Kurland Photo

NYC Photo Focus #2- Industrial Waterways

 Are you ready for a little adventure?  Have you taken your fill of shots from tall buildings, iconic landmarks, beautiful landscapes, and urban street scenes?  Are you feeling a little creative lull from taking too many black and white portraits?  How about trying something a bit different?  New York City is full of opportunities for some good old fashioned urban exploring and uncovering some rusty and crusty gems that make for fantastic documentary style photography.  This week in our NYC Photo Focus we relive some of New York’s industrial roots and follow the shipping lanes of years past. 

 Boat Graveyards, Coney Island Creek, and the Yellow Submarine

 Boat graveyards are nothing more than old ship yards or ports that have been left to rust. Usually hidden from sight or tucked behind marshes and fields of tall overgrown reeds, NYC has a few such spots that an adventurous photographer can find and have a day full of interesting shots all to themselves.  The first is in Coney Island Creek.  The waterway between Coney Island and mainland Brooklyn used to be tidal strait fully separating the two.  When the strait was permanently blocked off it created a harbor-like inlet that was used to moor new ships.  One ship was a submarine called Quester I built in 1960s by Jerry Bianco with the hopes that it would be used to salvage treasures from the Andrea Doria disaster.  That Ocean Liner sunk in the North Atlantic in 1956 killing 41 people and has still yet to be recovered.  Making a series of poor decisions, and cutting too many corners, Bianco used Coney Island Creek to launch the submarine, now painted yellow, but the vessel uncontrollably listed to one side and was never put out to sea. 

 During the building of the Verrazano Bridge, Coney Island Creek was used as a dumping ground for dredged material and many of the broken down ships in the creek became forever trapped.    During dry seasons when the water becomes low enough, The Yellow Submarine and a dozen other rusted-out vessels can be seen from either side of the creek.  To get the best views of the ships (besides paddling out in a canoe) try finding foot paths used by fisherman through the waterside reeds in Dreier Offerman Park.  Be careful if the water is too high. 

 On the far end of Staten Island is another larger boat Graveyard.  This one is much harder to get to and thus less often photographed.  In a five mile stretch of the Arthur Kill waterway that separates Staten Island and New Jersey is a goldmine of rust. Dozens of vessels of all sizes and conditions sit in mud and muck lost to history and all practical use.    It’s kind of like an Island of Lost Toys for urban exploring adventurers.   Most of the waterfront is strictly off limits and some of it is very dangerous.  But an industrious photographer can find a few easy access points, walk through a marshy bog, avoid half-sunk burnt out cars, and eventually get to the open “beach”.  When the conditions are good and the water low enough you can walk right up to some of the larger ships.  After years of erosion, looting and poachers stripping ships for scrap it has become dangerous to try to board any of the ship carcasses (warning: DO NOT TRY TO BOARD SHIPS) but there are great photo opportunities everywhere.   Many of the ships are from the Witte Marine Equipment Company, mostly old NYC fire boats and broken down tugboats.   Included among the wrecks are boats used to assist rescue efforts during the General Slocum Tragedy that took the lives of over 1,000 people in 1904.  Many of the others are out-of-service ferries.

The Red Hook Waterfront

 Brooklyn used to be known as “The Walled City”. It was a nickname earned by the endless brick warehouses that once lined the waterfront during Brooklyn’s industrial past.   Long abandoned train tracks, damaged shipping operations, and terminal piers still mark the waterfront of Redhook, but not for long.  Most of what used to be a long list of tainted superfund sites has been reclaimed by the city and local neighborhood groups and has quickly been transformed into public parks and new residential buildings.  This is certainly a good development for the neighborhood, but if your leanings as an urban photographer tend towards the rusty side of life, your opportunities are slipping away.    Don’t fret, there is still plenty to shoot.  All along Erie Basin, Buttermilk Channel, and Lower New York Harbor you can find a few dozen or so spots to take out your camera.  Check out the Red Hook Grain factory, the Breakwater Terminal or the Beard Street Warehouse.  The later is a great spot to finish your Redhook adventure.  Its historic buildings and industrial remains sit next to a great waterfront park, the ferry, and a Fareway Food Market.  This spot is a favorite for sunset chasers as it has unparalleled views of Lower Manhattan, Governors Island, and the Statue of Liberty. 

 The Gowanus Canal

 Once a beautiful waterway through plush farmland of  17^th century Dutch settlers, the Gowanus suffered through two centuries of industry, shipping, and neglect.   It has become synonymous with pollution, damaged environment, and industrial waste.  Recently, groups have created ironic viewing tours of the besmirched landmark.  You can hang out at the Gowanus Yacht Club or paddle along with others in the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club.  A day trip with your camera should start in Carroll Gardens and weave in and out of the dead-end streets along the canal to find the most interesting views.  There are bridges over the canal at Union, Carroll, 3^rd and 9^th streets.  Different times of the year offer unique sites along the banks of the canal.  I will offer one warning to those who have olfactory sensitivity: the hotter it gets, the heavier the smell from the garbage transfer stations. 

 These are just a few of the interesting photo spots along NYC’s industrial waterways.   You may also want to explore the basin at the Brooklyn Navy Yard or Newton Creek that divides Brooklyn and Queens.  Or you may not want to.  Urban exploring photography is certainly not for everyone.  But if it sounds like your type of photography, have fun, let your creativity and imagination guide you, but remember, be safe and use common sense.  Bring a map, take a friend with you and when necessary get permission to shoot from private property.  Thanks for following along.  If you have some fun off-the-beaten-path photo spots, please share them.  We’d love to hear about where you are shooting.  And if you have any ideas about topics for this series, like us on facebook or send us an email (blog@kurlandphoto.com)