Woman In Times Square Street Scene Black And White | Wall Art

Solitary Pedestrian Against The Motion Of Times Square

I made this photograph in Times Square in 2005, when the giant illuminated signs, theaters, traffic, and crowds were already competing relentlessly for attention. Yet the part of the frame that has always held me is much quieter: an elderly woman in a long dark coat standing at the edge of the street, her white hair catching the light while New York rushes past her.

This was one of my first street photography images, made at a time when I was beginning to recognize how much a single human figure could change the meaning of an otherwise busy city scene. The woman is photographed from behind, which leaves her identity unknown and gives the photograph a sense of anonymity that feels completely at home in Manhattan. That relationship between an individual and the enormous city around her is one of the things I continue to look for in New York street photography.

The long exposure turns the cars into sweeping ribbons of headlights and blurred bodywork while the buildings and illuminated advertising remain comparatively fixed. Above the street, the Virgin sign dominates the right side of the frame, with Loews Theatres, The Lion King, Brooks & Dunn, and other period signage stacking upward into the night. Those details firmly place the photograph in Times Square while also preserving a recognizable piece of New York City as it looked in 2005.

I chose black and white because it strips away the competing colors of Times Square and reduces the scene to light, motion, typography, architecture, and human form. The woman's dark silhouette gives the lower half of the composition real weight, while her light hair separates cleanly from the surrounding traffic. The streaming vehicles then pull the eye deeper into the canyon of illuminated signs.

The vertical composition makes this photograph particularly effective as wall art where strong graphic contrast and urban architecture are important. I can see it working naturally in contemporary, industrial, minimalist, or monochrome interiors, and it should also appeal to collectors drawn to New York, street photography, and photographs that preserve the character of a specific moment in a changing city.

I offer this photograph as a limited edition of only 10 prints. Each print is personally signed by me, includes a certificate of authenticity, and is produced with archival pigment inks on premium archival paper.

For collectors drawn to the city after dark, this photograph also belongs naturally within my New York City black and white wall art.

© Dan Kosmayer, 2005