Cityscapes: Ideas for the Urban-bound Photographer - Part Five

Part V of a 6-Part Series by Harvey Stearn

Over my past 72 years of making photographic images, I viewed myself as a Nature photographer. Lately, I’m not so sure, as my photography evolved more broadly toward graphic art in rich natural color and monochrome images of subjects found in human environments as well as in Nature. 

My photographic inventory includes many images made on impulse in cities visited during vacation travel. What they have in common with Nature photography is that they are graphic and colorful, and often tell stories. They fit a lesser-known branch of photography called “Cityscapes”, and in many cases also belong to an important specialty known as “Travel Photography”.

I organized this Cityscapes series into six groups to see if this would be helpful to readers in selecting locations and material for their own art photography.

1. Architecture and Skylines
2. Coastal and River Cities
3. Local Color
4. Major Events
5. Parks, Gardens & Public Places
6. Urban Wildlife

Cityscapes Part V –  Parks, Gardens & Public Places

Among the educational and recreational facilities and exhibits that cities and other urban centers provide are museums, art centers, public gardens, aquariums, and parks of all kinds and sizes. In general, the larger the city, the more funds are available for these amenities. There are also many private gardens available for public viewing that may or may not have restrictions on hours and may also charge admission fees.

Most of these amenities are quite photogenic and offer photographers many enjoyable hours of capturing striking scenes and vignettes.

One such public amenity that needs no introduction is New York City’s Central Park. The park consists of 843 acres of mostly landscaped land. It officially opened in 1876. Among its amenities are the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a zoo, athletic fields, an ice-skating rink, and an outdoor theatre. 

On any given day, a photographer searching for subjects will have diverse subjects to capture, with a few guaranteed to surprise. The following three images support that claim.

In the above image, the enterprising young man on the right set up shop for visitors to try blowing mega-bubbles for a few dollars. This included a quick how-to lesson. I’m sure that the young woman was gleeful just to have successfully made a large intact bubble. From her perspective she couldn’t possibly have seen what her creation resembled. Then again…….

There’s no ambiguity in the next image.

New York City’s other parks are no slouches either. For many years the lower west side of Manhattan contained an abandoned elevated railway known as the High Line. A commission was created to guide the repurposing of the railroad bed (including the steel tracks) into a linear park. From 2009 to 2019 sections of the new park were officially opened with great public reception. A connecting extension was scheduled to complete in 2023. The novelty and creativity that went into this continuing project is a model for what every city strives for in renewing older urban centers. 

My wife and I visited this park three years after the first phase opened. Though I prefer smaller towns and lots of natural open space to big cities, I have to say that this experience was fabulous – particularly for an ex-New Yorker. The resulting photographs, including the following one show how some of our large cities are developing the charm of leading European cities.

Almost everyone who has visited Washington DC has been to the Washington Memorial Park. By a wide margin, the image below is the most photographed angle by far. While it is an impressive sight, I much prefer the immediately following image, as the lake and willow tree provide a softer and more balanced perspective.

Churchill Downs is not a public park. But it is world famous for horse racing, and specifically for the Kentucky Derby. The racetrack, grounds and commercial facilities are owned by a public corporation that operates other tracks and casinos as well. Nevertheless, it is open to the public with regular tours of the grounds included in the admission fees of $10 per person ($3 for seniors 60 and over). This is only offered on non-racing days. Because of the prestige and draw of the Kentucky Derby, there is a lot of history and drama associated with this property, and something of old southern tradition often shows up in photographs.

Park City has been a longtime favorite place for me in the winter from my skiing days. More recently I visit there in the Autumn when Oaks, Aspens and Maples turn to bright yellows, oranges, and reds. The peak usually occurs between September 25^th and October 5^th. At that time, the hills and mountains near Park City look like this:

But, if you’re in Park City, you’ll see this:

I love both scenes. But, this city version of Autumn has its charm, as the contrast of manicured green fairway against the wild foothills in yellows, oranges and reds is not often seen.

Unfortunately, Autumn color quickly disappears with the onset of winter. The compensation is the occasional soft snowfall that occurs without wind. The mood is uniquely quiet and peaceful, as in the following scene of falling snow at Cheyenne Lake in Colorado Springs. But, in the mountains, Winter usually comes early and leaves late, for this scene took place on Mother’s Day in May.

I think snowstorms and Western cities go well together, because they speak of other more personally challenging eras. The Weatherford Hotel in old town Flagstaff, seen through the swirling snow in the following image is an example of how some Cityscapes can evoke feelings that are totally different from what viewers might experience when looking at photographs of Nature. The two pursuits are complementary. One seeks to capture the beauty and power of Nature, while the other attempts to memorialize moments in the fabric of Human endeavor and experience.

In 1909, the City of Colorado Springs was given a priceless gift of 480 acres of scenic land by the family of William Jackson Parker which requested that the land be made available for public viewing and recreation. This completed a larger city-owned holding that became the Garden of the Gods, which opened to the public that same year. The park features some of the most dramatic red rock formations in the world consisting of hard sandstone layers turned upright by the uplifting accompanying the rise of Pikes Peak and surrounding mountains beginning some 65 million years ago. The City of Colorado has operated this park without entrance fees ever since 1909.

Most visitors walk or hike in the park and take photographs. A few hardy souls take advantage of rock climbing permits available in a few locations. See below.

City and state parks offer much to choose from throughout the USA. However, there are opportunities to photograph beautiful landscaping on private properties, particularly on the grounds of inns and hotels. One of my favorite places to stay on my way from Arizona to Colorado is the Los Poblanos Inn in Albuquerque, NM. It is a working farm along the Rio Grande River that includes a spa, a gift shop, and one of Albuquerque’s finest restaurants. Public access is easy.

On the grounds is a small but beautiful Lotus Pond that I’ve photographed at least three times.

One cityscape that is also a spectacular landscape can be viewed from the Marriott Hotel in Palm Desert.

Public places include museums, with each new art museum consciously striving to make the building itself a work of art. The Orange County Museum of Art building in Costa Mesa, CA features some highly intriguing vignettes. The following image shows wildly curving roof planes. But more curious is what looks like footprints on the translucent glass at the top of the image. They are the soles of peoples’ shoes as they cross from one space to another.

Another category of public places includes Aquariums. Long Beach, CA has an excellent one with outstanding exhibits, as the next two images demonstrate.

After seeing so many great marine exhibits, I exited the Aquarium and grabbed a great shot of three seagulls cooling off in the fountain that commemorates the Aquarium. One of those perfect days!

(Insert caption: “More proof that aquariums present great photo-ops!”)

This Part V clearly shows why urban scenes can offer many photo opportunities if one takes the time to consider the possibilities.

The next article in this series concentrates on the fact that even densely developed  cities contain wildlife which can result in compelling photographs, if for no other reason that it seems incongruous.

Please come back soon for Cityscapes Part VI: Urban Wildlife

Harvey Stearn
April 2024

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