Alone I Stand

Financial District, New York City

"A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work." Colin Powell

The quote that's included with this photograph is a quote I came across a few years ago but stayed imprinted in my mind. I think it's very fitting with this photograph. 


This photograph was captured while I was in a New York Water Taxi on the way to the Statue of Liberty. Clouds were starting to engulf the perfect blue sky and in a matter of minutes it was storming but that made the trip more exciting. This particular skyscraper looks exceptionally good on a stormy day and that's because the exterior panels are shiny, almost mirror-like so it reflects whatever color is in the sky. I always thought it looks best when it's cloudy.


The location for this skyscraper is perfect. It's right on the edge of the water and it's the only building that's considered as a skyscraper in the area. It stands out more and whether you want it or not, your eyes will go on it while passing by.

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys Super Grain Film/Libatique 73 Lens.

Emerging From the Clouds

34th Street, New York City

"The skyscraper establishes the block, the block creates the street, the street offers itself to man." Alan Bird

This upside-down photo (explanation below) was captured at 34th Street Manhattan, New York and is part of the Hipstamatic photography series of New York, Manhattan. I don't know the name of the building or what purpose it serves, but as soon as I saw it I got this idea in my head that I am portraying here.


As mostly everyone knows New York is the city of giants. Everywhere you look you see tall buildings that for a child might seem to be touching the the sky. And I guess that is why someone, a long time ago came up with the term 'skyscraper'. They are grand to look at, an architectural feat and they are perfect for photography. Skyscrapers are photography subjects that don't move, they are not fickle and they don't complain and that's why all the photographers I know find it enjoyable photographing these giant structures.

Yes, the picture is upside down. I flipped it that way on purpose. But what is the purpose? When I was walking by and looked up at this New York Skyscraper, in an instant, it brought out the kid in me and even if it was just a brief moment, I actually believed that it was touching the sky.  


If you look at the right hand side of tower panel and go to the bottom, you will notice that it's like the skyscraper is actually emerging from the sky and being build towards the earth.Most skyscrapers have a huge base for a solid foundation but this one has a small base and the higher it goes, the bigger it gets (in the photography, not in real life) It also resembles our life which is almost composed of building blocks. In whatever we do, we start small and work hard to achieve that bigger goal.

The settings on the Hipstamatic camera for this photography series were Lucifer VI Lens/BlacKeys Monochrome Film. Some minor adjustments were done in Photoshop CS4 including the Black and White conversion.