Evening Falls on the East River

By Kenneth Neal

Piece description from the artist

This capture, taken just after sunset, highlights the southern tip of Roosevelt Island where FDR Four Freedoms Park is located. The architecture and urban forms of the location have always attracted me. One element that distinguishes this photo is that it is a long long exposure. I love the challenge of this type of photography for several reasons. One is that it is that you have to slow down and concentrate on doing many things right to get the shot. You need a tripod and a special filter for slowing down the exposure. And often you have to take a number of shots to get the exposure just right. There's much more to consider, but in the end, it's not about the technicalities, it's about how a long exposure can make you see things in a new way: clouds stretch across the frame in an abstract manner; the water becomes silky smooth; things in motion like cars and people walking can disappear. All these elements can add up to a magical result, which makes the extra work more than worthwhile.