Author Archives: dtong

Posts: 5 (archived below)
Comments: 6

A Performance At Webster Hall

Posted on December 20, 2010 by dtong

A friend of mine had invited me to go see him perform, but this was not without alterier motive. He had wanted me to take photos documenting his performance. I had not done concert/ live performance photography before this and had no idea what I was going to do. Finally, it dawned on me to document this in a way in which someone could get a sense of what it was like to be there at the show.

Webster hall on this night was pretty empty so feeding off of crowd energy was not an option. There seemed to be more going on at the bar than in the audience, but nonetheless the performances were still pretty stellar; they possesssed a great deal of expression. This kind of expression and passion they were displaying is something i tried hard at capturing. Whether or not I was successful in doing so remains to be decided.

The passivity of the crowd meant I had to focus a lot on what was going on stage and because I was not granted stage access, I worked hard to atleast capture something meaningful from the audience’s perspective. These are the results.

Posted in Assignment Six - Final Project | 1 Comment

A community after the storm: Bayside

Posted on December 20, 2010 by dtong

In the middle of September two tornados ripped through parts of Staten Island, Brooklyn, and queens. They left behind a slew of debris and worry, though only one death was reported. The Town of Bayside, which received a storm of 110 mph was left a mess, but, as was the story miraculously, nobody was too badly hurt if hurt at all.

It was an ordeal for me as well, this Storm. I was left stranded in manhattan with no idea what was happening. The National Guard moved everyone out of Penn Station on 34th street, which is not something you’ll see very often in a lifetime. Most of all no trains seemed to be moving to and from any other borough. I was beginning to have a terrible feeling about things, that I was in the middle of something catastrophic.

I arrived in the darkness learning very little. It was pitch black and Bayside was a messed of broken branches, tree trunks and snapped power lines. I could tell though, that things were bad but not as hectic as it could’ve been. The next morning I went around Bayside to see how its residents were doing and came away with the knowledge that though this was some powerful that ripped through town, it wasn’t something that was going to or would hurt this community.

: Tree at night

: a remarkable sight

: like spilt milk

: Robert and Ken help in the clearing debris.

: Roads needed to be closed, due to debris and blackouts

: Nothing to complain about here

: common places became true sights to behold

: Looks worse than it is

: “Like an old man trying to send soup back at a deli”

: When the sidewalk needs a lift. The owner seemed content.

: There is a soothing quality to this

: Everything was in good order

Posted in Assignment Four - Community | Comments Off

Issues: Foot-Traffic In Manhattan

Posted on December 18, 2010 by dtong

As a pedestrian you never know what you are going to see. The streets are busy, and the people are busy. When you do stop to look at something what could it be? What draws your attention? These are the questions that needed to be asked in order to understand the issues of foot traffic. The streets of New York City will alway be busy, but the things we take notice of may be fleeting and one of its kind. This assignment looks to not only expose the busy life of The Manhattan sidewalks and streets, but the things that can be easily missed and are fleeting.