Description
I used to think this was a photograph of a building.
But the longer I look at it, the more I realize the building is just the silent witness. The real subject is the idea of a destination. Look at the people—everyone is in motion, heading somewhere specific. The cyclist is pushing toward a goal only he knows. The man in the foreground is walking into his own unfolding day. Each person is a private story, a unique trajectory.
The Flatiron acts as a great, stone compass, pointing the way uptown. But for these people, it's simply a landmark on their personal map. This photograph, for me, is about that quiet, individual sense of purpose we all carry. It's a snapshot of a dozen different journeys, all intersecting for one brief, sunlit moment, under the watch of a landmark that has seen millions of them.