-- e m p i r e s t a t e o f l i g h t --
The Empire State Building is perhaps the Most iconic symbol of New York City. The city that never sleeps. The city that constantly vibrates with urgency and purpose. the city that has more energy than anywhere else on the planet. This electricity rushes up the avenues and across the streets making you feel like you’re moving Even when you’re standing still. the city is alive.
Yet its most recognizable symbol is a concrete building that doesn’t move at all. Its harsh lines and sharp edges have stood still and steadfast in a singular stationary footprint since it was built in 1930.
Eight decades later when I first moved to New York City, that motionless monolith symbolized every bit of the city’s energy that I craved…and relocated cross-country to find. I wanted to use light to show the frenetic pulse and constant movement that this frozen icon stands for.
I captured these photographs while sitting on the window sill of my first apartment - my body half out over the street 44 floors up shooting handheld at night. I used a slow shutter speed and deliberate rapid movements to bring alive this iconic block of stone with all it represents - the most energetic city in the world.