New York City Noir

And an Afternoon Walk Through Pier 57, Little Island, High Line Park and Hudson Yards

As the sun fades
and dusk falls on Times Square,
the city comes alive.

There’s a pulse and energy that brings people
here from all parts of the world.

A few steps away from the square,
the streets quiet down.
Moments of calm open up.
People meet and dine—
simple and intimate.

As the night deepens, the energy remains.
While the music and applause from behind the theatre doors echo,
fleeting stillness is present and witnessed
in this vibrant city that never sleeps.

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Before my trip to New York City this past week, I already knew I wanted to create a New York City Noir mini project.The idea was inspired by Juliette a few weeks back when she shared a post about Film Noir in her newsletter, The Additional f-stop.

Film Noir Inspiration

Although I had every intention of using my Canon G5X, I ended up shooting less with it. I kept fidgeting with the dials, couldn’t quite remember the proper settings to achieve what I wanted. Sadly, I wasn’t able to practice beforehand and it’s been a year or so that I haven’t used the camera. I only had a window of time to photograph from dusk till dark so the iPhone won out.

The two other inspiration came from the IG account: @jazzphotoarchives where nostalgic imagery from the 40s, 50s and 60s is paired with jazz music and my favorite essays from the New York Times’ Lens series called One in Eight Million.

Mixing the narration, sound, and pictures is quite rudimentary, but my hope is that the essence of New York City, through Times Square, comes through. The jazz music by Miles Davis and John Coltrane further enhances this experience.

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My sister Malyn took the day off from work and walked me and my cousin through Little Island, Pier 57, The High Line Park, and Hudson Yards. The weather was perfect—sunny, comfortable with a soft breeze, temperatures hovering in the mid-70s.

Here are some of the photographs from our afternoon meanderings.

View of Little Island from Pier 57. Photograph by Stella Kalaw

Little Island with the view of downtown Manhattan. Photograph by Stella Kalaw

Tourist and Locals enjoying the view from Little Island. Photograph by Stella Kalaw

The High Line Park. Photograph by Stella Kalaw

Zaha Hadid, Architect: 290 West 29th Street, NYC — Project viewed from The High Line Park. Photograph by Stella Kalaw

Steps at the High Line Glass. Photograph by Stella Kalaw

Pedestrian underneath The High Line Glass. Photograph by Stella Kalaw

The Shed. Hudson Yards. Photograph by Stella Kalaw

Locals and tourists taking a break. The Vessel in the background. Hudson Yards. NYC Photograph by Stella Kalaw

Tacos and More. Hudson Yards, NYC. Photograph by Stella Kalaw

34th Street-Hudson Boulevard East Subway Entrance. In the background is The Hudson Yards Skyscraper. Photograph by Stella Kalaw

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