By Bicycle

New York City

"The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine." John Howard

Some might consider New York City as not a bicycle safe city but others tend to think differently. What I think is that bicyclists (especially deliver men) are as dangerous on the road as taxi drivers.

So far I have never driven a bicycle in New York City so I can't really give it a review but from what I see, driving one in Central Park must be fun. I would think twice before I go out driving one on the road though even if there are bicycle lanes available.

Anyway as you can see bicycles are the subject of this photograph that I shot last summer. I often see a lot of them parked in my neighborhood and it never occurred to me that they can actually look nice in a photograph until I shot this one.

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV.

The Garbage Can at Night

Upper West Side, New York City

"Night is certainly more novel and less profane than day." Henry David Thoreau

I was walking back home after a whole day of rain when I captured this photograph. To be honest it was intended to be more of a tourist photograph if you know what I mean, but I ended up with light streaks and the light from the pedestrians reflecting on the wet asphalt. It ended up being a photograph that I enjoyed looking at.

And that is one thing, as I always said before, that baffles me about New York City...that even photographing an almost empty street focusing on a trash can turn out to be beautiful. The element of surprise never seizes in New York City.

I shot this photograph with a cheap Samsung camera and I had to do it fast because it was freezing cold outside. I had no tripod and nothing to place my camera on. Considering that a lot of elements were against me I consider myself lucky to have ended up with a photograph like this.

Times Square

Times Square, New York City

"Chaos is the score upon which reality is written." Henry Miller

Have you ever wondered what being in a video game felt like? Wonder no more and just head to the marvelous Times Square. I would suggest going in the evening as in my opinion, in the evening, Times Square is even more colorful than the daytime.

Times Square is the heart of New York City and while tourists flock to it to see the grandeur, New Yorkers tend to avoid it unless they really need to be there. At first I couldn't understand how could someone would want to avoid Times Square but in time I began to realize the real reason. 

I shot this photograph using a cheap Samsung compact camera. Some minor editing was done using Photoshop CS4. This time I didn't want to convert to black and white as Times Square is all about color!

Rain

Somewhere in Malta

"A poet is someone who stands outside in the rain hoping to be struck by lightning." James Dickey

Rain is probably my most favorite word in the whole dictionary. Rainy weather makes me feel happy and creative. I love the smell of it, the sound and the feeling of cleanliness it leaves behind. Rain makes everything look more beautiful.

I shot this photograph today. In the morning it was absolutely clear then in a few hours we had a bout of rain that almost flooded everywhere. 

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV.

The Gate II

Zabbar, Malta

"In the early days I had a very black-and-white view of everything." Cat Stevens

Today I am posting my 90th photograph...the 90th photograph of a journey that started exactly three months ago. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my subscribers and viewers as without you I wouldn't have made it to almost 11,000 views in three months.

Anyway the photograph of today is the second photograph I am posting of the Notre Dame Gate that is found in Zabbar, Malta. The first photograph was of the Gate that is right in the center of this structure. The photo and more historical information can be found on my first post which can be found here.

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

Playing Field

Central Park, New York City

"You've achieved success in your field when you don't know whether what you're doing is work or play." Warren Beatty

This was one of those rare moments that I have visited the park and this area was completely empty. It was around Labor day and most New Yorkers leave town and I honestly believe that this is the best time to visit New York City. 

The city is quiet, not much traffic and the few people that stay around are those who are relaxed so you can forget all about chaotic New York City. 

This playing area in the photograph is the one that is somewhere closet to 85th Street on the West Side. It's usually full of children or grown ups swinging and playing.

I shot this photograph using my iPhone with the Hipstamatic App. Settings were Ina 1969/John S. Some minor editing was done in Photoshop CS4.

Tree of Life

Fir Tree, Central Park, New York City

"A man doesn't plant a tree for himself. He plants it for posterity." Alexander Smith

Nothing much to say about this photograph. I just happen to be obsessed with photographing trees that come in all forms and sizes. The one in this photograph is a new planted fir tree and I thought it looked cute being the 'baby' among the older trees. 

I photographed it in a way to have it right in the center which adds more depth. Even though it looks that the photo was shot using infrared...it was not. It's just the way the light is hitting the tree.

This black and white photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV