Christmas Trees
This is the first outing with my new tripod. Before, I used one of these mini tripods, which was pretty sturdy and held my SLR, but it was right at the stability limit—some lenses were iffy. Plus, it was damn inconvenient to use—it only extended about a foot high, so I was constantly on my knees composing shots.
I recently sprang for a light, top-of-the-line Gitzo Traveler tripod, and even with its exorbitant cost, it’s a great tripod and feels light but solid.
So, I wanted to take some shots around town, and focus a little bit on Christmas trees, since there are so many of them to see.
The Christmas Tree in the circular courtyard of Bloomberg Headquarters.
The modest Christmas tree at Madison Square Park.
Christmas tree at the Villard Houses in Midtown.
The Villard Houses Christmas tree on Madison Avenue.
I made my way down to 23rd Street and the Flatiron Building. Not overly Christmasy, but sime good tripod opportunities.
Flatiron building in wide field.
The little toe that juts out from the Flatiron Building is the so-called cowcatcher, a retail space that casts these lovely shadows.
Front of the Flatiron Building looking down 5th Avenue.
The art installation in the adjacent plaza is called Flatiron Sky-Line, and consists of a series of steel arches with LED lights. During the day, hammocks hang in each arch, but they are gone now—guess they don’t want people sleeping in them.
The Flatiron Sky-Line art installation.
Dancer in the Flatiron Sky-Line art installation.
Finally, the just-opened Bank of China building on Bryant Park. The canopy over its entrance reminds me of a spaceship, and it’s so new and clean, the light reflects off the matted surface and looks great.
Entry of the Bank of China Building on Bryant Park.