Dumbo, Brooklyn — © Brian Rose

The New York Photo Festival was held for the second year last weekend in Dumbo, the atmospheric neighborhood under the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges in Brooklyn. My visit was fairly short because of a busy personal schedule, but I managed to see two of the main exhibits, and ran into several old friends and met a some interesting people. More on that later.

Walking around between the venues, it seemed that there were several photo festivals taking place simultaneously. One of them inside the galleries, and the other out in the street where dozens of camera wielding, badge wearing, visitors were taking pictures of Dumbo–and each other. I was one of these.

Another smaller group of photographers were paying no attention to us, or to the exhibits. They were photographing formally dressed brides and grooms on the gritty cobblestoned streets with the bridge towers and spans soaring overhead. Incongruous as it was–tuxedos, gowns and limos interspersed with the usual raffish New York photo crowd–it lent a surreal theatricality to the scene.

Dumbo, Brooklyn — © Brian Rose

Dumbo, Brooklyn — © Brian Rose