Reymon de Real PhotographyTHE LITTLE ISLAND
Posted on June 21, 2021
New York City has a new public park called The Little Island located in the west side of Manhattan right on the Hudson River. This architectural masterpiece rises from the remnants of Pier 54 and is made up of concrete piles and tulip-like pots, which makes up the surface of the park. This new attraction also provides the much-needed additional green space from all the concrete that blankets this mega metropolis. It is open to the public but requires reservations for visits after 12 noon. Unfortunately, this visitor failed to check some info and arrived at 12:40 pm so now you know why my photos are all taken from a distance…I didn’t make it inside the park. 😢 I am presenting these photographs in monochrome as it works well on this architectural subject. I did spare the last photo in color so you’ll have an idea of how it looks in real life. Next time I visit New York I’ll make sure to come earlier or make a reservation so I can get some inside-the-park photos. By the way, these photographs were taken using an iPhone 11 Pro Max.
A LITTLE BIT OF OLD IN NEW YORK
Posted on June 19, 2021
I was walking down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan when I saw this vintage car awaiting for the green light right beside the Saint Thomas Church. From across the street it didn’t look interesting enough to deserve a shot but when I got closer at the crosswalk I realized it looked great with the church and the skyscrapers in the background. I immediately pulled out my iPhone and switched the camera to wide angle lens and took this single shot. I opted for a wide angle shot as it allowed me to get closer to the car closer while still capturing the crucial scenes in the background. The photo also makes you feel like you’re viewing the scene with your own eyes. I edited it to black and white for a more classic look and to evoke a sense of nostalgia…as if it was taken from a different time.
BENEATH THE BETHESDA TERRACE
Posted on June 10, 2021
The Bethesda Terrace is one of many architectural features located inside New York City’s Central Park. It’s lower passageway is a spectacular work of art that has been featured in so many Hollywood movies as well as tv and print ads. It has also become a favorite backdrop for multiple social media selfie posts. I am currently in New York City for a weekend of leisure and decided to spend the afternoon in Central Park while waiting for my hotel room to be ready. I’ve been to this spot many times but surprisingly has never taken a photograph of it. I didn’t bring my DSLR on this trip so I pulled out my ever reliable iPhone 11 Plus for this photo session. I also decided to play with my phone’s wide angle lens feature and got very pleased with how these three photographs turned out. To this day I continue to be amazed by the quality of photos my iphone has been giving me. Hope you guys like them as well.
LADY LIBERTY
Posted on September 25, 2019
I’ve been to New York City numerous times but have never made it to the Statue of Liberty. Twice I booked a ferry ride around Manhattan and both times they were cancelled due to bad weather. Somehow fate seemed to be telling me I needed to stay away from Lady Liberty.
Last year I finally became a naturalized citizen and during my trip to New York early this summer I thought it was the rightful time to pay the lady in green a visit. I was filled with excitement waking up to a bright and sunny morning then catching the metro to downtown and waiting for the ferry to take me to Liberty Island. As the ferry sailed closer, a strong sense of exhilaration took over me when I came face to face with the Statue of Liberty. As an immigrant to this country, I can now relate how those early Europeans felt when they were greeted by this colossal statue as they sailed into the New York harbor more than a hundred years ago. My journey may have been much easier compared to those early immigrants but all the years of waiting for my employer to inform me that I can finally move to America was quite a stressful experience indeed.
As I walked around the complex I recalled the lines from “The New Colossus” a sonnet written by Emma Lazarus, which were inscribed on a bronze plaque and placed on the pedestal of the statue. The famous last stanza of the sonnet goes: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
My visit to the Statue of Liberty was both gratifying and liberating. It was the culmination of my long journey to this land of milk and honey as well as a validation to my American Dream.
IN MEMORIAM
Posted on September 11, 2018
Today we commemorate that fateful day in 2001 when America was attacked by terrorists and the whole world turned a corner and was never the same again. I was still in the Philippines when 9/11 happened but I followed every moment of that day on television watching in horror as both towers crashed to the ground. Twelve years later I found myself in New York City standing at the very spot where it all happened fighting my emotions while remembering the events of that day. The memorial is such a somber place and is deeply sacred not only to every American but also to every citizen of this world who lost a loved one, a friend and a countryman. I’ve been to New York multiple times and everytime I visit I always drop by the memorial to pay my respects. The photograph above was taken last year when I brought my parents, who were visiting from the Philippines, to New York for the first time. Next month I will be in New York City and just like my previous trips will revisit the memorial to pay my respects…although this time not just as an immigrant but as a proud citizen of this great and beautiful country.
Reymon de Real Photography 