New York is probably one of the most photographed places on Earth and coming back home from a trip with interesting and unique photos can be a challenge. It was my first time there and I was literally blown away by the architecture, the colours, the busy streets and the countless photo opportunities. I have always wanted a print with New York’s skyline, so I decided that a trip to the Statue of Liberty will give me a perfect opportunity to get the shot I wanted.

Photo: Fujifilm X100S

We were on a moving ferry, so I had to constantly look for a good angle. The skyline looked quite nice, but I felt that the shot will be “sterile” and kinda boring. I started looking around for an interesting way of framing the photo, but I just couldn’t “make it work”. Then I realised there are quite a lot of birds flying around the ferry and decided to try and get a few of them in the frame. I framed the skyline the way I wanted it and started waiting for the birds. There was of course a big chance that I will not be able to get the shot just as I imagined it, it’s not like I could tell the birds what to do, but my experience is that if you are persistent enough, you will eventually succeed. It took me around 10 minutes to get the result I hoped for.

As you can see in the photo I managed to get my skyline and also not one, but two birds in the frame 🙂 I am quite happy with the final result and feel that the birds give the picture the much needed final touch to create a stronger moment.

Moral of the story: Take your time when taking photos. Find your frame and stick to it until you make it perfect.