SHELBY AND THE CITY
May 7th-12th 2025New York City - The Mecca of Street Photography
Last week, I took a six-day trip to New York City with one main goal: to shoot street photography. I’d only ever passed through the city once—about two years ago—crashed in a hotel, and kept it moving. I never really stepped outside, never got a real feel for the city. This time, I came to explore it. To walk it. To observe, document, and understand it—through my lens.
New York is the mecca of street photography. It’s loud, layered, and full of movement—an endless stream of stories unfolding in real time. And honestly? I was nervous. Not just because of the city’s intensity, but because this trip felt like a creative checkpoint. I knew it would test me. I knew it would stretch my perspective as an artist.
And it did.
This wasn’t just about capturing cool street shots or ticking off locations. It was about unlearning habits. I pushed myself to compose differently, to break away from relying solely on human subjects and start seeing the environment as its own character. Buildings, corners, signage, texture, silence—these things tell stories, too. Sometimes even louder than people do.
This trip reminded me that photography isn’t always about what’s in front of you. Sometimes it’s about what’s above you, behind you, or right at your feet—waiting to be seen.
This is Part One of that journey. The beginning of what I hope becomes a much longer love letter to the city that challenged me, inspired me, and met me exactly where I was.
From Cornfields to Cornerstones: My Drive to New York
I drove myself from small-town USA to New York in about 10–12 hours this past week. Not too bad, if I say so myself. Crossed the Midwest and hit the East Coast—willingly trading cornfields for cornerstones.
Now don’t get it twisted—I’m from just outside the Chicago area and I’m in the city often, so I’m not exactly a farmer’s daughter. But New York? That was a whole different beast. A daunting dream, to say the least.
It’s the hub of the U.S. Whether you’re in media, fashion, finance, art, or just trying to feel something—New York is it.
I won’t say I grew up hearing nonstop New York slander, but let’s be real—the Big Apple was never exactly painted as the sweetest of fruits. The stories you hear? Streets riddled with crime, people angry 24/7, and a city that never shuts up. Cars honking, people yelling, subways screeching, and worst of all—oily dollar slice pizza everywhere. It’s ironic because Chicago gets similar slander if not worse, minus the dollar slices. What I’m trying to get at, is that Chicago and New York are two sides of the same coin in most aspects.
The Artist’s Eye: Seeing New York Beyond the Frame
I started my trip wandering through East Village and Soho, Manhattan. Honestly, I was surprised by how colorful and artsy this side of the city was. The streets were alive with murals, local vendors, and a creative energy that felt both raw and welcoming. It had this youthful vibe—probably a hotspot for college students linking up over food or drinks. It didn’t feel cold or corporate. It felt alive.
I stopped by Kolkata Chai Co in East Village for a hot Dirty Chai. (Not quite in Soho, but close—East Village kind of bleeds into Soho, at least from what I could tell.) The warmth of that cup matched the neighborhood’s vibe perfectly.
As a photographer, the architecture stopped me in my tracks. Sometimes, I think we forget to look up when we’re shooting. We get so caught up in what’s right in front of us that we wear these creative blinders. It’s easy to shoot people—we all share that human thread, so the story comes naturally. But I’ve started asking myself: is this image a good story, or just an easy one?
These buildings… they’ve lived lifetimes. They’ve stood through generations, wars, movements, trends, seasons. The oldest one in New York is the Wyckoff House, built in 1652—and it’s still standing. Imagine if it could talk. What would it say about us? About the way we’ve changed, or maybe haven’t changed at all?
Don’t get me wrong—people make incredible subjects. But sometimes, our environment speaks volumes about who we are, where we’ve been, and what we value. It enriches the narrative. It deepens the context.
So for this trip, I challenged myself: don’t just shoot people. Find subjects in the space itself that feel human. Find buildings, corners, signs, colors—anything that tells the story of New Yorkers, whether they’re in the frame or not.
This is such a powerful and emotional moment—raw, human, and beautifully observant. Here’s a blog-ready version that keeps your vulnerability and storytelling intact, just refined for clarity and rhythm:
Special Mention: The Man on the Stairs
One of my favorite images from Soho wasn’t a mural or a building—it was of a gentleman sitting on a staircase, just outside the space where a mural was being painted.
I know, I just went on about photographing the environment instead of people—but this one? This one might be the exception. A strong contender for the whole trip.
He sat there for a long time. Still, calm, just... existing. And I hesitated to take the photo—something that’s honestly rare for me. I’m usually confident on the street, rarely shy with my camera. So feeling that pause in my hand? That was new.
Maybe something in me knew he was having a moment. Or maybe it was just my intuition telling me this was special.
He moved his head slightly. Played with his fingers. Watched the world go by in that quiet, thoughtful way older folks do. He was this steady presence in the middle of Soho’s noise—the perfect contrast to the youth rushing in and out of storefronts, spilling into side streets with iced coffees and weekend energy.
At one point, we made eye contact. Just for a second. I looked away.
I’m unsure why. That’s not typically me.
There was something about the whole interaction that pulled me inward. Some kind of self-reflection surfaced before I even realized it. And now, looking at the image—I keep thinking:
God, how New York this man looks.
I don’t even know what I mean by that, exactly. But maybe you’ll understand. Maybe you’ve seen someone like him—someone who is the city in a way that can’t be described, only felt.
I think I saw a bit of myself in him, and it might of spooked me a bit.
Time will tell what that moment meant. But I know it meant something.
Blowin’ In The Wind
Soho, Manhattan - New York City
May 10th 2025
