Sunday 11 September 2011

New York the City of Dreams

The date 9/11 will be remembered for generations to come as a pivotal moment that changed the shape of modern history for many reasons. The tragic events of that day will be remembered by people across the world, everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing that day. I can't imagine the fear and panic that must have swept America and in particular the greatest city on Earth New York. I first visited NYC in January 2008 and then again in 2009, to this day it is still the most memorable and fantastic place I have visited. I am saddened that I never saw the World Trade Center, to me they symbolised the sheer magnificence and vision of a city and country built on the dreams of pioneers where greatness is possible to anyone.


For me New York is a city for dreamers and visionaries, its beautiful and bold and a melting pot of people from across the globe. On a day when many Americans will be mourning I would like to share some images that I hope show the magnificence and scale of the city. These are not great images, they are images that every tourist and visitor to the city have taken.







My heart goes out to the people who lost their lives and the loved ones left behind. If my brief time spent in New York showed me anything it is that its good to dream and believe the impossible is possible. I hope that many people directly affected by the tragedy will remember the past and at the same time look to the future. People and places are never forgotten as long as you pass on their history and celebrate their achievements. I hope that someday in the future I will be taking photos from the top of The Freedom Tower.


For the the 2996 people who lost their lives on 9/11    R.I.P

Monday 5 September 2011

The Kindness of Strangers (Helsinki Bus Station Theory)

Every now and then I am amazed by the kindness of strangers, when someone helps you or takes the time to give you great advice for no other reason than basic human decency. Although generally happy with my photographic progress I do have the occasional wobble. This week was a wobble week! I mentioned this in my flickr posting of the image below.


Within hours of posting this image on flickr it became an Explore image which means flickr deem it worthy of mention. This like my other Explore images is not what I think is representative of my better images but what others think. Naturally I am happy to have some Explore images but I was happier to recieve some great comments and advice from some flickr contacts and non-contacts alike. One of my flickr contacts James Drury kindly sent me this great post Helsinki Bus Station Theory that all photographers should read especially those having wobbles like me. I have many great contacts on flickr who always pop up with helpful comments and emails, this link was probably one of the best.