Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral (4×5 film)
© Brian Rose

The architectural photography I do tends often to be corporate interiors, very often in Midtown Manhattan. Most of the time I shoot after hours when the office workers have gone home. If possible I get a couple of shots just before sundown, when the light turns blue, and the inside and outside are relatively balanced. But after that, the windows go black and reflect the brightly lit florescent interior. The city outside almost disappears.

Recently, I was shooting in a 1960s wedding cake building at 51st and Madison, so called because of the multiple setbacks required at that time by zoning regulations. There were doors from some of the offices leading out to a narrow terrace formed by the stepping of the facade. From the terrace I saw a stunning view of Rockefeller Center seen across the spires of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Near the end of the shoot–1am or so–I took my view camera out on the terrace and did the image above. Two minute exposure, little wind.