I spent some time staying in downtown Manhattan, and while I was there, I really wanted to shoot some gritty black and white film. I wanted to try out a more authentic approach to shooting street photography, so I shot most of these shots from the hip, and metered on the fly. Because of that, a lot of the shots are a little blurry or framed more organically than they would be otherwise, but I really liked the authentic feel that the frames gave. Let's dig in.

Michael Neal

Metering on the fly was a fun challenge. I shot these photos all with a Nikon F100, so I was able to utilize autofocus. I want to eventually redo the experience with a manual focus system.

Michael Neal

I liked the framing of this shot with the window panes. Clearly, this shot was framed, but I still liked it.

Michael Neal

I really liked the crispness and the contrast of this shot, showing the architecture of Manhattan.

Michael Neal

While I was there, I, of course, had to test out many different coffee shops, and I enjoyed this shot of my espresso and a latte.

Michael Neal

The architecture in NYC was really something to behold, and I enjoyed seeing those shots on film. It gave me a classy vibe and made me imagine what the places were like back in the day.

Michael Neal

Again, here is another shot that I enjoyed showcasing the skyscrapers around the area.

Michael Neal

Here is my friend taking shelter inside our hotel as the rain came down.

Michael Neal

We walked to several parks in the area, where I took candids of people walking and looking at various monuments.

Michael Neal

Down from our hotel, I took this shot showing residents during daily life in Manhattan.

Michael Neal

Lastly, here is another candid shot of some residents walking down the sidewalk.

Manhattan was really awesome to be able to capture on film, and I hope to come back soon to capture other burrows. I enjoyed the challenge of shooting street photography, and I hope to hone that skill moving forward.