Walking The High Line Urban Park in New York City
The High Line in New York is one of the world’s finest urban parks. Aside from the rainforest that is Stanley Park in my backyard, it’s my favourite city park, no lie. But the High Line is gritty, industrial and very urban. It was born of an incredible story of local action, community support and urban reclamation. Last time I visited back in 2011, I strolled the Line at dusk as the city seemed to wake up for the evening. Artists mixed with the business set after work, tourists strolled alongside photographers, there was a ninja ready for action, all while hanging with this guy. This time round, I walked it alone from the middle to the top and all the way back down to the bottom on Gansevoort Street.
It was the start of May, the beginning of the blossoms and reawakening of the gardens and patches of forest that make up the Line. I was impressed with how much longer this urban park is now than in 2011 – some one and a half miles (2.3 km) in total, stretching towards the Hudson River where it will continue as more phases come online. Residential and business developments are building up alongside, underneath and towering above. One massive development, seen below, will actually be based at 30-feet off the ground, like the High Line itself. Total integration. And to think, not long ago this right of way was unused, covered in self-seeding trees and plants (much of the plant life is still natural) and a rusty old eyesore to many. Today, it’s almost impossible to think of Manhattan without it.
As a top NYC attraction, it is good time well spent walking or reclining on the High Line in New York.
New York City, 2015
Click the first image below to view large – recommended!
A Visit to Sustainable Bicycle Company Roetz Bikes in The Netherlands
Last year on my visit to The Netherlands, I was taken on a multi-day media tour of the country’s bicycle facilities and industry. One highlight (and there were many) was visiting the Roetz Bikes headquarters and workshop. I had not heard of them before, but their unique business model to source, build and brand their bicycles with the utmost attention to sustainability was a story I had to tell. Momentum Mag published a shorter version to coincide with a larger feature looking at the environmental impact of bicycle manufacturing. Below, you’ll find my original piece that takes in the full scope of what they are all about. The fellow you see building the green bike? His name is Seyfettin, and he was recently profiled by Roetz on their site here. A charming man who loves what he does! Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2014. Photo gallery and full article below. (more…)
Delft Reflections
Delft’s 400-year-old City Hall is reflected in the window of a cheese shop in the city’s main square. Gouda, bicycles and incredible architecture — some of the best parts of the Netherlands all in one. Published in a recent edition of Momentum Mag, along with this great quote our editor found:
“One’s destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things” – Henry Miller.
Delft, The Netherlands, 2014.
Amsterdam at Night
On my last night in Amsterdam, I stayed out and walked the streets to soak it all up before a morning flight back home. This spot was close to my hotel, and I couldn’t help but think it looked like an empty sound stage… with just the right amount of gritty.
Amsterdam, 2014.
City Square
I was recently in touch with Máximo Panés, founder of Dodho Magazine, to put together a few words and a collection of work from my high-contrast B&W urban series City Square. You may recall a few image posts from this series, of which ‘Dualities’ and ‘Push Upstairs’ have been previously exhibited at Photohaus Gallery in Vancouver. Seeing the quality of work and the company I’d be in on Dodho, I was happy to oblige!
“Dodho Magazine features the best of contemporary photography, bringing together diverse bodies of work by established and emerging artists from around the globe.”
Have a look at the profile – City Square on Dodho Magazine
Image above – ‘Solitary Man (Vancouver, 2010)’ – from the full series City Square on my site.
Snowy Peak on the Siete Lagos in Northern Patagonia
Traveling the famed Camino de los Siete Lagos in Northern Patagonia, between San Martín de los Andes and Villa La Angostura reveals peak after peak like the snow dusted mountain above. A brilliant loop of lakes, mountains, rivers and dense forest, with our trek starting out in San Carlos de Bariloche, the home base for our week on Lago Nahuel Huapi. Spending the Christmas of ’06 with new friends and amongst the Patagonian landscape, this is one part of the world I long to return to.
Siete Lagos, Neuquén Province, Argentina, 2006.
On the Beach in Tulum, Mexico
Mexico is one of my favourite places to visit, and my first time in that country was seven years ago this month. This past weekend, I dipped into my archives for some shots of Tulum for a photo call-out and I put together a small collection of images from these relaxing days for the blog. The blue-tinged shots are mostly dusk but the golden hues evolve as the sun comes up again over the Caribbean. We rose with this sun each day, welcoming the light into our breezy cabana before a sunrise swim. This was immediately followed by a few more hours napping by the surf before heading up to the patio for those amazing Mexican breakfasts. As easy an entry to the day as I’ve experienced.
Tulum, Mexico, 2008.
(Click the first image below to view large – recommended!)
The Pass in Black & White
Wrapping up my posts from the South Tyrol area of Italy, here’s a small selection of black and white work from high atop Grödner Joch. The contrast was so high up there at 2100m, the whites impossibly so, I had to dial it down a bit and work with some recent VSCO film packs in Lightroom. I shot everything in full colour with my Fuji X-E1 on this trip, but when I shoot film, it’s mostly a black and white affair. I was certainly longing for some analog action up here, a couple rolls of Kodak HIE Infrared film would have been perfect. Alas, I will just have to go back some time with some other cameras (and a few weeks to trek these fine mountains, too).
Grödner Joch, Südtirol, Italy, 2014.
Click the first image to view large – recommended!
Field of Dreams — Redux!
Nadin takes the opportunity for some cloud watching & day dreaming on the awakening alpine meadow. A perfect spot for a nap, at 2100m in the Italian Dolomites.
Grödner Joch, Italy, 2014.
The Hund and Cane
This friendly mountain dog appeared when we first stopped on the approach to Grödner Joch, right by where I took this shot. At first, his visage sent my friend scrambling to the other side of our car, but with some soft words he came over for a visit…and he was indeed a gentle giant with a thick, richly coloured coat and the weather-worn face of an old soul. Didn’t pay much mind to us travelers, this noble beast seemed to exist in his own world on this mountain plateau. Like a spirit animal, at the moment we were wondering which direction to explore, the calming nature of his visit gave us confidence we were on the right path. He was kind enough to pose for a couple photos before ambling away to vanish over a ridge.
If you are wondering about the title – although a perfect name for a pub – Hund and cane are the German and Italian words for dog, respectively. Appropriate in this territory of dual-linguistics.
Südtirol, Italy, 2014.
Meeting Fires Creative 