Awesome Photos

What is it about New York City that makes it so magic?  The deep melting pot of people?  The history? All the amazing buildings? Well, the list goes on and on in my estimation. But one thing that stands out in my mind and heart is Central Park.  If the brick and steel buildings are the bones of the city, Central Park is the heart.   Trees, birds, bikers, joggers- it’s all normal “park stuff”.  But in Central Park, somehow it’s not normal.  As an out-of-town visitor to the park, one almost feels as if they are inside a movie set.  I love knowing that lions, tigers and bears live inside the sprawling 843 acres.  And that at any moment you could see Woody Allen walking briskly, head down, towards his East End Apartment.

This photo is of  a part of the park called “The Mall.’  On a sunny Sunday, this is a longtime social gathering spot and all the benches are filled.  Two old friends play a game of chess at one bench, a budding family rests to feed their baby on another.  Hundreds walk their dogs, hold hands, run and skate under the bough of trees. Tourists fill in every seam.  But on a weekday evening, it’s far more sparse.  A jogger here or there, a business man hurriedly making his way home.  The city lights begin to take center stage in the background as daylight dims and the grand Mall seems to fade away like the final shot of a movie.  I wanted to catch this very moment. And so, with my Nikon D200 and 70-300 Nikon lens, I waited, and waited, and waited until finally The Mall was empty and the light was right.  Click.