High Line Blog

Caught on film: the silhouettes of High Line visitors are pronounced against a bright cut-out of the sky. Photo by Dave Bias

One of the wonderful things about photographing New York City is playing with geometry. The architectural elements of buildings layered with signage and sky create interesting shapes and contrasting colors. Within the frame of an image a photographer can create a whole different way of looking at a scene that many of us might pass by without a thought.

Seeing everyday things in a new way and working to capture their magic and whimsy has a long tradition in street photography. Photographer Dave Bias’ images reference this tradition in subject matter and composition – and on film, no less!

In an age where taking a photograph is as easy as touching a screen on your phone, it’s interesting to go back to the original tools of the trade. Bias captured this image of visitors on the High Line outlined by a triangle of sky created by the park and The Standard, High Line using a Pentax 67 camera with expired Kodak Ektachrome 220 film. This means the 6 cm x 7 cm negative is larger than the traditional 35mm (remember dropping off film at the lab… anyone? Anyone?). The expired film makes the tonal range a bit different than what it was intended, often processing a bit cooler or warmer than usual.

Share your photos – digital or otherwise – through our Flickr Pool or join the visual conversation on Instagram by tagging @highlinenyc! We would love to see your perspectives of the park!

Photos by: (First row from left) Jenna Saraco, Rowa Lee, Nicole Franzen; (Second row from left) Friends of the High Line, Nicole Franzen, Friends of the High Line; (Third row from left) Nicole Franzen, Ed Anderson courtesy of Ten Speed Press Publications, Rowa Lee.

We’re halfway through a delicious food season on the High Line. We’ve assembled some of our favorite food photos from the past year, and we think they'll make you as hungry as they made us. Before the season ends in mid-October, come to the park and enjoy gelato with your date under the stars, drink a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the still of early morning, or savor a slow-cooked, smoked brisket sandwich.

At the height of its activity, the High Line was one of the city’s most prominent food distributors, delivering processed meat and baked goods to hungry New Yorkers. Photo courtesy of Kalmbach Publishing Company

As anyone who has had to pull off a Thanksgiving feast in a pinch knows, frozen turkeys can save you from familial shame, complaining guests, and a holiday meal of subpar take-out. Frozen turkeys also hold a special place for us here at the High Line, as they made up the precious cargo of the last train to ever run on the High Line.

In 1980, the railway’s final train made its way up the West Side, ending the more-than-century-long use of trains as a primary transport to and from the factories and warehouses of the Meatpacking District. While the trains began to fall into disuse in the 1950s with the rise in interstate highways and decline in manufacturing, there was a time when the tracks played an essential role in providing New York with food such as produce and meat, raw materials such as bricks and wood, manufactured goods, and other vital items, like Oreos.

High Line Photographer Phil Vachon captured this beautiful shot of a monarch butterfly as it perched on a broadleaf ironweed bloom last September. Photo by Phil Vachon

Late summer blooms are in full-swing at the High Line, and accordingly the park’s plantings are abuzz with pollinators.

This month, we’ll be celebrating one of nature’s most graceful pollinators: the monarch butterfly. At our weekly Wild Wednesday programs throughout the month of August, families are invited to learn about the lifecycle of monarch butterflies, from wriggly caterpillars to wrapped-up chrysalises, and finally to full-grown adults stretching their new wings. During an extra special session of our Wild Wednesday Creature Feature on Wednesday, August 28, our butterfly project will culminate with a release of the adult monarchs for their very first flight in the park.

If you’re not able to make it to Wild Wednesday, keep an eye out for butterflies during your next stroll along the park. Photographing winged pollinators takes patience and some luck, but gorgeous shots like this one by Phil Vachon are well worth the wait and truly capture the essence of summer.

Browse more photos in the High Line Flickr Pool or share your own.