Earlier this year I got the opportunity to visit Montreal after I was invited to my cousins wedding. This seemed like a great opportunity to try and add some shots to my portfolio and I quickly set about planning what I could fit into my trip to get the most out of my time.
After doing some research I decided that I just couldn’t miss the chance to explore some of the USA while I was that side of the Atlantic and the draw was most definitely New York and the opportunity to explore the Big Apple.
With my flights to JFK booked and car hire organized to coincide with the last day of my stay (car parking in Manhattan is as much as the hire car!) I began planning what I would do with my time. Travelling on my own meant I had the freedom to decide on my own itinerary and so I decided to spend 4 days in NY, drive up to Boston for the 4th July celebrations and then drive on up to Montreal in time for the wedding (I must admit I was a bit nervous about the amount of time crossing the America/Canada border would take but it proved to be a very quiet day, I was the only car going across at Midday)!
First stop New York City! I’ve never been to New York before so wanted to see as much of the city as possible and take a stack of photos. After consulting the guidebooks I decided to speak to a friend who had visited the city a number of times, she threw a few ideas on the table and I took lots of notes with a view to doing some further research when I got home. However, it appeared my friend was as excited about my trip as me and the next day I got an email containing a NYC Photography Challenge! Not one for being told what to do I was a bit skeptical at first but her challenge turned out to be exactly what I needed to make best use of my time whilst I was there. The task itself also helped me choose the gear I would need to have with me on the trip :-). This normally takes ages….!!
My photography challenge consisted of the following:
- A picture of Manhattan from Brooklyn
- A picture of the Brooklyn Bridge
- Photography from inside the public library
- Grand central station
- Times square
- The empire state building
- The Guggenheim museums grand staircase
- A view of Manhattan from the Empire State Building
- A view of Central Park from the Empire State Building
- A picture of a taxi
- A reference to the London Olympics
- An arty shot (my choice)
I had great fun rising to this challenge, finding the shot that captured what was asked of me, adding my own individual spin and I will be forever grateful to my friend for setting me the task!
In the second part of this blog I will include all of the pictures and provide some information my recommended route around the city (on foot).
What really struck me was how great am idea this challenge was, and how good it would be to be able to share this with other like-minded photographers. To try to kick the concept off I’ve set up a heading within the Darkroom (our blog site, just off our main hire site), where you can share your challenges, set your own or why not ask to be challenged if you’re off on a City break! Just add your challenges, requests, tips or hints to the bottom of the blog and we’ll share them with others!
LensLocker is an online company and that provides Nikon, Sigma and Canon Lenses hire, we also stock other photographic gear for rent. We deliver our products UK wide.
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