The Brooklyn Bridge Waterfall by F.M. Kearney

New York is a city known for its attractions: The Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty, The Bronx Zoo, The Brooklyn Bridge...Waterfall?  For a brief period, in the summer of 2008, there actually was such an attraction, thanks to the imagination of artist, Olafur Eliasson.

The Brooklyn Bridge Waterfall was part public art project, consisting of a series of four artificial waterfalls situated along the East River and the New York Harbor. They were created by pumping river water up and over 100 foot tall scaffoldings.

Like a typical New Yorker, I suppose, I never really paid much attention to public art installations. But, a waterfall flowing under the Brooklyn Bridge is something you don’t see every day. From a photographer’s standpoint, it was something I just had to shoot.

In the light of day, the falls didn’t look like much at all, but after sunset, they were illuminated and became much more impressive. The one placed under the Brooklyn tower of the Brooklyn Bridge was the most picturesque. Combined with the regular bridge lights, it became a nightly photo-fest with scores of photographers lining the banks of lower Manhattan with tripods to get a shot of this unusual spectacle. For this image, I used a shutter speed of several seconds to give the water a silky look – a common technique I use with real waterfalls.

The waterfalls were taken down in October. I have to admit, I was a little sorry to see them go. It takes a lot to stop jaded New Yorkers in their tracks. Whether they loved it or loathed it, I think many would agree that this art project was certainly one of a kind.

Only in New York!

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F.M. Kearney is a fine art nature photographer, specializing in unique floral and landscape images. To see more of his work, please visit www.starlitecollection.com.