Who knew the C train goes from W 4th all the way to Africa? Well, apparently the answer is five million people per year, and last weekend I made my first pilgrimage along the route ending at the American Museum of Natural History. Loaded up with a 50mm and the big white telephoto, I roamed the hallowed halls with the sole intention of photographing the famous dioramas. I must admit, I felt a wee bit self-conscious shooting with the hefty zoom, a feeling only heightened by a backward glance that revealed hoards of tourists snapping happily with little more than iphones in hand. But soon the apprehension wore off, and I began to really enjoy the entire experience. The static models and restrictive perspective contrasted greatly with my usual style of street shooting, but the constrained environment presented a new and interesting challenge. The question became how can I photograph the African Mammal hall, a truly historic attraction viewed by more eyeballs than I care to imagine, in a new or unexpected way? How can I create images so that a passerby might actually mistake them for something shot on location, manipulating framing and perspective to eliminate the posed feel altogether? Often I found myself going the opposite route, seeking out overtly opaque drools or awkwardly taxidermied animal expressions, highlighting the quirky details that made each presentation unique. In the end, I am neither foolish nor egotistical enough to believe that I am the first (or last) to create  images like these, but it was awesome to play tourist-with-a-camera for a day at this New York icon.

More images after the break…