Street Photography in New York City (feat.) Jorge Garcia.

Nov 4

Growing up in small-town Manitoba, I idolized the lives of those living in the big cities of America. The idea of variety, possibility and opportunity around every corner was captivating compared to the insolation of farm life. As a visual person, there was also a deep enthusiasm for places like Manhattan, where you could see thousands of people walk the streets in a single day.

Street photography, for me, started as a way to test the quality of new photo cameras. So out of my downtown Winnipeg condo, I would venture, taking photos of whatever greeted me outside. This testing mantra blossomed into a new hobby for me, quickly entranced by the candid, slice-of-life images I was getting.

When I booked my ticket to New York City for the first time, I knew that I wanted to do something which would pay homage to this passion. That's when I reached out to the New York City Street Photography Collective to ask if they had a community member who could help me out.

The project was simple.

To have a street photographer take pictures of me as I was taking street photos. You can see the results below.

Taking a street photograph of me, taking a street photograph.

A photograph taken by Jorge Garcia in Midtown Manhattan close to time square. The photo captures myself, taking a street photo of a woman fleeing from the evening rain.

Waiting for a cab.

In this photograph, Jorge instructed me to wait in front of an overpass. He told me to take some photos, but not to venture too far away from this specific area. Within a short time, he snapped a photo of me standing in front of an iconic New York City taxi.

A street photographer in New York City's Time Square

Positioned close to the ground, Jorge snapped a photo of me while I was walking in front of his line of sight, playfully pointing my camera back at him.

We're not in Winnipeg anymore.

I stop in the middle of a crosswalk to have my photo taken amidst the New York City street.

An American out of time.

Close to Time Square, in downtown NYC, there was a large digital flag art installation which I focused on for many of my photos. During our time in that location, Jorge took a photo of me crossing the exhibition, halfway finished speaking to a bystander.

Colour and contrast

Colour is an important part of video production, as it is to photography. This couple, wearing bright rain jackets was an excellent subject for a street photo. Evidently, Jorge thought so too, and captured a picture of me taking their photograph.

A photograph in Grand Central Station.

As a photographer, Grand Central Station is an excellent hub of action, art, and entertainment. In a rare break in time, Jorge took this photo of me, unassumingly pointing my camera in the direction of the ceiling light.

Avant-garde Street Photography

In this slow shutter speed photography, Jorge Garcia captures me chasing after a person, late for their train. In a moment of action, the lights and lines blur together.

Answering my email, photographer Jorge Garcia, Founder of the NYCSPC. He agreed to meet me in Midtown Manhattan for my photo session.

Working with Jorge was an absolute blast. He's a wealth of photography knowledge and knows the NYC area inside and out. We shot in Time Square, Grand Central Station, and outside the New York Public Library. Travelling down 42nd street, the evening was full of colourful opportunities to capture moments unique to NYC.

You can see his work here.

Some people see the Empire State Building, and others the Statue of Liberty. Sure, there's no shortage of sites in NYC. My journey, however, was a personal project which turned out better than I imagined.

I want to thank Jorge for delivering this project beyond expectations.