Saturday, May 1, 2010

Shift Shots 8/15/09 B -Extras

Looking Through my pictures I thought maybe The pic in the last post of Union Square didn't do the job of explaining the whole Sunday bikeway project that happened in the month of august.

Union Square
IMG_3778
This photo shows clearly that the bikers were all stopped at designated intersections where traffic was allowed to cross, when the lights turned red. It's interesting that a bike rickshaw driver was using it too. I feel sorry for them in that they have to obey a whole set of rules. did you know that bike rickshaws are not allowed in bike lanes, nor are they allowed to ride on the bridges? I think that's ridiculous. If I were a bike rickshaw driver I'd be furious. I bet this guy thought he might be able to make some money with the Avenue being closed to motor vehicles, but in truth, everyone on the avenue already was satisfied with their own feet or their own bike. Also for the most part the traffic on the other avenues wasn't so bad either.

Astoria, Queens
IMG_3803
Surprise! Why the hell is this picture here you may ask? Well I happened to be in Queens near the end of my shift with very little time to make money in Manhattan left when I saw this scene. I was looking for quite some time for this particular motorcycle dealership around that time, because a friend of mine just acquired a job there. So after I passed this I gave him a call and asked him if he was working. What are the odds? Turned out it was a special annual calendar photo shoot/bike wash day. If you have a motorcycle you could go there get it washed, and dried, and it could land a spot in their calendar with their calendar girls. I got some real funny looks from people as I moved around semi professionally with the semi pro looking camera I had. Everyone else was taking pics too, but they had those little pocket digitals, not to mention they might have had motorcycles too. I felt a little un-welcome, but I knew someone who worked there so I didn't give a damn. There is something special to me about grabbing moments that are 'supposed to be photographed' and shooting it from a different angle, sort of a photo within a photo thing, or a commentary on the act that society puts on when they think it counts. The guy with the action stance and the camera on the right was the hired professional, who was shooting for the calendar.

No comments: