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Author Archives: pcallan
Posts: 7 (archived below)
Comments: 3
Christmas in NY
Christmas in New York is unlike any other cities you have seen. I’ve had the pleasure of being in many different cities throughout the world during Christmas time; no other cities come close to the amount of time, effort and spectacular visuals that New York puts in to make the holiday season special.
I was once here as a tourist during this time period and I was overly impressed by seeing all the beautiful decorations not only in one section of the city but pretty much the entire city in the Christmas spirit. In most cities, only a certain regions have been designated to be the key focal point in displaying the Christmas decorations. In New York, there are several ice rinks in various locations, huge stars hanging over streets, famous Christmas trees and even buildings that are wrapped like presents. I mean, where else could you see a Mini parked inside a snow globe!
People do not necessarily come to New York over the Christmas period simply to shop. You can do that anywhere in the world. People come here to get the whole experience of what Christmas should be like and the feeling that comes with it. As I walked around the city taking pictures, I am amazed at the amount of families that come to New York for the opportunity to experience this magical time.
Posted in Assignment Six - Final Project
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How MTA Reductions Effect Us All
How MTA Reductions Effect Us All
Since the MTA declared cutting back on having MTA employees manning the subway booths in order to save money, I feel that the importance of safety has decreased dramatically. In this day and age, it would be nice to know that there is someone in these subway booths assisting customers, giving directions to tourists and being the eyes and ears, for not only crime, but for any unusual activities that may be going on down there.
I chose to take photographs of certain subway stations that no longer have MTA workers in these booths. Either these booths are completely vacant or in some cases, they have been entirely removed. Take for instance of a photograph I took at the 42nd Street Bryant Park subway station in which an MTA worker is no longer present. To me, I find this is a popular subway stop due to the Bryant Park as well as the proximity to other popular destinations for tourists and workers alike. I’d stood here for a good fifteen to twenty minutes observing the traffic flow and realized that a good amount of tourists are always perplexed and lack directions. If an MTA worker was here, he/she would have easily assisted these tourists with subway directions, buying a metrocard and making them feel at ease.
In one of my photographs, there was a man looking at the MTA machines, unable to buy a metro card because at that particular point in time, these machines were not accepting cash, instead, they require only debit or credit cards. Had there been someone in these booths, this man would not have been a problem obtaining a metrocard. From his facial expressions as well as him leaving the subway, I gather he was either heading down to the next subway stop to find assistance or simply finding another mode of transportation to his destination.
During the time spent taking these photographs, I saw at least six people jumping over the subway turnstile without paying as there was no one there to stop them. The ironic thing was that this type of activity is common now and will be costing the MTA a lot more than paying someone a salary.
It looks like these unmanned subway booths are here to stay or, should I say, being torn down, which is sad because I’m afraid, these MTA machines have no other uses and functions apart from issuing metro cards.
Santa Con
Santa Con
I had the pleasure of attending Comic Con this year which I enjoyed a great deal. Little did I know that on Saturday, December 11th, I had the pleasure of attending the Santa Con held in Central Park.
I stumbled upon this gathering as a result of shooting pictures earlier that morning for my intermediate photography class. I was surprised at the amount of people dressed in Santa costumes but being that this is New York, I thought little of it at first, but as more and more Santas appeared, I got curious and went to take a look. As I reached the Bethesda Fountain, I could hear exuberant cheers and noticed that Santas were everywhere! I spoke to someone who was able to provide me more detail about this event. Basically, it is one big party where everyone comes dressed as Santas, reindeers, elves, etc bringing with them gifts, games and fun. It looked like everyone was having a good time and I am certain there will be a few sore heads the next day.
Posted in Miscellaneous Assignments - Extra Credit
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Comic Con
Comic Con
Comic Con is one of the largest annual events held on the East Coast. In the last several years, it has been held at the Jacob Javits Center. This event brings together comic book, fantasy and sci-fi fans together. You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy these things.
As this event seems to be extremely popular, I went that Saturday to check out the hype for myself. When I arrived, it seems like Halloween had come early. There were so many people dressed up as their favorite characters from movies such as Star Wars to comic book hero like Spiderman. The thing I found most interesting was how invested these people are into the characters. If I didn’t know better, I thought these people really did believe they were these characters. I was surprised at just how approachable these people were. Girls would happily pose for pictures as much as the guys. They were in the zone and appeared to enjoy the fame their superhero/villain brought them.
Along with all the costumes, there was a great deal of merchandise throughout the arena, and it was interesting to see just how lucrative the comic book/fantasy world is. The whole event is where fans can meet up with each other face to face (instead of via computer) to talk with each other and the creators of their comics and I found this to be a great show.
Aside from attending the Comic Con event, I also went to a comic book store the following week to see what these people are like when not in costume. Surprisingly, they are quite shy and quiet. No one really wanted to talk about Comic Con or how they were dressed. It seemed like they were embarrassed to talk about it and just wanted to be left along to read their comic books. The costumes brought out another side to these guys that you may never get to know otherwise.
Posted in Assignment Four - Community
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A Teenagers Dependency on Technology
My environmental pictures are about a teenager’s dependency on technology. I followed my fiancée’s teenage daughter, Cynthia, for a day only to discover how extraordinary that she cannot go two minutes without using her phone to text and “Facebook” her friends. I asked her if she could go a whole day without looking at it and she said no.
She woke at 6am for school and within 10 minutes she was on the phone gossiping or texting someone. Who in their right mind does that at 6am?!?! Before we even got out the door, she was on Facebook. To and from school, the phone was in her hand ready for a quick reply when needed. After school, Cynthia stopped at a friend’s house for a bit where she actually put down the phone only to pick up a guitar and play rock band. When we got home, while laying in bed she can be seen and heard communicating via her phone.
Even when Cynthia had the computer to do homework, the phone was in constant use. Only when she fell asleep studying did the phone get put down. Funny enough, just after I took the picture of her sleeping, the phone buzzed and still half asleep, Cynthia replied then went back to sleep. In the evening while still watching TV, the noise of her fingers pressing the buttons on the phone continued until it was time to sleep.
