Central Park
As a New York native and resident until
January 2006, it all began here. Growing up a half a block from
the park, it became my playground, and as I grew up, I often wandered
through the parts considered safe. Fortunately, Central Park’s
former reputation as unsafe has largely been dispelled by a succession
of mayors who have placed appropriate emphasis on quality of life issues
and by New Yorkers themselves who have come to care. In the spring
of 2001 I noticed a mated pair of Mute Swans book ending their seven
cignets in The Lake (known better perhaps as the Rowboat Pond) in the
middle of the park. The next day I brought my camera, then soon
found myself circling The Lake at 6am looking for the special places
several bird species haunted and hunted at that quiet time. At
that point I became serious about the photography and an article in
Nature Photographer Magazine on Urbanized Wildlife ultimately resulted.
While New York is no longer my home, and Central Park not my most
frequently visited location, it will always remain the “birthing place”
of my photographic life.
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