Intersection
Anyone who’s walked around a city looking up at the grandeur of the towering buildings knows how small you can feel amid such giants. With my ongoing Intersection series, I wanted to instead look down from those dizzying heights and capture an unusual and altered perspective on the familiar and rhythmic city life below. While there’s undeniable beauty in abstracting architecture into angles and reflections, I was fascinated even more by the unique character of each city that could still be perceived from far above.
In New York, you feel the energy and flow of the city—the constant stream of yellow taxis lining the avenues, the waves of pedestrians hurriedly crossing at the change of traffic signals, little figures disappearing into the subway stations, the chorus of honking horns and sirens. High above the streets of other cities it’s quite different. In Tokyo, for example, the order and geometry of perfectly parallel lines, precise angles, and thoughtful proportion reflect the society’s meticulous attention to detail and artistic presentation.
I’ve also returned to some locations to photograph at different times of day. The feeling of a city from above completely changes from daytime through twilight and into darkness.
Midtown, New York City
Ginza, Tokyo
Midtown East, New York City
6th Avenue, New York City
Financial District, New York City
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
6th Avenue, New York City
Midtown, New York City
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York City
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York City
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York City
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Ginza, Tokyo
6th Avenue, New York City
Chelsea, New York City
Ginza, Tokyo
Midtown, New York City
California Street, San Francisco
Chelsea, New York City
Midtown, New York City
Intersection: Cities From Above
Anyone who’s walked around a city looking up at the grandeur of the towering buildings knows how small you can feel amid such giants. With my ongoing Intersection series, I wanted to instead look down from those dizzying heights and capture an unusual and altered perspective on the familiar and rhythmic city life below. While there’s undeniable beauty in abstracting architecture into angles and reflections, I was fascinated even more by the unique character of each city that could still be perceived from far above.
In New York, you feel the energy and flow of the city—the constant stream of yellow taxis lining the avenues, the waves of pedestrians hurriedly crossing at the change of traffic signals, little figures disappearing into the subway stations, the chorus of honking horns and sirens. High above the streets of other cities it’s quite different. In Tokyo, for example, the order and geometry of perfectly parallel lines, precise angles, and thoughtful proportion reflect the society’s meticulous attention to detail and artistic presentation.
All images © 2023 Navid Baraty