Boo York

After watching the Village Halloween Parade for the first time last year, I knew I have to join them this year. About a month ago, I started sensing the Halloween atmosphere when the leaves changed their colors to yellow and the streets covered up with pumpkins and skeletons.

To get into the Halloween spirit, before the parade, I had to go through several milestones. The first was to get a costume for Paxon. Obviously, with no kids in the house, I just have to practice on my cat, so I got him a lion's mane. Being such a good cat, Paxon didn't care about his new "hair extension" and was happy to model for the camera in exchange for a treat. The photos, however, wouldn't be complete without a pumpkin. Therefore, I went to the farmers market at Union Square to find myself a nice looking pumpkin.

Having the pumpkin, I couldn't resist carving it. My talented friend Alex drew a face on the pumpkin and we carved it together. It was very messy and cutting it is harder than you would expect, but after an hour or so I had a jack o'lantern in my apartment. I placed it next to the window and lit it. Without any candles, the nearest cellphone was sacrificed for this, as I placed it, flash on, inside the carved pumpkin. Paxon always likes to sit next to the window and the combination of the two represented a true Halloween spirit.

This year, first Halloween event was Shoshi's Halloween party. She was dressed as a football player and brought to the dog run at Washington Square Park. A lot of dogs showed up for the costume competition, but Shoshi did a great job chasing her football and won a price for most interactive costume. This is an upgrade from last year when she was dressed as a "working girl" and won the "most inappropriate but funny costume" category. 

Paxon, Shoshi and even jack o'lantern were all ready for the big day. I however still needed to find a costume that will keep me warm and comfortable to operate the camera during the parade. I choose to be a viking and the only things needed were a furry horned hood and leg warmers. More importantly, I wanted a new camera. Don't get me wrong, Canon 7D is amazing but it was getting old and cranky. Also, the 7D was always pretty terrible in taking photos under low light. For a long time I was debating between 5D Mark III, 6D and 7D mark II. Eventually, I found a nice deal and decided to go for the 6D. I received it just a day prior to the parade. The same night, I went to Times Square to practice, knowing I would find some cosplayers there. I wasn't disappointed.

Finally the big day arrived. Learning from previous parades in the city, I got a press pass and arrived at the location a few hours before it started. Getting there early with a costume proved to be a minor nuisance, as quite often I had to stop and pose for other photographers. An hour later the place was packed with cosplayers, professional artists and amateurs alike. The costumes and makeup I saw were phenomenal and the people in the costumes were very cooperative. Still having daylight during the preparations provided for lots of great photo opportunities. Another advantage of showing up early was meeting fellow photographers. The scene however was not complete until the sun set down.

When the darkness came the drums began to roll and the puppeteers with their huge skeletons and pumpkins opened the parade. Some of the photographers were also in costumes. I particularly liked a TV crew that stood in the opening line catching cosplayers for interviews; the two cameramen and the sound man dressed up as Super Mario and the reporter was dressed up as Princess Peach.   

I however did not stand still. I was walking with the skeletons, looking for the best place to take photos, a spot that will capture the atmosphere of the parade. Then I saw the Empire State Building.

Getting what I was looking for, I walked back to the parade's starting point, only to find myself in the middle of a big group of random cosplayers. I couldn't pass through them, I couldn't even lift my arm up to snap a photo. I was stuck. There was nowhere to go. Whenever I found an opening I squeezed myself in and half an hour later I was out! Looking behind my shoulder to avoid meeting this group again, I bumped into a zombie that tried to eat me alive. As a viking I had my own weapons and I managed to chase the zombie away to the cheering of the crowd. Unfortunately, no one recorded the event so I can't share it with you. I do however have a photo of some scary people from the parade.

Face to face with the zombie was one of the evening's highlights, but also the ending cue for me. Happy and exhausted, I left the parade, although the night was not over yet. Union Square, the subway and Times Square are also great photo spots for Halloween. I went to each and every one of them and stayed there until I got my moments. The new camera definitely stood up to the challenge. The night of Halloween was concluded after eight hours and 1222 photos of amazing encounters. This was easily one of the best nights I had in the city and I can't wait to see everyone again next year.

                  

Winter Storm Juno

Wow! Never in my life have I seen so much snow. The snow showers started early this morning, but at that point it was just another snowy day in the city. Late afternoon, when I went out, it was absolutely spectacular. Everything was covered in white; cars, bikes, mail boxes, garbage bags, people jackets, umbrellas and hair. Even the tons of salt sprinkled on the roads and sidewalks were not able to fight the snow. I was walking on ice blocks and occasionally my boots sank into huge piles of snow. Yes, it was pure fun!

After walking on the 8th avenue for less than a minute, I was promptly covered with snow. There was a pile of snow on my backpack, another one in my hair and some fair amount on my boots. Also, my camera changed its color from black to bright white. I firmly resisted the cold as well as my parents panic messages from Israel, telling me to take a cab or at least the subway. 

I was filled with Adrenalin, so the cold didn't bother me. Surprisingly, although the city is in the middle of one of its biggest storms ever, the people I met on the streets were cooperative and were kind enough to avoid blocking my view and even pose for me. It seems that the snow is making people happy. Or maybe because I'm happy, people are smiling back?

I love the fact that the light reflecting from the snow makes the pictures look warm and welcoming. To me, the colors in this post match the feelings I had while strolling the streets. When I first came to New York I felt that this city is cold and hostile. I could not be more wrong and I'm happy I can now see kindness and warmness on every corner of this amazing city.