As I was walking home from work through Central Park, I was walked by this guy with a HUGE camera lens. He had the lens pointed up at some buildings. Whenever I see people with these HUGE lenses I always wonder what they are looking at because I sure couldn't see anything from where I was. As I passed the guy, I was looking up in the same direction his camera was pointed trying to see what he was taking pictures of.
I thought to myself:
"I wish I could look in his camera to see what is so great."
"I wish I could look in his camera to see what is so great."
Almost simultaneously as I was thinking this the guy waved me over and said:
"Want to see?"
"Want to see?"
Of course I did! So, thinking that I would just see some cool architecture, I looked in. To my surprise that HUGE lens got right up close to a HUGE hawk sitting on a building ledge. With my naked eye I could only see a black speck, but with this lens I was able to make out individual feathers. It was so neat.
I talked with the guy for a few minutes, and told him that my husband and I were hawk enthusiasts, but did NOT tell him that we indirectly contributed to one's death (RIP Hawk).
In the midst of our conversation he said something very prophetic. He said:
"Sometimes people are so focused on what is
right in front of them and where they are going
that they fail to look up and see the beauty."
right in front of them and where they are going
that they fail to look up and see the beauty."
Before I left he handed me the picture above and told me to check out his site. It seems he takes pictures of this bird, "Palemale," almost everyday.
The following day on my walk home, I saw this photographer again in a different part of the park. I stopped by and introduced myself as the girl he met yesterday who he let look through his lens. He once again, he let me look through his camera. This time the lens magnifyed the hawk sitting on a giant nest that rested on a decorative element above a window.
We talked for a half an hour or so about life, hawks, and central park. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to him, gaining a greatly perspective on each of the topics we discussed.
If I were living anywhere else I would be driving to and from work, being totally isolated from anyone else, never being able to have a nice conversation with a stranger I randomly bumped into.
The following day on my walk home, I saw this photographer again in a different part of the park. I stopped by and introduced myself as the girl he met yesterday who he let look through his lens. He once again, he let me look through his camera. This time the lens magnifyed the hawk sitting on a giant nest that rested on a decorative element above a window.
We talked for a half an hour or so about life, hawks, and central park. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to him, gaining a greatly perspective on each of the topics we discussed.
If I were living anywhere else I would be driving to and from work, being totally isolated from anyone else, never being able to have a nice conversation with a stranger I randomly bumped into.
How cool! Of course, you of all people would run into someone taking pictures of hawks in NYC, hahaha.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason when I picture you walking home from work, I imagine you smiling and nodding your head and saying, "Well, hello!" to each person you pass, hahaha. Oh, Lindsay, my little social butterfly.
that is so cool!
ReplyDeletei'm assuming these are the pictures you saw through the lens, how did you get them?
I recently read an interesting article about the city's hawks in New York magazine. Who knew they could survive in such a crazy city? That man seems like a very interesting fellow. I'm always inspired by people who appreciate the simple, beautiful, often unseen things of life.
ReplyDeleteThe first picture he gave me a hard copy and then the second one I got from his website. He posts pictures everyday. It's pretty incredible.
ReplyDelete