camera shops and places to see in NY

[eduardtoader]

Hy to all.

I´m planing a trip to NY for the next two weeks. Is the first time I will be in US, so I´m as a unpatient child, also full of emotion and curiosity.

Could you say me about places I should´nt miss there? I want to see MOMA but I would´nt like to spend a lot of time in the touristic places. I´m searching about not so much advertised photographic points, exhibitions, shops, etc.

I´m planing to shot 4x5 photography. I will buy the film there in NY. Do you could tell me about the best quality/price shops to buy film and develop it? How many days they need to develop the slides/negative?

Could I have any problem shoting LF in the public places(parks, fun places, night landscape from high touristic places)? Is worth to print a identification card with my photo, name and adress?

I also would like to buy a 8x10 camera to restore it. Which shop could sold it - another shop than B&..Ke..Ado...?

Anyone of you have any experience bringing film to europe? I would buy 10-20 boxes of 4x5 slides (10 sheets boxes). Could the JFK airport customs officers make me throw it?



Thank you all for help.

[Graybeard]

You will find attractive prices and a wide range of 4x5 film types at B&H in Manhattan. Check with them (web, telephone) on operating hours as they observe an Orthodox Jewish calendar (happily they are open on Sundays). B&H has many salesclerks who speak Spanish, if you so prefer.

Adorama has similar offerings but I, personally, have been rudely treated there and am unwilling to recommend Adorama as a useful supplier.

It has been some time since I last shot with a 4x5 in New York, but I expect that you will find that this is one of the most liberal cities on the planet for street photography, provided that you do not block the sidewalk. You may also be surprised at how many of the policeman are fluent en Espanol.

Hy to all.

I´m planing a trip to NY for the next two weeks. Is the first time I will be in US, so I´m as a unpatient child, also full of emotion and curiosity.

Could you say me about places I should´nt miss there? I want to see MOMA but I would´nt like to spend a lot of time in the touristic places. I´m searching about not so much advertised photographic points, exhibitions, shops, etc.

I´m planing to shot 4x5 photography. I will buy the film there in NY. Do you could tell me about the best quality/price shops to buy film and develop it? How many days they need to develop the slides/negative?

Could I have any problem shoting LF in the public places(parks, fun places, night landscape from high touristic places)? Is worth to print a identification card with my photo, name and adress?

I also would like to buy a 8x10 camera to restore it. Which shop could sold it - another shop than B&..Ke..Ado...?

Anyone of you have any experience bringing film to europe? I would buy 10-20 boxes of 4x5 slides (10 sheets boxes). Could the JFK airport customs officers make me throw it?



Thank you all for help.

[IanMazursky]

Lens & Repro usually has a good selection of used LF cameras and lenses but they can be expensive.
B&H and Adorama’s prices are pretty much even but B&H has a much wider selection of LF film in stock.
B&H also has a small LF section and their used department occasionally has 8x10s.
Check craigslist for 8x10 listings in NYC. Ive seen a few over the last couple of weeks.

The Empire State Building is great to see. The observation deck is a lot of fun.
Even better, the top of Rockefeller Center. Their observation deck is amazing!
I would go towards sunset. The top of the observation deck (has 3 or 4 levels) has 360 degree views of the city.
At night the city shines like a jewel. Leave an extra 30-40+ minutes to get to the top before sunset.
Security, lines and the elevators eat up time fast.

Grand Central Terminal and Chrysler Building has great architecture.
The Brooklyn Bridge is amazing at night. I once shot it from the highway at midnight. No one was around and we just stopped.
But that was before 9/11. It was so much fun and the shots came out great, but i doubt you would get away with that now.

A cool modern art gallery is the David Zwirner Gallery on 19th and 11th.

Shooting LF in the city isn’t terribly bad but do not block the sidewalk, streets or driveways. If there is a big crowd, don’t setup.
You could trip someone and get arrested or sued. If the cops come by, be very nice and don’t be confrontational.
If they ask you to move or pack up, don’t argue just pack up fast.
Night photography can be a hit or miss. In areas that cops frequent like parks it can be ok one day and not the next.

Bringing film through US airports isn’t bad at all. Ask for a hand inspection, i think the law is that they still have to do it.
Take a changing bag with you just in case. Go for a line thats not jammed and try to show up an additional hour earlier.
When i went to Europe a few years ago, they refused hand checks and my 300+ sheets of 4x5 went through 8 X-rays trips.
No damage whatsoever but YMMV. Whatever you do, do not check the film, always hand carry it.

Good luck and have a great trip! NYC is a lot of fun.

[Noah A]

...
Even better, the top of Rockefeller Center. Their observation deck is amazing! ...

Do they allow tripods at the Rockefeller Center observation deck? Just curious as it seems like a great vantage point.

B&H is definitely the best supplier for film. They have some LF gear in their used department, but not a huge selection and the condition ratings are sometimes a bit optimistic. (I've seen some of their 9 and 10 rated gear that was pretty beat up.) Their holiday schedule is somewhere on the website.

I've carried film through US airports with no problems. I don't think you'll have any problems with security. I've actually given up asking for hand checks and I usually just send my film through the carry-on x-ray. I normally put my film boxes in clear ziplock bags and send them through alone so they don't attract attention or get sent through more than once as they might if they were mixed in with my camera gear. I can't say if you'll have issues with customs or if you'll have to pay duty once you get home, but passing security with your film should be fine.

As for labs, for C-41 it's hard to beat PixPoint, http://www.pixpointinc.com. My experience with some of the big-name labs like Duggal weren't so good. Another lab that is often recommended is LTI. I've never used them but lots of photographers swear by them. http://www.lti-lightside.com

You might want to check out some galleries in Chelsea. Some photo galleries are:

http://www.yossimilo.com/

http://hastedkraeutler.com

http://www.foleygallery.com/ (Shameless plug: I have a few photos in the show that's up now, but only until the 15th!)

http://www.danielcooneyfineart.com/

http://www.robertmann.com/

http://www.aperture.org/gallery/

There are lots more but this is a start.

While you're in the neighborhood, you might want to check out the High Line, an elevated park built on a formerly abandoned railway. http://www.thehighline.org/

The website has a nice online gallery of Joel Sternfeld's photos of the railway before it was developed. The park itself is very interesting as are some of the views of the surrounding buildings.

Hope you have a great trip!

[Michael N. Meyer]

L&I Color on 22nd Street is the lab I use. I've had only good experiences with them. C-Lab down on Broadway is also a decent lab.

You can find out what's showing at the various galleries by checking out photographmag.com. Chelsea and Brooklyn's DUMBO are two neighborhoods with good concentrations of galleries. There is also a cluster of high end galleries along 57th Street.

Dashwood books on the south side Bond Street between Lafayette and Bowery is one of the best photobook stores in the world. Well worth checking out. A cheaper selection of books can be had at The Strand, on Broadway at 13th Street.

As for spots to visit, a few:
• Battery Park and the promenade up along the West Side/Hudson River
• Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO (great view of the skyline from the East)
• Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge both have walkways you can shoot from--note that the on the northside of the Manhattan Bridge is the bike lanes and setting up a tripod is not advisable.
• Prospect Park in Brooklyn
• Central Park (duh)
• Trinity Church
• The Highline is a great suggestion--though expect crowds on weekends and evenings
• The Redhook neighborhood of Brooklyn (easiest access is via water taxi from lower Manhattan) has some old waterfront and industrial charm. Also tasty food vendors at the ballparks.
• The Staten Island Ferry is free and affords a great view of the city from the south.
• If you go to MoMA, might as well walk a few blocks south to ICP @ 6th Avenue and 43rd Street. Those two museums make for an expensive day, though.
• Don't forget the Metropolitan Museum--right on the park. The nearby Frick Collection is a smaller but wonderful museum, one of my favorites in the City.

-m

[Bob Salomon]

Don't forget large format speciality dalers like FotoCare, Ltd. Also Kurland Photo has some large format as well as panoramics in stock and is in the room next to the Leica Gallery in NYC.

[RJC]

I would buy 10-20 boxes of 4x5 slides (10 sheets boxes).

B&H had run dry on Velvia a couple of weeks ago (even though their website indicated it was in stock) so I was only able to get FP4 & Acros to bring back to the UK. Absolutely no problems with security - film in carry on bag.

Rob