scenes from the street

One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2010 is to become a bolder photographer, especially when it comes to street portraiture. It’s not always easy to capture the unwitting (and sometimes unwilling!) on film, but fortunately there are zoom lenses until I get up enough nerve. Thanks to my fellow Love of Brooklynite Kruger for letting me borrow this crisp, vintage 135mm lens — it’s the perfect solution to shyness on the street!

for the love of brownstoner

It’s no secret that one of our favorite Brooklyn-based blogs is Brownstoner. Their coverage of borough news, history, and real estate is always thorough and entertaining — plus the comments can be downright hilarious. But I will be forever indebted to their fantastic coverage of local photography, for it is through Brownstoner that we here at For the Love of Brooklyn are introduced to new artists every day!

Lately, it’s been exciting to watch as some of our Featured Photographers are getting the attention they deserve – the beautiful shot of Coney Island (above) was taken by none other than our contributor Pete and featured on Monday. The shot below of a rusting cable car in Red Hook, also featured Monday, was taken by our blogger Matt.

The spectacular shot below of the downtown loop of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, from fave photog Barry Yanowitz, was also recently featured. And last night’s Brownstone blogwrap post, featured one of my own recent shots from DUMBO.

A big shout-out to these photographers for their continued inspiration!

fishing for a craft night?

One of the best things that’s happened to us here at For the Love of Brooklyn is meeting loads of the wonderful photographers that contribute to our Flickr group. The unique perspectives they bring to the borough continually impress and inspire me. Now that we’ve seen hundreds of photos from 50+ local photographers, it’s about time to share some great shots!

The photo above is from new-to-Flickr photog pixzels, and features fishermen along the shoreline in Coney Island. So gorgeous, and so calming (especially for the impending Monday morning back at work)!

And while we’re sharing – I definitely want to spread the word about Brooklyn’s own Etsy.com and their awesome (free!) craft nights. The first one of 2010 is TONIGHT in DUMBO (or globally via webcast) and will feature stencil pro Ed Roth [check out a beautiful feature on him here]. For more info about the event, check out Etsy’s blog here.

feature fridays – adam lerner

During this week’s Feature Fridays, we’re excited to present photographer Adam Lerner, whose Brooklyn-based work we’ve admired since first seeing his work featured countless times on Brownstoner. Adam kindly took a few minutes to tell us a bit about himself and all the inspiration he finds on the streets of Brooklyn. Check out the interview below!

Make sure to check out his Flickr photostream here, and the galleries on his official website here!

For the Love of Brooklyn: Where do you live?
Adam Lerner: I live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Born in Manhattan, I’m a 3rd-generation New Yorker. I’ve tried living other places, but am always drawn back to NYC. Prior to living in Williamsburg, I lived in Manhattan; however I completely fell in love with Brooklyn and can’t imagine living in Manhattan.

LoB: Where are your favorite places to shoot?
AL: I really like shooting around Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick, largely because I tend to explore these places either on foot or bicycle. I am somewhat obsessed with the Williamsburg Bridge and even started a Flickr group for it. Something about the mixed industrial neighborhood with the city in view from almost any location, proximity to the water, etc. always inspires me to shoot.

LoB: What brings you inspiration? Any influences? Neighborhoods in particular?
AL: I think I’m inspired by light, location and people. Sometimes walking my dogs, the light is such that I have to run home and grab the camera. I tend to post a lot of landscape and architectural shots on Flickr, however I enjoy shooting people immensely. I’ve been doing some work shooting documentary and events which has been immensely challenging and fun. I’ve also shot some musicians and actors which is also challenging, but so rewarding. Ideally, I want to tell a story or evoke some sort of emotion through my photos and hope and try to achieve that whether shooting a building, a bridge, or person.

LoB: What’s the craziest photo story you have while shooting in NYC?
AL: Haha, I wish I had a crazy story, but so far, I’ve been lucky with the shooting I’ve done. I guess the nuttiest shoot I did recently was when I spent the day documenting Richie Sambora (yes, of Bon Jovi fame). It was 5 events in one day starting at WPLJ in Manhattan, then Woodbridge, New Jersey. I’d say the coolest part of it all was riding shotgun all day with the Woodbridge police captain in his super-duty police truck. He led a police escort for Richie and his entourage, running lights, blazing sirens and making sure to get me to each location first to get the initial shots of Richie. So, I guess that’s the craziest thing close to NYC.

Thanks so much to Adam for the interview, and have a great weekend!

burned taxi in brooklyn heights

Yesterday I was on the way to get my teeth drilled (I eat a lot of gummy candy, and I’m perfectly happy with this trade-off), and I passed by this burned taxi right by the High St A/C stop in Brooklyn Heights.  The car was still warm and smoking.  I don’t really know why this happened, or what caused it (UPDATE: Brooklyn Eagle has the full story), but it was quite the sight to see.  It’s reasons like this I always carry a camera with me where ever I go.  New York City is a crazy place.

I take this as another justification for never taking cabs. ;)

winter buds on the waterfront

Even though the days have been cold, colder, and downright frigid, there are signs of life everywhere indicating the impending spring! Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but the trees on the waterfront have growing small buds, delicate and rosy in their severe winter landscape. Though I don’t expect their blooms for months to come, it’s such a lovely reminder of the beauty of Brooklyn in the spring — until then, we can rely on the hope these tiny promises bring.

northern exposure

We here at Love of Brooklyn are getting a little film-obsessed in 2k10. There’s something about the way the grain and old school tones portray my neighborhood that has me melting, in love with everything I see. The shot above is from my new-to-me vintage medium format camera, looking north across the East River from underneath the Manhattan bridge in DUMBO.

Even in the austerity of winter, it’s a fabulous place for a bundled-up picnic, perched on the shores of Brooklyn and with the world at your fingertips!

back in brooklyn!

After a long holiday break and many travels both domestic and abroad, all of us at for the LOVE of BROOKLYN are now back in our fair borough. Happy New Year and best wishes to you and yours! Stay tuned for more coverage, more photos, and follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates!

row houses

I took this while riding my bike through my old neighborhood on the Bed-Stuy/Clinton Hill border. Different maps define the neighborhoods differently. When we first rented the place, the Craigslist ad said it was Clinton Hill. However, the car service begged to differ: they always wanted to charge me $5.00 more because they considered it Bed-Stuy.

Bed-Stuy has a bad rap. I know there have been tough times in Bed-Stuy like the race riots of the 60’s and 70’s, but things have changed all over Brooklyn and Bed-Stuy is no exception. The neighborhood has always been lovely with tree-lined streets filled with beautiful churches, brownstones, and row houses. Bed-Stuy continues to provide good transportation (A, C, G, LIRR), proximity to shopping on Fulton Avenue, and good African/Afro-Caribbean food.

washington ave, december

It’s getting cold out there. This is a view from my rooftop down Washington Avenue. I enjoy the first few weeks of Winter in New York. I’m usually sick of it after New Years. Soon the holidays will be over, it will start raining everyday, and the streets will be paved with ice until March. I’m actually kind of looking forward to hibernating this Winter. Maybe save some money.