Berenice Abbot

Berenice Abbot documented New York through analog photography after her trip from Italy. Coming from a different culture this shows how New York was seen from an outside point of view. I like this picture because it capture a part of New York that is very known and that is the business side. It is known for all of its billboards and crazy ways of advertising so this captures the gorgeous skyline and advertisement. The architecture in New York is very unique and this photograph captures the big city feel. Along with the business side of New York this picture also captures the business of peoples life who live there with all the cars on the street. When someone lives or is visiting New York you can look up from the side walk and just see all the tall skyscrapers around you heading straight upward, but this photograph gives a different perspective than what most people see. Also because this series was taken with analog it gives it a nice grainy and raw feel to the picture, and New York is known to be a little rough on the edges. I believe the use analog adds to the feel of New York. Once Abbot comes back from Italy she had a new sense of normal and because of that she was able to photograph New York from an outside perspective since she had not readjusted her self to New York yet. New York is known as the city of lights and because the picture is black and white there is less focus on all the colors and lights but on the architecture and meaning. The tall buildings in the background add to the characterization of New York and its stress on the importance of business. In the photo you can see the clouds which adds to the dreariness. Although New York is seen as a popular tourist spot and the place where dreams come true there is also serious problems and I think this photo represents both sides of New York. Abbot was able to take pictures of New York from an unbiased perspective after being apart of a separate culture. Instead of taking pictures of homeless people or food to represent New York she used her creativity to find the best way to capture the real New York.