Boarding Pass: LGA
Photo map of New York City. Click on image for interactive map.
It had arrived. I couldn’t believe it, I finally had it in my hands. My new (to me) Canon 6D Mark II. After almost 2 years of shooting with my T6, I treated myself to a birthday upgrade. As my birthday is in late November, my camera arrived on the first Saturday of December. It was delivered at 11 am, and by 3 pm Jay and I were on a plane to New York City. Because new camera and Christmastime in New York. What better way to see if the low light performance was really that much better on full frame?
We landed at LaGuardia and cabbed on over to the Millenium Hilton One UN Plaza. This would be a good central Midtown location for our holiday shooting spree. We headed straight out, with an objective of making our way to Rockefeller Center then having a nice warm dinner. It was Saturday night in New York City, and the crowds got denser and denser as we got closer to the big Christmas tree. The tree was great, but I preferred the more subtle lighting and holiday signage of Radio City Music Hall down the block. With noses frozen, we gratefully dipped into Empellon for some delicious Mexican cuisine in a funky space. Heading back to the hotel a different way, a la the Three Wise Men, I got some nice shots of the Helmsley Building lit up in blue, as well as some very interesting sculpture installments.
A Saturday night dinner date in Manhattan.
A good night’s sleep, plenty of hot coffee, and multiple layers of warm clothes prepared us for the following morning’s shooting. I had been to New York City before but had never been to the High Line, and today was the day. The morning was cold but beautiful, so plenty of Manhattanites were out for their Sunday morning strolls and dog walks. There was plenty of art to see along the way, and the morning light was very accommodating. An added bonus was that I ended up with one of my favorite photos of Jay as he trotted down the stairs into the subway tunnel at Grand Central Station. I’m always up for shooting my favorite model.
Headed for the High Line on a cold December morning.
We checked out, grabbed a slice, and headed back to LaGuardia. One night and one morning had given me a very nice test drive around my new rig. I was able to acclimate to the weight, configuration, and expansive range of advanced settings my 6D Mark II presented. I have been shooting with this camera for six months now, and I love it more every day. A spur-of-the-moment, quickie trip was exactly what I needed to avoid overthinking and just shoot. That was the real gift, to Susan with love, from New York City. I wonder what I’ll get next Christmas?
