Horse #2 Wins

So my friend and I spent Saturday at the opening day of horse racing at Hastings Racecourse. It was my first time attending a horse race. We went right up to the fence and got a darn good spot near the finish line, as you can see in this photo of horse #2 winning the third race. The weather was great for photographing the race – sunny but with clouds in the sky to diffuse the sunlight somewhat. And the scenery behind the track is quite stunning as you can see by the mountains, etc. You have to use the absolute fastest shutter speed possible to shoot a horse race, as they move so quickly. The bright natural light really helps to counteract that, as flash photography is strictly prohibited. Also, no tripods or monopods allowed! So you have to use a lens that you can easily hand-hold, but that can still zoom in close enough to capture lots of action. Shooting the race was a very fun and unique experience, and a change from what I normally do which is shoot still life. Next week I’ll share another cool photo from the race – but it’s not a horse!

This is probably the last batch of photos I’ll share from my trip to New York. It’s already March – I’ll be back in NYC again in a month for the Easter long weekend! These photos are of the beautiful 9/11 Memorial, which consists of two large fountains that are dug into the footprints of the original World Trade Center twin towers, with the victims’ names engraved on panels surrounding them. I believe this truly was the best idea for the memorial. The only word I can really give to it is, beautiful. Visiting the site was quite heart-wrenching; I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like for the friends and family of the victims. Seeing the gaping holes where the towers once stood, with water flowing into them, brought a tear or two to my eyes. Not much else to be said about these photos except that they were actually taken on my cell phone. I wouldn’t normally share cell phone photos, but they don’t generally allow “professional” camera equipment into the memorial. If you visit New York, be sure to pay your respects here. It really is an emotional and touching experience.

These palm trees decorated with Christmas lights are inside the large atrium of One World Financial Center. Interesting story; my friend and I ended up here by accident. We had taken a cab to Battery Park in the morning to catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. We decided to walk back to find somewhere to eat lunch, but we obviously weren’t paying much attention to the route the cab took, because we got a bit lost and ended up at a series of closed roads around the World Trade Center site. There were two ways to go: turn around and find a different route, or follow the arrows up ramps and through tunnels… who knew where they would lead? Well, they lead straight into One World Financial Center. Perplexed, we carried on because we couldn’t be bothered to turn around at this point. We kept walking – through World Financial Centers Two, Three, and Four. Finally, we got back outside onto an open road, on the other side of all the construction that we had run into. What an interesting detour! We found a restaurant a few blocks further, ate, and then decided to hail a cab back to our hotel so that we wouldn’t get lost again! Although were we really lost, if we got to where we were going anyway? The other picture is of the construction of the new World Trade Center site. The main building is on the far left of the picture – you can only see a small part of it. One of the other buildings is being built to the right. The window looking out onto the construction site was directly behind me as I photographed the atrium.

A random side note – tomorrow, February 27, is my birthday. =) I’ll be turning 22.

Here are some views of the Empire State – from the top of the Empire State building! There is a view into lower Manhattan, where you see the new World Trade Center being built, and a zoomed-in shot also reveals the Statue of Liberty to the right. If you look closely at the photo looking north, you can spot Central Park tucked away behind tall buildings. And the last photo is of the iconic Chrysler building and MetLife building. If you are ever in New York (and it is a must-do in anyone’s lifetime!) you may notice that there are two main observation decks – the one at the Empire State Building, as well as the one at the Rockefeller Center. The Empire State building is, of course, the tallest, and I would recommend visiting during the daytime so that you can spot things like Central Park. But the Rockefeller Center’s observation deck is also worth visiting – I recommend at night when it’s dark – so that you can get a great photo of the Empire State building itself lit up.

Our only stop in the Bronx was the zoo, and in the dead of winter there aren’t many animals to be seen at a zoo – most of them are inside staying warm. But here are some of the animals we did see… There were two tigers, a polar bear, two grizzly bears, a snow leopard, and a red panda. Also present at the zoo but not pictured here were plenty of your common squirrels, ducks, swans, and peacocks, a few sea lions, and some bison. The photo of the waterfall is one of my favourites – this waterfall was near the bison enclosure and while I didn’t have a tripod with me, I placed my camera on the wall and left the shutter open for a long exposure to blur the water. And for anyone who might be wondering why the red panda looks more like a raccoon, it’s because they are indeed related to the raccoon family, not panda bears! =)

Brooklyn

My friend and I actually began our trip to New York with a one-night stay at the Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. The above photo is the view we had from our hotel room. There are two bridges in this photo – the Brooklyn Bridge is the one on the left. I believe the bridge on the right is the Manhattan Bridge… but I could be wrong! This photo was taken as a long exposure (leaving the shutter open a bit longer than usual) to cause the passing traffic to become streaks of light. It poured with endless amounts of rain for the entire day that we were in Brooklyn, so unfortunately I didn’t get too many good shots, but this is one of my favourites.

Some frequent readers may recall back in December when I posted about the Marriott Marquis hotel in Atlanta, GA. I had stayed there for a night in October and it was one of the nicest hotels I’d ever seen. Well I mentioned that I would be staying at the Marquis in New York, too, and it was amazing! In the classic photo of Times Square, the Marquis is on the very far left, with the giant Kodak advertisement above its entrance. Of course, there is also a classic yellow cab speeding through the picture. Definitely one of my favourite photos of Times Square, and I took lots! Also pictured is the view my friend and I had from our room for New Year’s Eve! I think it was on the 26th floor, or somewhere around there. Huge hotel, almost 50 floors, a few restaurants but we didn’t try any. The elevators are similar to the ones at the Marquis in Atlanta – designed like glass capsules and go up and down pretty fast. There are so many elevators that you have to enter your floor number on a main keypad and it tells you which elevator to go to. This is a class 8 hotel, and we stayed for about 9 nights. I earned so many Marriott Reward points that I’ll be staying at this hotel again for the Easter long weekend for free in April! For the first time ever, my friend and I kept our room keys from this hotel – the lady at the front desk told us to. We usually always return them! Anyway, I think I’m a bit of a hotel geek, but this is one awesome hotel! Check it out if you’re ever in New York. So conveniently located smack in the middle of Times Square!

The Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan

Here is a photo taken from the ferry that travels from Battery Park in lower Manhattan to Liberty Island, home of the Statue of Liberty. You see the statue itself on the far left, and lower Manhattan’s skyline to the right of it. Near the center of the photo, the tallest building is the new World Trade Center, which is still being built. This is one of my favourite photos from my trip to New York; it sort of epitomizes the city – there’s no mistaking where it was taken.