…before the staff at Rockefeller Center has the ice skating rink set up and ready for visitors.
As you can see from the photo above, they’re hard at work. This is something residents and tourists alike love to do. Enjoy! (I’ll be in Aruba under the lower-latitude sun, working on my relaxed attitude.)
Times like these require a sense of perspective. On a lighter note, let’s talk about some artful perspective as seen at Rockefeller Center, New York City. For years, I’ve been looking up at this painting, which is on the ceiling of the main lobby.
The painter brilliantly used shadows on both sides so that no matter where you stand, it appears that you are looking up into the funnel. The figure holding the massive scales seems to shift his weight from one leg to the other as you walk across the lobby. Those taking a tour of NBC or Rockefeller Center are given an explanation of this. I always take guests to see it and the other paintings that are found of the walls in this area.
So, when things are going crazy, don’t forget that they’ve been crazy before and keep looking up. You never know what you’ll see.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City is one place where you can step out of the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. Within its walls, you’ll find a modicum of peace and quiet. Just like the photographs of the stained glass windows I took in Spain, I always try to get a few shots of the ones in St. Patrick’s.
Years ago, when I was in film school, I took a number of black and white shots inside the cathedral. This was in the days before the digital darkroom. There were chemicals, enlargers, and actual film. I enjoyed that kind of work. Hours spent in the darkroom helped improve my photography in the field. Today, I use a consumer digital camera, snapping shots for this blog and other general documentary purposes. It serves the purpose and the quality of the output is actually good when considering the cost, time, and effort put into it. It truly is “easy.”
The shots of these stained glass windows came out good considering the cathedral is dark compared to the brightness of the sun shining through the window. This is a challenge for an automatic camera. Of course, you’re not able to correct the perspective or expose as well as you could with a manual camera. Nonetheless, the images are bright and clear, especially on a computer monitor. Another advantage is weight; my old manual cameras are heavy and cumbersome. Whenever I would set them up, people get intimidated or think you’re out to make a fortune on their image. Sorry, not quite, just an advance hobbyist having some fun. With the consumer cameras, I rarely encounter that problem.
Anyway, we were in St. Patrick’s. In here I always show proper respect for people praying or a service that may be in progress. After all, this is an important place of worship. I’m impressed by the devotion of the people who come here. I’ve seen everyone among the pews, from business people at lunch time to tourists from around the world. Some people light a candle for someone in need, or say a quick prayer before their saint of choice. Either way, it is interesting to observe.
One final note, at the time of this writing, the exterior of St. Patrick’s is undergoing some work. There is scaffolding set up around the main entrance on 5th Avenue. The cathedral is open, but the exterior photos may not be as pleasant as you would like.
In the wake of natural disasters, urban sprawl, and neighborhood renewal, there are smart people coming up with new ideas for housing. A recent exhibit in New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, revealed some of these concepts including this tiny example, a 76 square food house.
The place is big enough for one. It features all the amenities of any normal house: bathroom, kitchen, sleeping area, dining area. There’s less space than you’re typical tugboat cabin; I can confirm that. But it is functional. Here are two more examples as seen from above.
The one in the foreground is very much like a shipping container. It can be combined with similar sized units to expand the living area. At the same time, it is economical to transport given it’s standard size. The one in the background was rather bizarre in that it featured a unique construction method using cut plywood shapes. It had an organic feel to it on the inside but nothing I’d want to live in. Then there was this cottage which also used die-cut plywood shapes to allow for easy assembly.
The way the shapes are assembled gives the walls tremendous strength. It’s also easy to transport as all the pieces can be cut at the factory, shipped flat, and put together on site with less skilled labor than a traditionally built home.
These type of exhibits get your mind going, which is why I try to take them in every time I’m in New York.
The Bent Page 
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