Epic battle between dark and light

Sun-kissed brick
New York, NY
November 2013
Thematic. Dusk & dawn. Here.

I have an annoying habit when I travel for work. It involves taking hurried walks of the area to try and capture as much of the place as I can before I have to head back to the airport and fly home.

The compressed schedule of a vendor visit or conference often leaves so little free time that I literally walk and shoot as fast as I possibly can - otherwise I fear I won't remember ever having been here.

I filled my memory card a few years ago in this place - and found the familiar as well as the unfamiliar in the process - and when I realized where my hotel was going to be on this latest trip, I knew a followup walkabout was in order.

The challenge: I had maybe an hour of sunlight after the day's work was done before I lost it all. Now, I could still shoot in deep shadow and darkness - more on that front in a future entry - but I didn't want to miss out on the fully-lit moments, as well.

This particular shot highlights the last gasp battle between light and dark as the sun begins to slip beneath the horizon. Manhattan's combination of tall buildings and a tightly packed street grid makes for fascinating viewing as the shadows not-so-slowly march toward the sky and cut into the increasingly vibrant reflected glow of a defiant sun. It's a signature of this place, and I'm glad I headed out into the bitterly cold wind to take it all in.

Your turn: I know there are tons of stories buried in this delightful collision of urban rooftops. Pick one. One line. Go!