It’s no secret New York is a unique setting for urban photography. To have even a chance at finding a shot thousands of people haven’t already taken you have to go off the beaten path. Even then, in a city so densely populated, most paths have been thoroughly beaten by now. Nonetheless, I was wandering the city early one morning in search of that fresh perspective and thought I’d finally found it: a new angle on not one but two New York landmarks: the Empire State Building framed by the supports of the Brooklyn Bridge.
And I thought the zoomed out shot from this angle, with some bright brick buildings and construction in the foreground, added an another element worth showing:
Having captured these shots, I went home thinking I’d succeeded in finding that new New York scene. But of course, I was not the first to find this spot.
I took these photos in 2011. More recently, I was rewatching one of my favorite TV shows, 30 Rock, on Netflix. A few minutes into Season 5, Episode 4, one of the main characters, Jenna Moroney, describes how she ended up locked into a 10-year contract with a Japanese karaoke video company. The camera cuts away to a karaoke room with a video in the background featuring Jenna singing — and then becoming increasingly distraught about her contract — in front of scenic backdrops. I was just enjoying the show when I realized Jenna was strangling a hapless man in front of a spot I knew well:
Look familiar? Oh well. I tried. You can see my other attempts at finding something novel through my lens in New York here.