essence of east village

That's my second submission to the online exhibition of pictures of New York, "NYC Exposed".
Three of my pictures from September 2009 are there, enriched with an interesting description that I'm posting below.

Here is the original article. You can check out all of my three pictures over there.

Yellow Vintage Rag-Top Cadillac Muscle Car Belongs to the East Village...
Stan Baranski knows good artwork when he sees it. In this case, it was not so much the street "art" on the wall and garage door that he saw as a photographic opportunity. Rather, it was the fantastic scene made whole by the vintage yellow convertible parked so appropriately in front of that street art that made it an outstanding photo op!

Stan's composition is perfect. The car (the obvious focal point) follows classic rule-of-thirds convention, having a bit more space in front of its apparent direction than behind it. The car also rests along the lower horizontal "thirds" dividing line - exactly where it should be.

The exposure, color and focus are beautiful. Not too bright; not too dark; not too contrasty; not too overblown on the color saturation. Stan avoided the temptation that so many photographers fall for, in that he did not hype the colors. No need to here! Stan let the melange of colors work on their own and what occurred was that the wall art remains somewhat muted and pastel, giving way and paying homage to that bright yellow car!

Manhattan's East Village is an eclectic mix of new and old. It hosts beauty, art and grunge living in harmony. With its proximity to NYU, it's not surprising that there's a lot to do and see here. There are probably more bars and clubs in the East Village than in any other concentrated area of New York. And to top it off, Stan's picture reveals a striking juxtaposition of grunge and new chic beauty. Just take a look at the gritty street art on the old wall and garage...right next to the exquisite and refined Il Posto Accanto Italian wine bar and restaurant, one of New York City's top eateries!