I know this isn't exactly a tech post, but I'm visiting New York soon and would like to continue a time lapse project I've been working on. I figured you folks would be the best to ask. On what street corner would I see the widest variety of people, excluding tourists?

Time Square and good luck to you. Those tourists will knock you down and keep on walking without a glance behind them. Cliff Moore

Time Square is ALL tourists. I would try Wall Street near Nassau St., Canal Street near Broadway or maybe Columbus Circle.

If you're looking for diversity in New York City, head to Queens, which is the most diverse county in the United States. Although much of the diversity in the county is actually segregated into different neighborhoods, I think Astoria is a pretty diverse within its small area (even though it's generally thought of as mostly Greek).

From http://nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagepkey=432 :

Queens is the most ethnically diverse 115 square miles on earth. The 7 subway line, dubbed the International Express, has even been designated a part of the National Millennium Trail for its representation of the immigrant experience.

Good luck setting up a Tripod in Times Square (or for that matter, a lot of the US these days).

The New Yorkers here at PDN's office were intrigued by this. If you just want ethnic diversity I'd second the post for Queens, particularly busy neighborhoods like Flushing or Jackson Heights (though the Brooklynites among us would also stick up for certain ethnically rich Brooklyn neighborhoods or edges of Prospect Park on a sunny day.) However, the fact that you also want tourists in the shots makes this a little tricky -- be sure to shoot on a weekend when there are the greatest number of tourists around.

On weekends be sure to check this web site:

http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/advisory.htm
for interruptions and changes to subway service -- you won't get any tourists in the outer boroughs if they can't figure out which train to catch.

When scouting you could get advice from the Mayor's Office of Film and Broadcasting,
http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/anniversary/anniversary_home.shtml
but remember, they're the people who issue permits and set rules about commercial shoots around the city (ie they charge people who look professional, or use a tripod).

Thanks to you all for some great leads.

In response to that last post, I'm purposefully trying to avoid tourists.

I'm more interested in class difference, but that affects culture, so I'll go where the most densely concentrated "kinds of people" are. From a photographic standpoint, people on the street usually look like what they are going to do that day (or at least play with that perception). I guess that opens up a whole separate issue of how people present themselves versus what they do (maybe a good portrait project?). I'm looking for the widest variety of things people do, concentrated in one area, so I can shoot them being around each other.

I've done a lot of street photography around the country and without knowing the city, I usually take mass transit to the stop with the most connections and walk until the light fades. New York is obviously a beast of its own and I was looking for few compass points, which you guys come through with.

I'm going to try for Wall st./Nassau and Queens.

The setup is actually really simple. I have a small camera with an intervalometer and a little tripod. The goal is to find an outdoor coffee shop, set it up and let 'er rip for 3-4 hours while I read a book. If I can find the right spot, I'll go for sunny-sunset-city lights transition.

With a fat 8gb card and some Photoshop batches I wrote, I can make about ten minutes of video.

thanks again
Joshua Curry
www.joshuacurry.com

This message has been edited. Last edited by: THIEFMAGNET,

I would check out the fashion district: 7th Ave in the 30's. Everything from models to bent old guys pushing racks of clothes.

Try Broadway and Houston.
good luck!

>the widest variety of people
=====
United Nations parking lot at quitting time.

Yes, Good Luck with Time Square! It is a tough crowd but we love them anyway!

S. Seargent
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