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Leaving traces
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New York City has been in the news lately, with the new mayor drawing quite a bit of attention. From what I’ve read, he seems to be rather different from those before him. I live on the other side of the world and have nothing to do with U.S. politics, so I don’t really have an opinion on the matter. Still, I truly hope he turns out to be everything his voters are hoping for and maybe a little more. Many people seem to see hope in him, and I know very well the feeling of being disappointed by someone you once believed in.
And while reading about the Big Apple and its residents, my thoughts drifted back to the one and only time I visited it. So many years have passed since then, yet I still remember the energy of that city. The ultimate City, with a capital C and all the noise, the lights and the constant motion that go with it.
My next thought was (of course) the folder from that trip, full of unedited photos sitting quietly on an old hard drive, waiting for me to look at them again. So, here we are.
One more post with old pictures and new thoughts :)
Looking at those photos now, I realize how differently I see things. Back then, I was more focused on the obvious, the skyline, the crowds, the huge screens at Times Square and how could I not be. I had grown up with those images through television and American movies and having the chance to capture them myself was thrilling. Now, I look at the same shots and notice the contrast with the postcards I choose to print from the town where I live now. The mindset is totally different, almost the opposite. Now I seek the hidden instead of the obvious, the quiet instead of the loud.
But I shouldn't be too hard on my younger self. A first time in New York without falling into a few clichés is practically impossible :)
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Time has a way of changing not only what we look for, but also what we actually see. I don’t think I would photograph New York the same way today, but I’m glad I once did. Those pictures belong to a different version of me, one that was curious in another way. And maybe that’s what photography is really about.
Leaving traces of who we were, so we can meet ourselves again later.
I took those shots at 28-30 December of 2009 and I have written three more posts with pictures from that trip. You can see the links below.
22/12/2021 -
5/1/2022 -
21/1/2022 -
All the pictures and the words are mine.
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