Flatiron Building
Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006
New York City. This was not the best time to be shooting this spectacular building (mid-afternoon) but here we were in Madison Square Park (tripods not allowed in the park by the way) and there it was with sun almost directly above.
I put the 135 on for the next shot and got a hair and an enormous piece of crud on the sensor of my camera. Here I am in the middle of breezy, filthy (sorry but true) New York and I have to do surgery or the rest of the day’s pictures are gonna be “hairy.”
I sat myself down on a bench and took things apart and blew the hair out but not the dust. Grrr! So, the rest of the day was a struggle to stay at f/8 or bigger so as not to push the issue.
After taking the detail of the cornice I put the 35 back on the camera and didn’t dare take it off for the rest of the day. Okay, okay… maybe it’s time to get a zoom for days like this. Or, learn how to change lenses in a way that keeps crud out. I thought I was careful but I guess not. I’m not fishing for a discussion of which zoom to get, just venting a bit to the world. I’m happy with the shots so that’s good I guess.
You can get oriented (is that an appropriate word anymore?) here.
The Flatiron Building is in the triangular block just south of Madison Square Park between 23rd and 22nd and between 5th Ave. and Broadway. Broadway cutting diagonally across Manhattan made opportunities for buildings like this.
I’m standing just inside the southwest corner of Madison Square Park here.
I’m standing just inside the southwest corner of Madison Square Park here.
It’s difficult to isolate the building (if that’s your aim) and the best shot of all is right in the middle of the intersection. My photo partner Ted offered to watch my back but there was no way to do it safely so I opted to stay on “dry land” and shoot from the corner. Sun directly behind the building so I suppose one could call this a solar eclipse. I’m standing on the northwest corner of 5th and 23rd here.
Another solar eclipse on the Flatiron. We’ve now almost circumnavigated the building. I skipped the backside as it’s got scaffolding on it. I’m pretty happy with this image, my fav from the set. I’m standing on the west side of 5th Ave. between 23rd St. (left) and 22nd St. here.
Actually, the middle of the intersection can be surprisingly calm . . . but only for about a minute at a time. Why no tripods in the park, do you suppose?
If you’d taken a shot of the side with the scaffolding, I could have pointed out my office. :) The workers were right outside my window yesterday.
India: I agree, but getting to the middle of the intersection…
I think the park/tripod thing is about things getting knocked over and law suits… I’m guessing, the “Ranger” didn’t really say.
Wow, you work there, fantastic. Is the building nice on the inside too? Next time I’m there should I check out inside?
You can’t easily get inside unless you work there, but you’re not missing much. The elevators are very ornate, though I’m not sure they’re entirely in good taste; the rest just looks like offices. Very oddly shaped offices, as you might imagine. The floorplan of mine (on the east side, near the back corner) looks like a pentagon with a bite taken out of it. The coolest offices are, of course, the ones in the point, but only the very magnificent venture there.
India, thanks, I’ll just hang outside with the rest of the plebes.