C. Ceres Merry on stitching together compelling images in New York.
“The date 10/10/10 was the day of the online event called One Day On Earth. When I saw Land’s End LES I decided not to just snap a pic but take a photograph. I truly changed that day from just taking many quick snaps to seeing the city as collected works of art and really learning how to take better photographs.”
“I was born with a form of epidermolysis bullosa so you’ll find me out more than others in the winter because cold lessens the pain that can happen in heat. This was a wonderful sunny (yet freezing) day at Coney Island. I cut the tip partly off of one of my knit gloves so I could flip the tip back on when done snapping. Even I felt like things were going to freeze off but it was a gorgeous bright day.”
“I like night when it’s cooler any time of year. Night shots were trial and error for me until I figured how to best do them with my camera and experimented with settings on my Canon PowerShot SD630. I don’t have hi-tech stuff (yet) but I think seeing and capturing a moment the best you can is the main point of a good picture. Also to keep still at night, propping the camera on a fence post, a car hood-whatever works, then I click several in a row and one is always perfect even if some blur slightly.”
“I had no idea this was so wonderful until I uploaded it. My instinct was to capture the beautiful patterns in the reflection, the alignment was luck since I tried a few angles. Go with your instinct every time.”
“Even decay is beautiful. NYC ages well. I do sometimes get a grump from someone who has to walk around me when I am trying to find the perfect shot spot. Most people though, will pause for me to get my shot even if I have my camera raised over my head. NYC’rs see the camera and understand why you are blocking the sidewalk for a moment but don’t hog it too long to be polite. Just jump back in after people have moved along.”
“I love that art lives with us outside and not all of it tucked away in buildings behind ropes. Oh, hey, hello, just one of the gang. Informal daily life shots are some of my favorites, a moment in caught in time, interacting with everything around, things don’t always need to be posed and planned.”
“I love making things and of course wanted to incorporate my photos into something you can hold and share.”
“This is one of the many reasons I love seeing the sky on the LES. I remember the light suddenly turned yellow after a storm, and I was walking to the back of the apartment but some childhood memory sparked and I thought, this is the kind of light that means a rainbow might happen – and I nearly fell running back. Glad I did, it was a double rainbow. Always keep your camera near and ready to go!”
C. Ceres Merry is a community contributor to The Local East Village. Her photography can be viewed here, here and here.
