at sunset in July, with Shore Park in the foreground.

The VerrazanoNarrows Bridge was built in the early 1960s, to connect Brooklyn and Staten Island. At the time it was built, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world (just as the Brooklyn Bridge had been). Before it was built, the only way for Staten Island residents to get to the city was to use the Staten Island Ferry, or drive into New Jersey and take one of the Hudson River crossings.

Tuesday’s shot was of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The Brooklyn Bridge with the Tribute In Light memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks in the background. Taken in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Built in the 1870s and 1880s, it was an engineering marvel of its time, and when built, was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Today, it’s a national landmark and one of the most famous tourist attractions in the city, in addition to being a vital transport link between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The Brooklyn Bridge is, by far, the most famous and most photographed bridge in the city. You’d be hard pressed, I think, to find a person in the US who could not identify the bridge when shown a picture of it. There are many great places from which to shoot the bridge — Brooklyn Bridge Park, southern Manhattan, standing on the bridge itself and others. Sometimes, it’s a bit of a challenge to find a new and unique way to photograph it.

Last September 11, when the city put up the Towers of Light memorial in honor of the victims of the terrorist attacks of 2001, I was in Brooklyn Bridge Park to shoot the lights. After I got the shot I wanted, I wandered around the park. At some point, I noticed that the towers of the bridge intersected with the towers of light, and I could not resist taking the shot. In the end, I do believe that it offers a very different view of the bridge than most people see and expect.

On Wednesday, we looked at the Manhattan Bridge

The Manhattan Bridge at Sunset, with the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline in the background.

The Manhattan Bridge was the last of the three lower East River bridge crossings, opening in 1909, after the Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges. The bridge’s walkway was closed for over forty years before being reopened in 2001.

This shot of the Manhattan Bridge at sunset was taken from Brooklyn Bridge Park. I decided to utilize the rocks as a leading line, guiding the eye of the viewer straight to the bridge. In the background, you can see the Brooklyn Bridge as well as a portion of the NYC skyline.

On Thursday, our focus was on the George Washington Bridge

Of all the bridges connecting Manhattan to other bodies of land (and there are about twenty or so of them), the George Washington Bridge is the only one on the west side of the island. Built in 1931, the bridge, like the Brooklyn Bridge before it and the Verazzano Narrow Bridge after it, was the longest bridge in the world when it opened. It proved so popular that a second (lower) deck was added to the bridge in 1962.

Today, the bridge is the most traveled bridge in the US (and possibly, but I could not confirm it, in the world) with over 300,000 people crossing it daily.

This shot of the bridge was taken a few weeks ago from Fort Washington Park. Many people have seen standard shots of the bridge, but I wanted to go for something a bit different — so I tried to get the underside of the bridge, right by sunset. This was the result.

And on Friday, we went with a non-vehicular bridge, the Bow Bridge in Central Park

Finishing up “NYC Bridges Week” here at The Graceful Image, we have a reminder that not all of NYC’s bridges are huge spans of metal running thousands of feet that are meant to carry cars and trucks from one boro to another. Some of the bridges are meant purely for pedestrian traffic and aesthetic beauty. This one only runs 60 feet, but it is unmistakably as much a part of NYC culture as any of the other bridges I’ve featured this week.

The Bow Bridge, in Central Park, is one of the most popular features of the park. Designed by Calvert Vaux, (one of the designers of Central Park) and Jacob Wrey Mould, it is a popular place for romantic walks, photographers, people taking a stroll, and just about anyone who wants to appreciate the beauty of the Lake in the park.

Believe it or not, when the park was first being planned, the designers requested a suspension bridge, but eventually, they settled on the design that we have today.

I took this shot of the Bow Bridge back in October 2015 (in fact, I shot it on my birthday). I love the late fall, when nature gives us a wonderful nature show and Central Park just lights up with a wonderful chromatic display.

However, in the end, I made my choice.  I have my Top 10 shots.  I also included one additional shot which, while not in my Top 10 shots for the year, is a first step towards a different type of photography that I would like to get into and hopefully, I will expand on that in 2017.

So, without further ado, here are the Top 10 shots, in order of when they were taken.

“Pink”

I took this shot in February at the New York Botanical Gardens.  I love the vibrant color and the detail on the flower (I’m a big sucker for details in pictures).  I have no idea what this flower is called (do any of you?).   I purposely shot it with a wide aperture, to throw the background out of focus, allowing the main subject to stand out.

“Two Bridges”

The Manhattan Bridge at Sunset, with the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline in the background.

You’re going to see a lot of New York City shots in this set, which, I guess, is logical.  I live in the city and it is full of wonderful things to photograph.

I took this shot in May, while in Brooklyn Bridge Park.  If you’ve never visited the park, I highly recommend it.  It offers stunning views of the Broooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, as well as great views of the skyline of the Battery (the southern tip of Manhattan — see below for an example).  It’s a great place to take the family and spend the day.

I like this shot for several reasons.  One of the things I learned this year is that a great way to add interest to a landscape shot is to make sure that there is something in the foreground.  I’ve shot landscapes in the past where there was nothing in the foreground.   They’re nice shots, sure, but nothing special.  Having something in the foreground, however, as in this shot, helps to give the picture depth.  In addition, I like the way the rocks lead your eye right to the bridges.

“Manhattanhenge”

This shot was taken on the day of Manhattanhenge in July.  Manhattenhenge is the term used for the four days a year when the sunrise or sunset line up with the street grid of Manhattan.  Here is the sun setting over 42nd Street.  It’s not often that us New Yorkers get to see the sun at the horizon — usually there are buildings or other obstacles in the way, so when it does appear at the horizon, we take notice. As you can see from this picture, *lots* of people stopped and took notice of the sun setting that day.

One thing I particularly like about this photo is the color.  Normally, the time around sunrise/sunset is called the “golden hour” due to the coloring of the sunlight at this time.  I don’t know what it is, exactly (I suppose I’d have to ask a physicist), but something about Manhattanhenge amplifies that effect, so that the sunlight is almost a golden red (does that even make sense?).

This particular photo happened to be my most popular of the last year.  After Manhattanhenge, I shared it on Facebook and it took off like no previous photo I had ever taken.  It ended up being shared numerous times and was seen by thousands of people.

“Verrazano at Sunset”

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at sunset in July, with Shore Park in the foreground.

I took this shot of the Verrazano-Narrows bridge in July.  I have an app (The Photographer’s Ephemeris – a great app, by the way), that showed me that the sun would be setting over the bridge and I wanted to grab a shot of it.  I set myself up on a hill overlooking the park and bridge and waited for sunset.  Using a narrow aperture (f//20), I was able to capture those sun rays in camera.

“Manhattan at Sunset”

The Manhattan Skyline at Sunset

I took this shot on September 11.  I went down to Brooklyn Bridge Park to take pictures of the Tribute In Light memorial that is put up every year to remember the victims of the terrorist attacks of the day.  While I was waiting for the lights to be turned on, I set up and began shooting.  The sun setting just beyond the tip of the island and the great cloud formations in the sky made this a scene I had to capture.  I had a tough time choosing between this shot and another one shot just a few minutes later when the sun had set and the lights went on (see below), but in the end, this one won out.

“Brooklyn Bridge/Towers of Light”

The Brooklyn Bridge with the Tribute In Light memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks in the background. Taken in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

This shot was taken the same night as the previous shot.  After I had taken the shots I wanted, I wandered around the park for a while.  Eventually, I found this angle, which showed the Brooklyn Bridge with the Towers of Light behind them.  I don’t know if I can articulate why, exactly, I like this shot.  I suppose it has to do with the composition, the coloring, the lines and the lights.  But I find that I like it a great deal, and so it’s on the list.

“Pathways of Life”

As I said previously, I am a sucker for details in pictures, and this shot has details.  I really like the texture of the leaf and the way the lens captured all those wonderful veins.  But there is also another reason I like this picture – it’s one where I tested out a new technique.  You see, when I took this picture (September 25), it was still far too early for that sort of fall color here in New York City.  The leaf, in actuality, was completely green, the color in the lower left corner.  I added the remaining colors in Photoshop, and was rather pleased with the result.

“New York”

A sunset over Manhattan, south of 34th Street

For most of the year, I worked in the Empire State Building.  As a result, it was fairly convenient for me to go up to the Observation Deck and take photos.  I took this shot just after sunset on a November day.  Again, being a sucker for detail, I love this shot – the streets, the buildings and the background all came out beautifully.

“The Reading Bench” 

A peaceful bench to sit and read in the autumn at Wave Hill, Bronx, NY

I found this spot up in Wave Hill, in the Bronx.  I had been meaning to get there for a long time, but whenever I planned to go, something came up to prevent the visit.  Finally, in November, I managed to spend a day there.  From the looks of it, it’s a beautiful place to go to any time of the year, but at the height of fall color, it was spectacular.

I found this bench sitting under one of the oldest trees in the park.  With the fall color, the view of the Hudson and the Palisades, this looks like just the sort of place where you can spend an afternoon curled up with a good book.

“Red Rose Reversed”

This shot was taken earlier this month.  Again, being a detail “junkie,” I could not help but include this shot.  This year I bought myself a new flash, as well as a stand and umbrella and I have begun experimenting with off-camera flash.  This shot is one of those experiments.  I happen to really like the lighting in this picture and how the light falls off from the left side of the photo to the right.  I definitely will be experimenting more with this type of photography in the future.

There is one additional shot that I’d like to include.  It’s a shot that is not typical of my work, but it represents the type of shot that I’d like to do more of.

One of my favorite photographers is Brooke Shaden.  She takes these awesome photographs and composites that are surreal, dark, sometimes creepy and vivid with imagination.  While I don’t, in particular, share her dark tastes, it is as plain as day that she is incredibly skilled at telling stories through her photographs.  Just looking at her work makes me envious of her amazing skill and talent.  While I would not do things as she does them (I’m not that big a fan of the surreal or the dark – despite the shot below), I certainly would like to be able to tell stories of people through my photographs.  I did one last year, and hopefully will do more in the coming year.

“Freed From the Pages”

I took this shot for 52 Frames (my weekly photography group) when the theme was “Books.”  I don’t often shoot with people in the scene, and so, I wasn’t quite sure how to set up this shot.  However, through some creative dodging and burning (and the helpfulness of two of my kids), I was able to capture this shot.  While this shot isn’t one of my ten favorite for the year, I still love it, and certainly plan on doing more over the coming year.

And that’s it — that’s the Top 10.  What do you think?  Are there any shots that you think should have been included?  Do you think that any of these should have been omitted?  Let me know.  In the meantime, he’s towards better photos in 2017!

Zev

It doesn’t have the grand history of the Brooklyn Bridge.  It doesn’t carry as much traffic as the George Washington Bridge.  It hasn’t been immortalized in Simon & Garfunkel song like the 59th Street Bridge (also called the Queensboro Bridge and now [offically] named the Edward Koch Queensboro Bridge).   But yet, it has a charm and a beauty all it’s own.

There is a park that runs along the Belt Parkway on the eastern side of the Verrazano.  It includes a walking path that stretches all the way back to Ceasar’s Bay Shopping Center at Bay Parkway.  People run, jog and walk along the path.  During the summer, many people fish off the walkway as well.  Kids play in the park and it’s not uncommon to see kites in the sky.

From the Brooklyn side, you can often catch the sun setting behind the Verrazano.  Last fall, I caught it setting behind the Staten Island side of the bridge.  In late July, however, it sets behind the Brooklyn side.  This allows for some nice sunset shots.  I spent some time there a few weeks ago and came away with these shots.

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at sunset in July, with Shore Park in the foreground.

The sun setting behind the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Brooklyn on a July evening.

All three of these shots were shot on the same day, within minutes of each other. I happen to like the fact that the composition and processing of the photos give each one a distinct feel from the others.

What do you think?  I’d love to hear from you.