How I got the Photo
This is a photo of “The Oculus,” which is the building housing the entrance to a New York City transportation hub located at The World Trade Center, the 1776 foot high building in this photo behind the Oculus. Located in lower Manhattan, if you search for an address of The Oculus, you may find several different addresses, but no matter, because the building is so unique, you cannot possibly miss seeing it if you are anywhere near the area.
The Oculus opened to the public in 2016, fourteen years after construction began. At that time, I had retired a year earlier and received a new Olympus digital camera, model OM-D E-M5 Mark II, so I was always searching for opportunities to take some photos. On October 25, 2016, I arranged to meet with a few friends in lower Manhattan to have lunch so I took my camera with me hoping to get some interesting photos of the Wall Street area.
On my way to the Bar/Restaurant where I was to meet my friends, I noticed the Oculus and had an idea on how to take some photos of this unique style building as well as the New World Trade Center itself. Now in my opinion, this is not a great, or even a good, photo, but photography is very subjective and because of the uniqueness of the building design, I entered it in a contest conducted by an Olympus Camera User Group of which I am a member. Much to my surprise, the photo took first place in that particular contest. In addition, two and half years ago, it was chosen by the owner of the Gamut Art Gallery as one of several photos submitted by our club members to be on exhibit in the Art Gallery.
Given that this is not a technically great photo, when I look at it, I do recall the circumstances of how I got the image. This was taken around the noon hour on a week day when many people were going out to lunch so the streets were busy with both business people and tourists. To capture the angle I wanted, I had to lie on my back right in the middle of the sidewalk as people were rushing along to go to lunch or leaving or entering the Oculus. Many people rushed over to help me thinking I had fallen or became ill with perhaps a heart attack. I smiled and told them I was fine and just taking pictures. At that, people avoided me as if I had COVID before that was even a thing. Actually, they all suspected I was just a crazy old man with a camera; they may have been right.
The photo with the big Red dot is a Google Maps photo of the location of the Oculus. The Red dot I added to show where I placed myself on my back on the sidewalk to snap this photo. My point is that sometimes you have to do silly looking things to get a good photo; just do it! Even though I did not get a really technically good photo, it got some recognition and I still get a laugh when I see it myself, even after eight years.
