Philadelphia: A Photographic Retrospective of a Short Visit

All New York City residents know or quickly find out that it's imperative to take a break from the "city life" whenever it's possible.  Some people spend summer weekends in The Hamptons.  Some take resort weekends and ski trips to the Adirondacks or the Poconos.  I chose to take two days off from the overcrowded, bustling megalopolis that is the Tri-State area, to spend time in the moderately less crowded metropolis that is Philadelphia.

Here is a quick Retrospective that captures this beautiful city through my lens.  I shot with a Canon T3 Rebel and edited the photos using Virtual Supply Company's VSCOcam app with the Analog 5 filter and low color saturation.  I thought the more monochromatic palette would give a deeper depth to the images and I believe that it worked out well.  Enjoy...

- Esoteric

Monument or Trophy

American History

Art & Culture = Tourists

The House that Rodin Sculpted

Streets That Could Have Been Alleys

Heritage

"Please Don't Put Any Trash Here"

Side Streets: Where Life Happens

Dream Garden

West Philadelphia's Baltimore

JFK Boulevard

7tb & Arch

All Day?

Only 2 Ways Out

Stainless

Broad Street Bully

Connections

Relics

Urban Decay

Time Capsule

The Alley...

...a dreadful record of sin...

Still Shooting

Need a photographer?  I'm still working on finding my artistic touch in the form of photography.  The past few months, I've been taking the time to really invest in my craft and it's beginning to pay off.  I've booked a couple of paying jobs and I'm ready for more.  It's fun to allow the world to see life through my eyes.

Call Me, I'll do the Shooting...

Walking to a bike that I'd like to ride....

...Then I noticed how close I was to the Williamsburg Bridge. 

Bricks and Bikes in Williamsburg

a man and his mode of exploration... from city to city, country to country... the world is always on his side. 

This past weekend I discovered pretty much the best way to get around the city; on two wheels. Regular drivers can make the streets a little scary but sharing the roads on a Sunday afternoon is not as terrifying as I thought it would be. Unlike Keilon, I don't own a bike, so I rented one from the bike share system in NYC, Citi Bike. Although it's nice to ride and not have to worry about looking for a place to chain my ride, I'd prefer to not be limited the lack of bike stations located north of 63rd St in Manhattan and south of Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn. With all that being said maybe one day I'll have a bike of my own, and give up the A/C of the train. 

-Amanda

Swiss Breakfast

While discovering a new breakfast dining spot in SoHo, that will definitely be revisited numerous times in the future, I took the time to capture the essence of the beauty of the ambience.

La Femme de la Ville

Café Select is a great way to begin the day before taking to the bustling shopping district streets of SoHo.

- Keilon

The Perfect Block

New York City can be a constant visual overload; which in my opinion is why it works so well for film making and videography. The viewer is constantly engaged by not only the subject but also the environment of said subject.  However, when it comes to my idea of photography, I prefer a less is more approach.

While strolling between villages in Manhattan (West Village into Greenwich Village), bar hopping, I chose to take a quieter, less scenic route between busy avenues and arrived at this gem of an intersection:

Minetta Triangle, Manhattan, NYC

I was taken with the simplistic beauty (reoccurring theme of mine) of this environment.  Although it's in the midst of a very popular party and entertainment district, it manages to retain it's quiet charm.  Additionally, the melodramatic artificial glow on the block personified the after midnight diminishing ambience of the moment.  I was reminded of the heavy footsteps upon concrete echoing back in the night that I experienced in an equally as charming southern setting in the city of Charleston, South Carolina some years back.

This environment has inspired me to finally decide upon a setting for a short film drama that I've already written which is in need of a location. I look forward to re-imagining inspiration on this side street.