Cityscapes: Ideas for the Urban-bound Photographer – Part Four

Part IV Of A 6-Part Series By Harvey Stearn

Over my past 72 years of making photographic images, I viewed myself as a Nature photographer. Lately, I’m not so sure, as my photography evolved more broadly toward graphic art in rich natural color and monochrome images of subjects found in human environments as well as in Nature. 

My photographic inventory includes many images made on impulse in cities visited during vacation travel. What they have in common with Nature photography is that they are graphic and colorful, and often tell stories. They fit a lesser-known branch of photography called “Cityscapes”, and in many cases also belong to an important specialty known as “Travel Photography”.

I organized this Cityscapes series into six groups to see if this would be helpful to readers in selecting locations and material for their own art photography.

1. Architecture and Skylines
2. Coastal and River Cities
3. Local Color
4. Major Events
5. Parks, Gardens & Public Places
6. Urban Wildlife

Cityscapes Part IV –  Major Events

Many urban areas in the United States host large Fourth of July fireworks. One of them is the City of Dana Point, CA which is named for Richard Henry Dana. He is best remembered as the author of “Two Years Before the Mast,” based on his two-year voyage aboard the brig Pilgrim as a seaman in 1834. But he was also a famous lawyer who argued on behalf of many causes, including the rights of ordinary seamen. He was also Chief Justice for the Massachusetts Supreme Court and a politician. On July 4^th, Dana Point honors not only the United States but also a great American. Next are two images of the fireworks reflected in the harbor.

One of the most picturesque and unique experiences to be had is the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, a 9-day event in October. Featuring 600 large and unusual hot air balloons, it is the largest event of its kind in the world. Even experienced photographers have difficulty focusing on one scene at a time.

What could be as colorful as a hot air balloon festival? Well, the Washington State International Kite Festival in Long Beach comes close, even if it falls short on the numbers. It is held annually during the third week of August. The beautiful expanse of the seashore is a perfect complement for these magnificent kites. 

One of the few scenes that can match a hot air balloon or kite-flying contest for riveting shapes and colors is the annual Orange County Fair every summer in Costa Mesa, CA. The following image is of one of the fair’s most popular rides. And by the way, this annual fair also has many competitions, including one of the largest art photo competitions and exhibits in the country. (It’s where I got my start with multiple gold and silver medals in the mid 1970’s.)

Christmas decorations are the easiest displays to find at the end of every year. Most cities – large and small – highlight available tours of both commercial centers and private homes during the Holiday Season. With only 10,000 residents, the City of Sedona, AZ often has that many visitors on weekends during Spring, Summer, and Fall. It’s quiet in Winter until the holiday decorations go up for December. Then the Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village and the adjoining Los Abrigados Resort dress up with holiday lighting and statuary creating long tour lines. But nobody minds the wait as good cheer and photo-ops abound.

Returning once more to Dana Point, California, Holiday lighting adorns the Marina walkways. In the image immediately below, the adults look cold; but the kids are having a good time.

The mood picked up a little bit on this stretch of walkway, though this woman seemed to be waiting for her partner to join her – and hopefully follow directions.

In New Mexico, the Santa Fe Opera is open only in July and August every year. This is because it was designed as an indoor/outdoor venue, The back of the stage is open and overlooks the desert scrub surrounding the building. Many of the performances are of operas that can fit well with outdoor scenery. The following image was taken before the performance of “The Pearl Fishers” (by Bizet) began.

When the opera opens, the “pearl fishers” enter the stage rear from the desert. The opera house architecture and grounds are also great subjects for photography.

Another photo opportunity found in urban areas is the college reunion. I photographed my own 50^th reunion at MIT in Cambridge, MA. One of the evenings was devoted to a night at the Boston Pops Orchestra attended by members of the class of 1959. As suggested, this orchestra plays more popular music (relative to the classics) and is known for rousing renditions. In this case their final selection was Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture. This is a popular orchestral celebration of the War of 1812 when Russia (or the Russian Winter) defeated Napoleon’s invading army. The most rousing (and deafening part) of this piece is at the end when a low distant sound of the Russian army increasingly builds to a deafening crescendo meant to imitate cannon shots and bells clanging in celebration of a great victory.

The original overture called for real cannon to be fired at the conclusion, which I’ve heard several times. On this occasion, the orchestra used drums and cymbals, but with the amplifiers at max, while hundreds of balloons were released as all the alumni stood and cheered at the top of their lungs. The result was as colorful as it was deafening. The image below captures that moment.

For those photographers who visit or live in the West, rodeos are easy to photograph, though they rarely take place in urban areas. However, the oldest rodeo in the country takes place annually in Flagstaff, which is northern Arizona’s largest city. The next three images capture the color and physicality of this sport.

The cowboy in this last image flew backward into a gate and broke a shoulder. I didn’t have the heart to show the moment of contact. 

It wouldn’t be fair not to show an even more colorful image of America’s biggest Powwow in Gallup, NM. The young man below was a “fancy dancer” whose outfit was made from modern, non-traditional fabrics. 

The above examples of urban events that are rich in photographic opportunities don’t even scratch the surface of what is possible. In the United States alone there are thousands of urban areas including cities and towns of all sizes. This is not to suggest that it will always be worthwhile to travel far afield just for this purpose. However, there are time-efficient and cost-effective ways to schedule productive outings throughout each year.

1. When a business or vacation brings you to a population center for the first time, take a few hours to research what will be happening there during your visit that could result in capturing striking or unusual photographs and budget some extra time and money to capture worthwhile scenes and events.

2. Conversely, before planning vacations and trips, spend a few mornings or afternoons researching future events and displays that you would like to experience and photograph, and then plan your travels around those.

3. When photographing in different locations and venues with an eye to  possible publishing, be sure to find out the local rules, and ask for model releases if needed.

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The next article in this series discusses the beauty and variety of photographic opportunities to be found in urban public venues.

Please come back soon for Cityscapes Part V: Parks, Gardens & Public Places.

Harvey Stearn
February 2024

Harvey Stearn
Sedona, AZ

To see the scope and essence of Harvey Stearn's photographic art please visit www.CameraStops.com. Mr. Stearn began photographing Western landscapes and wildlife at the age of 13, spent 50 years pursuing his passion in the field and in the darkroom before fully converting to digital photography in 2002. He developed color prints as well as monochrome, but switched over to digital capture and editing in 2002. Though he was a top executive for two large scale land development and home building corporations, he always found time for his fine art photography which won many awards. His work was exhibited in art museums in Southern California and Arizona, and was also featured in billboard advertisements and published in magazines. Mr. Stearn served on the California Arts Council for nine years, including two years as Chairman and another two as Vice Chairman. In addition, he was the founding Chairman of the John Wayne Airport Arts Commission in Orange County, California. Mr. Stearn’s work was sold through Arizona galleries for 15 years. In recent years he wrote 33 illustrated articles for PhotoPXL.com and 14 articles for Luminous-Landscape.com. In 2013 he published a book entitled “In Search of the Old West” which has been widely acclaimed. He was a guest lecturer on photography on a cruise ship visiting Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and the Falkland Islands. His work was among the top 100 images printed in NANPA's Showcase publications in 2019 and 2020. Images have been edited and selected for two new books on Landscape photography which will be published in late 2024 and early 2025.