“Photographing people on location in New York City has called me ever since I first visited as an Equity Stage Manager thirty years ago. I started to photograph New York City as the main subject of my work in the Spring of 2020, just as the lockdown restrictions were relaxed. I began with Broadway exteriors, which opened up a greater curiosity about ways the city lived during and after a drought.

I chose to work with a large format digital camera, a Fujifilm GFX100, and GFX100S. The camera system and native lenses provide an exquisite amount of detail, gradations in tonality, and breathtakingly accurate colors. Whenever possible I work late into the night. Sometimes a location is not accessible late into the evening, in which case I will see how a dusk or mid-day image works.

Using multiple exposures and angles (given how close I am to the buildings,) I am delighted to watch how city lights light up adjacent buildings. I love the way that the ambient light at night, billboards and street lights become my studio lights, illuminating the grandeur that has always been, and remains uniquely New York City. This camera allows me to exploit the singular effects that city lights cast on buildings. With different colors, color temperatures, levels and angles, I have developed a novel palate of colors to render the buildings I chose.

Often, I return to the same location with my camera, lenses, and tripod in hand, to continue the study of a particular location. The images that emerge are more than just one snapshot, one frame, or even, in a lot of cases, one night. After I spend time on the street, I spend equal or often more time exploring what I captured. I want to see how I can manipulate, blend and edit images together so I can convey the beauty of the scenes I found. I spend many hours studying and “working” each location. I spend many more hours at computer, assembling different photos, like a kaleidoscope, until the final image emerges. My intention is to communicate why New York City captivates me visually and the emotions I feel ‘in real time.’

I grew up photographing actors, dancers, musicians, politicians, and everyday people. I am gratified to learn that locations I’ve worked in for years are themselves engaging subjects. Ansel Adams wrote: “A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels.” New York City evokes in me an infatuation that has kept me engaged for decades.

I hope everyone who takes the time to explore these images will be filled with the wonder and delight I have when wandering the city streets, sometimes well after midnight.”

- MARK S. KORNBLUTH