The 4am Project in The Big Apple

Well the day I had been gearing up to for months has now passed. The 4am Project world wide photography date happened at 4am, calling photographers from around the world to shake themselves awake and take a picture of their view of the world at 4am.



As part of that I organised a 4am Photo walk in Times Square, NYC. I think this could probably be classed as my most ambitious endeavor yet! I had no idea how it would go or if, indeed, anybody would turn up!



I did my best to do my own PR for the event and was over the moon that Time Out NYC covered the event online and in their magazine. The New York Times had promised to write about it, but unfortunately didn't in the end. Hey ho, I'm learning as I go!



So, as you can see from the photo above, people DID come along! 11 people in total - though not everyone is pictured. Two of the attendees came along without a camera, but just wanted to see what the photo walk was all about. One a young guy from out of town who was visiting NYC for the weekend, and the other a gentleman from New Yorker magazine, both kept me company as I snapped away.



We all reconvened at Starbucks for a warming coffee afterwards. It was great to meet everyone. From the New Yorkers who said they wouldn't have thought about exploring their city at that time, to a photographer called Ricky who has taken part in the 4am Project since it began and who I have been tweeting with for 18 months.



Here are my photos from this morning. You can view the whole 4am Project photo stream over on Flickr. There's some great early morning photographs there. Definitely worth checking out :)







So, my New York adventure continues. I didn't quite make it to Brooklyn the other day! I thought I did, but it turns out I hadn't left Manhattan. But what a city to get lost in!



I'm still trying to get into a routine with my blogging. Although my mifi device is great for updates on my iPhone, it tends to be very slow on my laptops. So, my new plan is do to small, bite sized updates here, providing snippets of New York life as I go through my day. I am realising that I don't want to be stuck in my apartment or Starbucks tied to the internet trying to get blog post out when there is a big city out there for me to explore. So small and frequent is the way to go, and when I feel like I have the time, then a longer blog post. And of course, when I get back home there'll be plenty of time to blog!

The quickest way I know to make connections in New York City

Hands up who loves twitter!

I love twitter so much I even organised a twitter flash mob!



And I'm intending to make the most out of this wonderful social media tool when I am in New York City.

For the past couple of months I've started to follow tweeters in NYC. There's quite a mixture of organisations, things to do, as well as fellow photographers and social media peeps and people who have piqued my interest.











I've started exchanging tweets, getting to know people, and have even been invited to a couple of nights out!

And although I am putting a lot of planning into the Big Apple Unpeeled, I want to leave room for spontaniety.

One of the apps I use on my iPhone is a twitter client called Twitterrific. It meets all my tweeting needs when I am on the move.

However, there is one feature that I haven't tapped into yet; the Nearby feature.

No matter where you are, if you tap on Nearby, it will show you a list of tweeters within your vicinity and what they are saying.

























So, I'm gonna see who and what is going on around me. If something or someone interests me, then I'm just going to say 'Hi' and see what happens! Perhaps I'll make a new friend, perhaps not. Maybe I'll end up somewhere interesting maybe not. But I'm going to give it a try and of course I'll be reporting back here!

My handy little pocket computer

During the next few weeks, I'll be chatting about some of the tech I am taking with me to New York.

First up! My iPhone.

I sometimes wonder how I managed without it. I purchased my iPhone earlier this year and I haven't looked back.

This is going to be an essential tool in my Big Apple Unpeeled adventure. It will be by my side pretty much at all times and it will be very useful for giving up to the minute reports, photographs and videos. It's handily got everything I need.





















Some of the benefits of an iPhone for my trip:

• Pocket Sized
• Easy to use
• Internet browsing
• Maps - Handy if I get lost!
• Camera & video including live video streaming applications
• Email access
• Built in wifi
• Dictaphone - Handy for making memos on the move
• Great apps! Twitter, flickr, youtube, weather, blogging, what's on, news.....
• Oh, and it makes phone calls and sends texts!

What more could you ask for? Well, the only thing I can see being a bit of a problem is it's battery life. For average day to day use I have to charge my phone once a day. With heavier use in New York I can see me running out of power before the end of the day.

This is something I am going to have to look into - to see if there is a mobile charger of sorts that can help extend the battery life. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. And if you think there are any apps that would be essential to the Big Apple Unpeeled trip, give me a shout! :)