Arms Raised

This image is from my files.  I made it in 1987 when I was working on a project with thirty nine other photographers called Document: Brooklyn.  I made a lot of new friends on that shoot and one of them, the legendary photographer Jay Maisel, gave me a bit of advice that I took to heart immediately and have never forgotten, even to this day… and that advice made this picture. I was on a rooftop to make an image of Grand Army Plaza from above.  While I spent most of my time with my cameras trained on the plaza, the bit I got from Jay, “no matter what you’re shooting, always turn around to see what’s going on behind you,” is how I made this image.  I turned around, walked to the other side of the roof and, looking out over the opposite edge to a schoolyard on Sterling Place in Crown Heights, spotted three guys playing basketball.  Here’s the money shot. I’ve made, I don’t know how many, pictures in my lifetime: this is my all-time favorite!