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15 posts tagged new york city
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NY Through The Lens - the coffee table book is now available worldwide!!!!
I am very, very, very excited to celebrate the worldwide launch of my book today. It’s now available in stores and online around the world.
All the details about the book are in the post below.
Thank you to everyone who made this possible and most of all to you the audience of this blog without which none of this dream would have ever unfolded before my eyes.
♥
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NY Through The Lens - The Book!
I am super excited to announce this news!
My New York City coffee table book is currently available for sale worldwide!
All of the photos in this post are in the book. For all press coverage and book reviews, check out my for up to date coverage.
Here are some Questions and Answers about the book:
I live in the United States or Canada. What is the link to use to order the book online?
Use this link if you have a United States or Canada shipping address:
I live in the UK, Australia, or New Zealand. What are the links to use to order the book online?
Use this link if you have a UK shipping address:
Use this link if you have an Australia or New Zealand shipping address:
I live in other parts of the world. How can I purchase the book?
The book is available in the English language on Amazon throughout most of Europe (and parts of Asia).
If you go to your country’s Amazon and search for: NY Through The Lens, my book will show up. This is your own country’s option for purchasing the book. Just remember that the shipping will be local and the currency will be friendly to where you live but the book will be in English.
If you live in other parts of Europe, you may also be able to which offers free or reduced shipping to parts of Europe outside of the United Kingdom.
What are the release dates for the book?
United States and Canada release date in stores (it’s available now!): November 24, 2014.
UK, Australia and New Zealand release date: October 7, 2014 (it’s available now!).
Can I find your book in stores?
Yes!
The book released in stores worldwide on November 24th, 2014.
You can find the book at major retailers in the United States like and . It’s also available at many indie booksellers like these locations in NYC: , , , , , just to name a few.
You can find the book at major retailers in the U.K. like , , , , , just to name a few.
Here is a page with an ongoing listing of physical retail and online locations to purchase the book:
The list is ongoing as I mentioned above.
I really would love it if I could buy your book from my local bookshop. Is that possible?
Of course!
If your local bookshop doesn’t currently stock my book, just ask them about ordering and stocking the book. Most bookstores should be able to order copies for sale.
I really want a signed copy of the book. Is this possible?
My publisher has made a limited number of signed copies available as of October 25th, 2014. To order a limited edition signed copy of the book, simply use the order form on this page:
The limited edition signed copy will be signed by me personally.
Will there be any book launch related events in NYC or other parts of the world?
Great question!
The answer is: yes.
There will be a few book events happening in NYC in December, 2014.
My photography and book will be celebrated and featured at an event in conjunction with Wired Magazine in New York City in December (details TBA)
I will be doing a presentation and book signing at B&H Photo and Video in New York City on December 30th. Event details and registration:
I also may be in London later this winter at some point and should that happen I will definitely be doing a few book events as well.
Is there an e-book edition of the book available?
Yes, there is.
It is available on my publisher’s website here as either a standalone e-book or you can purchase a regular print edition of the book bundled with an e-book:
I am press and would love to review the book. How do I get in touch with you?
Feel free to use my .
Do you have any photos of what the book looks like?
Here is what the cover looks like:
The cover and physical book together:
Some sample pages:
View images of more sample pages and the cover over at this album:
How many pages are in the book? What are the formats?
The United States and Canada version of the book is paperback and consists of 192 pages of photography and writing by yours truly.
The UK, Australia, and New Zealand version of the book is hardcover and consists of 192 pages of photography and writing.
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General questions:
What part of NYC did you grow up in? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in a borough of New York City called Queens. More specifically, I grew up in Flushing, Queens. I have lived in Manhattan for the past 11 years. I currently reside on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
When and how did you start photography? What inspires you? And how would you describe your style of photography?
The beginnings…
In 2008, I was extremely broke and had very little money. I was also stressed out as I had quit my job to go back to school to finally finish the degree which I had abandoned nearly a decade earlier because I needed to work many jobs to support myself.
Living on my own since the age of 17 years old with no family support or safety net put me in the precarious position of working many jobs to keep myself afloat while living in New York City. I worked 7 days a week for quite a while and decided I needed to make a change in my life before my life passed me by and I barely explored my passions.
It took a huge leap of faith to put myself back in school. But I did. I decided to go back to school pursuing a pre-med path.
Without much in the way of material things or financial prosperity, walking became my number one way to deal with stress. It also became a way for me to experience the city like I hadn’t before. I would choose a direction and walk as far as my feet would take me; I still do this.
My walks opened my eyes to a New York City that I hadn’t experienced before. I knew that I wanted to capture the moments and experiences on my walks that made my heart swell. However, I was so broke that I couldn’t even afford a smartphone or a smartphone plan. I went on Amazon and purchased the cheapest point and shoot I could find. At $79, it was a huge investment at the time. That humble little camera had one button and a few settings (one of which was broken!). I didn’t care though. I finally had a tool to explore my view and vision of New York City.
In 2009, I decided to finally post the photos I had accumulated along the way online. I knew nothing about posting photography online and had heard that blogs were a great place to post photography. I literally googled the word “blog” one evening and Tumblr came up as the first search result. I decided to create my blog, NY Through The Lens on Tumblr purely for myself as a way to view my collected images in a beautiful way online.
Since I had no formal training in photography or in-depth knowledge of the rules and concepts defining the field, it didn’t occur to me that I’d have an audience for my work. I honestly didn’t think that anyone would be interested in what I was posting online to my Tumblr blog. However, within a few months of posting my photos to Tumblr, I amassed close to 70,000 followers and I was both humbled and touched by the messages I would receive on a weekly basis.
Inspiration and style…
Starting out in photography with limited tools enticed me to learn more about light, which in turn, has set me on a lifelong journey attempting to capture something as fleeting and vast as the transient quality of New York City and other places around the world.
That initial leap of posting my photography online to my Tumblr and eventually across social media started an epic adventure and led to photography and writing becoming my career. I am thankful everyday that I get to share my passion with an online audience of over 2.5 million. The ability to connect with people on a regular basis is something I never take for granted.
Currently, I am focused on distilling the essence of New York City and other places around the world into distinctive visual remnants that resonate in a variety of ways.
The fantastical elements of how I perceive New York City are something that I intend to keep on imbuing into my photography. The exploration of what is reality and what is perceived reality filtered through a variety of influences is a key focus of my work.
I have always harbored a dreamy, fantastical view of New York City which harkens back to my childhood growing up as a that has inspired me in a variety of ways.
Most of my photography is heavily influenced by cinema, music, and other art forms as I have a background in fine art (painting and art history).
I am also endlessly haunted by a sense of saudade and sehnsucht: a deep longing for a place that is unidentifiable but somehow familiar and indicative of what could be identified as home. I am on a never-ending quest to attempt to imbue my photography of cities and landscapes with this complex notion of nostalgic longing.
I am fascinated and interested in exploring how certain tones can produce feelings of different forms of nostalgia and how color or lack of color influences memory and desire.
Additionally, I am inspired by all of the things that different places symbolize for people and I try to examine and delve into these enduring symbols with my photography.
Where can I find out more about you?
Where else can I find you online?
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All about cameras:
The most common question I get every day is what camera I shoot with. The photos in the book and the majority of the photos on my blog have been taken with Sony cameras.
I started using Sony cameras when I first began pursuing photography professionally back in 2010 based on the suggestion of a very close friend and a lot of research. I spoke on a blog panel during a photography conference in the summer of 2012. It was because of that amazing speaking opportunity that I became acquainted with Sony since someone from Sony was in the audience during my panel. I partnered with Sony in 2013 and in April of 2014. The choice to partner with Sony was a natural one for me since I had already been enthusiastically using Sony cameras for my professional photography.
Because this photography book is inclusive of my photographic journey from the start up until now, it also includes photos that I took with my initial no-frills point-and-shoot camera as well as some mobile photos since I am very passionate about mobile photography.
Every photo in the book has a caption that indicates what camera was used as well as the settings used.
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I hope you will enjoy my book. It’s been an enormous labor of love.
I want to thank everyone involved in the process: my UK publisher: , my US publisher: , and…
you.
None of this would have been possible without you.
Much love to all of you for inspiring me every day to follow my passion.
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View: , My Travel Blog, ,, or ask for help.
Nice review from Tumblr of my New York City coffee table book: NY Through the Lens…
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Two items we have to tell you about! Two are from the world of books, two are from the world of New York. (That’s right, they’re the same two, because books and New York are a cranky married couple that can’t get enough of each other.)
- (above left) is becoming an extremely attractive book, and that book is available for pre-sale right now. If you like your New York to be at once intimately familiar and constantly smitten with its own newness, then this book is destined for your coffee table.
- (above right) isn’t a Tumblr book, per se, but it’s a fine collection of New York essays (a genre unto itself) and it’s thick with Tumblr luminaries like , , , , . (We stole that list from the perfect , whose touches on how her Tumblr, which is both “silly” and “singularly mine,” helped her find her way into the whole New Yorky, internetty, Tumblry community.)
Whew. Two mouthfuls up there, but it seemed important that we let you know about this beautiful stuff that, hey, you’re pretty much already a part of.
Manhattan skyline photo via nythroughthelens
Thank you Tumblr! ♥
Travel New York City in photos….
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All about my New York coffee table book via Tumblr’s official Books Tumblr (a great one to follow!). Thanks Tumblr! ♥ you.
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NY Through The Lens - The Book!
I am super excited to announce this news!
My New York City photography book is currently available for .
Will the book be releasing in physical stores as well?
Yes! It will be at major retailers like Barnes and Noble here in the United States as well as many other retailers in the US and UK.
Here is a new page with an ongoing listing of physical retail and online locations to purchase the book:
Travel Guide to New York City autumn views in Central Park
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New York Autumn - Central Park’s Most Beautiful Views
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Around this time every year, I get a ton of messages and emails asking me when the leaves are changing in Central Park and what the best places are to soak in the best of Central Park in the autumn.
Central Park turns into a magical autumn wonderland in the fall.
Let’s explore:
What’s more romantic than 2 bicycles waiting next to trees dripping with autumn foliage? This photo was taken on the east side of Central Park near the East 70s. I usually enter the park in this area. It’s full of rolling hills. If you wander around during the peak of autumn, you are bound to catch views like this in quite a few places in this area:
If you happen to be in Central Park when the fall foliage is at its peak, make sure you stick around for an autumn sunset. This photo was taken adjacent to The Mall in Central Park. No, The Mall is not a giant shopping center. Rather, The Mall is a section of Central Park that runs from 66th to 72nd Street.
I usually enter Central Park from the east side of the park and follow the signs to get to The Mall. This is a pathway that is right next to The Mall. It has an abundance of trees that turn red in the autumn which makes it ideal for sunset gazing.
Right next to the Loeb Boathouse which is on the east side of the park near 72nd Street, is one of the most beautiful parts of Central Park in the autumn. The willow trees here turn the most vibrant shades of yellow and orange at peak foliage and you get a perfect view of San Remo (the two-towered building in this photo) as well as people in row boats on The Lake enjoying the last vestiges of nice weather.
Another favorite spot which I mentioned above is The Mall and Literary Walk (also known as Central Park’s Poet’s Walk). Central Park’s gorgeous elm trees form a giant canopy above the bucolic landscape.
This is Central Park’s Mall at dusk on a gorgeous autumn evening.
Adjacent to Central Park’s Mall are a line of protected elm trees. The elm trees in Central Park are some of the last remaining American elm trees in the world. Make sure you explore the area around the Mall and you will be rewarded with this amazing view of the elm trees whose leaves turn the most vibrant yellow and gold at peak foliage.
After you admire the elm trees, take a walk around the benches that surround the Mall on the side of the Mall leading to Bethesda Fountain. I love this area because at autumn’s peak, the leaves carpet the ground.
Bow Bridge is always my main goal when I go to Central Park to view the peak fall foliage. It’s a fairytale setting that seems to have made its way into reality. It’s also made an appearance in a Dr. Who episode and a ton of films (Spiderman 3 being one of them). Bow Bridge is located right in the middle of the park overlooking The Lake.
It is between 74th and 75th Streets and the easiest way to find Bow Bridge is to head to Bethesda Fountain and then follow the path from there to the Bridge. Central Park is an easy place to get lost in (even I get lost there on a regular basis despite going there often) but there are signs everywhere and I have never failed to find a knowledgeable NYer who is willing to help with directions (and who isn’t directionally challenged like I am!).
If you walk south away from The Mall on the East Side of Central Park and you are in the vicinity of the Alice in Wonderland sculpture (which is near 74th Street), there are a series of large rocks that people love to climb. The light is absolutely stunning there during the autumn especially when the leaves are covering the ground.
If you decide to follow the perimeter of The Lake instead of going south after gazing at Bow Bridge, you will be greeted with views like this.
Bow Bridge is also beautiful to view from the other side of The Lake. If you wait until the hour before sunset, the sun tends to set almost directly above Bow Bridge when you are standing (or sitting) at this vantage point.
If you are feeling slightly adventurous, definitely explore The Ramble. The Ramble is in the middle of Central Park between 73rd and and 79th Streets. It is 36 acres of something known as a “wild garden”. It was designed as a total escape from the city proper and has many winding paths through a gloriously rugged landscape.
In the autumn, it comes alive with color.
The rustic bridges in The Ramble are also beautiful when surrounded by fall foliage.
And finally, do not forget to walk down Central Park’s Bridle Path. The Bridle Path is runs adjacent to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. The reservoir runs from 85th Street to 96th street on the east side of the park.
During the autumn, the trees perfectly frame the skyline of Central Park West.
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Frequently Asked Questions:
Are these the only beautiful autumn landscapes in Central Park?
If you notice, a lot of my top views are near the east side of the park. This is because for about 7 years I lived on the border of the Upper East Side and Harlem and I would walk down to this area to acquaint myself with Central Park. Familiarity breeds unabashed love.
Are there gorgeous areas of Central Park on the west side or further north and south? Of course there are. Central Park stretches across 840 acres of Manhattan. I just happen to be extremely enamored of this particular area due to my familiarity with it and my love of Bow Bridge.
Quite honestly, at the peak of autumn, you can’t really go wrong with most parts of Central Park. It’s basically an autumn wonderland full of fall foliage and piles of leaves.
When do the leaves change in Central Park?
Great question! I can give you only an approximate answer though since the peak has varied wildly over the last few years due to extreme weather (Hurricane Irene and Sandy).
Usually peak fall foliage in Central Park occurs towards the beginning of November. If New York City gets a lot of rain though, the quality of the fall foliage will vary. Lots of rain means less leaves on the trees and a less lush appearance during the peak. Also, if New York City is incredibly dry, the peak can take longer to occur.
Some years, peak foliage has occurred early towards the middle to end of October. The 2014 autumn season looks like it is starting a bit early. I have seen leaves changing already and the weather has been cool. These signs lead me to believe that we will see more color in October this year which is exciting!
How long does peak fall foliage last?
Not long enough.
No really. It’s only vibrant like in the photos in this post for around two to three weeks. Sometimes that time is cut short by rainfall and/or early snow. I wish it lasted for a month or two!
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I hope you have enjoyed my autumn tour through Central Park :).
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Looking for these (and more) New York City autumn photos to view larger? Here you go (click or tap on each photo to view larger):
Looking to buy any of these autumn photos as prints? Here they are in an autumn gallery over in my online print portfolio:
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* All photos taken by me with a variety of Sony cameras over the years.
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Information about my New York City photography book which is releasing in stores and online in the autumn of 2014 (including where to order it):
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View: , My Travel Blog, ,, or ask for help.
Things to do in New York City: Museum of Natural History - Sleepover for Grownups
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There are a few places in New York City that are almost more New York City than New York City itself.
The American Museum of Natural History is one of those places.
Say its name in certain late-night conversations and you are bound to encounter a wide spectrum of responses most of which are accompanied by a starry-eyed look usually reserved for times when people think back to beloved childhood memories.
Even visiting the museum on frequent school trips during my own childhood, the museum seemed to be a portal into an alternate New York City reality tinted by nostalgia.
The museum started having around a decade ago. But it wasn’t until last week that the museum decided to host its first ever .
The allure of an adults-only sleepover was strong, of course. The sleepover’s tickets sold out within the first three hours that they were up for sale.
I was fortunate enough to be one of the 150 adults who got to attend the sleepover. It was a fascinating night.
Here is some of what transpired…
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Sleepover guests were greeted by live jazz music inside of the museum courtesy of the 12th Night Jazz Ensemble
The Milstein Hall of Ocean Life was the setting for the actual sleeping part of the sleepover. Guests were guided to the hall to pick a cot under the 94 foot blue whale or away from it (I met quite a few people over the course of the night who seemed to share a fear of having the giant whale fall on them in their sleep).
There was also a champagne reception followed by a three course meal where sleepover guests nervously contemplated how the evening’s adventures would unfold.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was happily surprised to find that there was an in-depth itinerary provided for us:
All 45 museum halls and the entire Rose Center for Earth and Space were open for free exploration. Some of the hallways were completely empty.
I took an empty elevator up to the 4th floor. I knew what I wanted to see most of all.
The dinosaurs, of course.
It was a stellar moment when I realized that the dinosaurs were lit up in a special way at night.
I had T-Rex all to myself for a good 10 minutes.
It was *spectacular*.
This night was also the first night I got to use the Sony A7S which has insane low-light capability. You can basically shoot up to 50,000 ISO with little noise. For those who don’t know what ISO is, ISO is the measure of how sensitive your camera sensor is to light. For reference, my first DSLR could only ever really shoot up to around 800 ISO. Anything greater than that and the photos would be extremely noisy.
This next photo was taken at 25,600 ISO with the A7S. It’s straight out of camera. If you want to view it really large, here it is:
I can’t wait to take this camera out on the dark streets of New York City at night.
Back to the sleepover though.
There were a lot of events on the itinerary. I took a break from the dinosaurs to go and attend a presentation about toxicology in the Power of Poison exhibit.
The exhibit was fun to walk through. Here is a representation of the witches from Macbeth.
This is the table at the presentation with all sorts of ominous things like a giant cell display, a tea kettle, a skull, and Arsenic.
And here is the curator of the Power of Poison exhibit who is an author and one of the world’s top leech experts, . He is demonstrating the effects of Arsenic. :)
Before the next event on the itinerary, I ran back to the 4th floor to gawk at the dinosaurs again for a few minutes. If this is what the kids at the sleepovers have been experiencing for years, I am supremely jealous. I love these exhibits even more at night.
I also took a little detour and visited a new exhibit called Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs. There is a simulation game where you can flap your arms to fly like a pterosaur on the screen in front of you. You can then fly over the ocean and try to catch fish, or fly through a forest and try to catch bugs. It is surprisingly (or not surprisingly) hard to catch fish or bugs while flying around with an enormous prehistoric wingspan.
This is another museum guest attempting to fly like a pterosaur.
My dinosaur visit was short-lived since I had to book it to get to the Live Animal presentation. No one really knew what live animals would be featured but the speculation was quite amusing over dinner. My dinner table guests nearly lost it when someone suggested that there would be sloths. Sloths!
Alas, there were no sloths. But that’s ok because there was an owl:
…and a lemur eating a banana.
There was also a bird of prey, an alligator who urinated all over the trainer and the stage, and a Burmese python.
Before the midnight showing of the current space show in the planetarium, I quickly made my way to the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda. When I was really little, it was one of my favorite places in all of New York City. It’s really hard to beat. Not too many other places can boast a trio of large dinosaurs in action poses.
I was surprised to find the room totally empty. If you have visited this museum, you will recognize this room as one of the main entrances. It’s usually full of people since it’s one of the places you can enter the museum and purchase tickets to the exhibits. To experience it empty was truly sublime.
I always thought that the dinosaurs looked a bit like they were dancing.
That tail…
The planetarium show ended somewhere between 1 am and 2 am. I had lofty goals of sleeping under the giant whale but I wanted to visit the Lunar Lounge first.
The Lunar Lounge was the name given to the adult-sleepover-decked-out Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth. It was a space for those adults who preferred to skip sleep. With non-stop films, electrical outlets to charge devices and dim lighting, it was a pretty cool place to hang out for a bit.
At around 3 am, I decided to make my way back to the whale.
Decked out in an oversized hoodie and leggings (the instructions were to bring comfortable clothes for sleeping in sleeping bags but no pajamas: one of the most puzzling requests related to the event), I marveled at how eerily beautiful the museum was at night.
And as I nestled into my sleeping bag under the giant whale, I knew this would be a night I would never forget.
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Some notes about the sleepover:
1. Sleep was but a dream. As I mentioned, I had lofty expectations that I would be able to sleep. In truth, they remained lofty expectations. We were warned that the cots would be extremely uncomfortable. That was an understatement.
But it wasn’t the cot that did me in sleep-wise. And it wasn’t the noise or low-level of light in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. As a travel photographer, I travel with ear plugs and an eye mask and I had both in my possession for this sleepover.
It was the bone-chilling cold.
I guess something that you never really think about when you think of museums is how incredibly cold they get at night. While I had my comfy sleeping bag and I was wearing a hoodie and leggings, I was still uncomfortably freezing for the few futile hours that I attempted to sleep. In retrospect, I should have just kept roaming around the museum. If I were to do the sleepover again, I would actually bank on not sleeping at all.
2. The crowd. I was actually a bit surprised at how restrained the guests were throughout the night. I think I expected that there would be more…revelry. Everything was very, very subdued though which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I was shocked when I entered the sleeping hall at around 3:30 in the morning to find many people sleeping soundly (how did they sleep in that cold?!).
There seemed to be many couples and groups of friends. I was solo on this adventure and so perhaps I was just keenly aware of how paired-up everyone else seemed to be. It’s a great event to attend with someone special, that’s for sure.
3. The itinerary. As I mentioned in the photo-set above, I was pleasantly surprised to find there was a planned itinerary with events and presentations. The presentations and events were pretty fantastic. The only thing I think could be improved would be to space the events out a bit more to allow for more free roaming of the museum. If you wanted to attend all of the events, you would have been left with only a little over an hour to explore the museum.
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I hope you enjoyed my museum sleepover recap!
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Looking for these (and more) photos of the museum sleepover for adults to view larger? Here you go (click or tap on each photo to view larger):
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P.S. - Information about my New York City photography book which is releasing in stores and online in the autumn of 2014 (including where to order it):
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View: , My Travel Blog, ,, or ask for help.
