We’re back from summer break with a new post for “I Like A Leica.” This time around, we’ll focus on abstracts.
Three of these images were made in subway stations; two of them are from the same station, at Herald Square. This is a station that I walked through day after day on my way to my studio in Midtown; the concrete ceiling in the tunnel that leads to the 35th Street exit has always fascinated me for some reason, and of several frames that I shot of it over the course of a week, this is the most interesting one.

Abstract photo of ceiling in 34th Street subway station. (Leica M6, Ilford HP5 film) FLICKR
A stairway at the 42nd Street station leading to a subway platform catches light from a skylight above, creating an intricate geometric pattern of light and shadow on the concrete floor.

Abstract image of shadows and light near staircase in Times Square subway station. (Leica M6, Ilford HP5 film) FLICKR
At 92nd Street and 2nd Avenue, two brick supports slice into the edges of a skyscraper that rises on the opposite block, creating a stark contrast between glass and steel and brick and mortar.

Abstract photo of a residential skyscraper framed by two dark brick pillars. (Leica M6, Kodak TMAX-100 film) FLICKR
Another photograph from the 34th Street station tunnel: in this image, I deliberately concentrated on the closest part of the ceiling as a small group of commuters clustered at the far end tunnel, throwing them out of focus.

Out of focus tunnel people contrast with the lovely lines of the ceiling in this tunnel. (Leica M6, Ilford HP5 film) FLICKR
Lastly, this is a straghtforward 50mm Summicron black and white shot of an interesting “tiled” building that went up in East Harlem a few years back.

Photo of a new building in East Harlem, New York. (Leica M6, Ilford HP5 film) FLICKR
That does it for this week. Stay tuned for more “I Like A Leica” in September!