The Central Park Divide

I took this photo of the Central Park Divide November 2nd 2016. It was one of my first aerial helicopter flights and the first flight that I directed with my own personal shot list.

I have an extreme fear of heights and at the same time I am also humbled by the aerial views of New York City. The peace I feel from the view above soothes my nerves and allows me to focus on the task in front of me.

My eye has always been drawn to strong contrasts and lines. I was inspired by aerial photographers before me. But I wanted to do something different, a fresh intentional perspective, something that can visually explain to others how amazing this city is. I wanted to capture in a camera how lucky I feel to call this town my home.

Since Nov 2, 2016 I have taken this photo every year during fall to try to take a more perfect photo of this scene . I may have taken other photos that were technically better but none of them have been more perfectly imperfect than this one.