Some weeks ago there was a discussion on this blog about why I don’t photograph people as part of my studies of Manhattan.  Since that discussion, I have, of course, become obsessed with photographing people.  In case you were looking for an example of how we influence each other on this blog, you now have a very good example.

With all respect for the various and wonderful women of the world, as a man there is an undeniable connection between my brain, my eye and my penis so, not surprisingly as a gay man I have pretty much focused my camera on me…and the streets of Manhattan are chock a block full of beautiful and sexy  men. And at the risk of stereotyping and generalizing, as walkers, men and women are very different.  Men are going somewhere and they are focused on that–even if it’s nowhere–almost oblivious to there surroundings.  Women are observers. They’re moving more slowly and looking at store windows, how other women are dressed, what possible threats there may be to their safety–and if they’re being led by a man, they are never looking forward.  It’s actually pretty funny to observe.

 

I’ve also learned that male Manhattanites are so focused on their “missions” that you can stick a camera up a man’s ass and he’s likely not to notice unless it has a vibration mode–and even then he might mistake it for a passing subway train.   As a result I’m loving the ability to capture unposed body language and, more specifically,  Manhattan male motion.

Other than the Kentucky Derby, there are few places that deliver focused animal motion more than the streets of Manhattan.  I’m also fascinated by the focus and look of intent that dominates the subjects’ faces. New York men have  a goal and they are intent upon it. You can see it in their body language and their eyes, the tension in the shoulders and the energy in their gait.  I haven’t quite defined it as yet, but there’s clearly a Manhattan look to these men in their dress, body language and expression. Sometimes just for fun, I aim my camera at street corners as I’m cabbing along, not sure what I’ve captured until I hit the computer, so there is some degree of random selection to my subjects which, for me confirms my growing sense of Manhattan look.
I sense that I’m on an artistic journey and I’m not sure where it’s taking me–but in the meantime, I’m delighted with the evolving results.