The Urban Lens: Fly over NYC during ‘golden hour’

6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Alexey Kashpersky takes us above NYC at daybreak. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected].

We couldn’t think of a better day than this frigid Friday to lose ourselves in the warm glow of Manhattan during golden hour. Having ventured where many would dare not go—i.e. several thousand feet up in the air in a doorless helicopter—artist Alexey Kashpersky shares photos of his recent sky-high journey above New York, revealing a glorious metropolis at daybreak shining a fiery red and orange. From the piers of Battery Park City to hovering just above the tip of the Chrysler Building, lose yourself ahead in the quiet beauty of our dear city.

First, can you tell us a bit about yourself? 
I’m Ukrainian artist but I’ve been living and working in NYC for four years—I love this stone jungle a lot. By day I’m involved in producing 3D art in the field of medicine and microbiology. Photography is a hobby for me and a way to take a break from my day job.

Where did the idea for this series come from?
My father was turning 80 and he made a 10-hour Ukraine-USA flight to see me. I thought to myself: What gift could I give him for his birthday? A helicopter tour around the New York was a pretty exciting choice, and of course, it was a great opportunity to take some photos of the city from the sky during the early morning.

What was photographing from so high above like?
For one, the helicopter is pretty shaky in the air and my camera is vintage-built without any stabilizer inside or in the lens. The helicopter was also photography-specialized so it didn’t have any doors. This made for certain kind of turbulence—and way more adrenaline in the blood than I’m used to!

Did having this aerial perspective of NYC change how you view or feel about it?
Definitely. Before the flight, I thought that it would be a singular experience. But after the flight I understood how awesome it is and now I want to do more flights in other great US cities. But as for seeing New York from a bird’s eye, it gave me this very interesting feeling… Pride? Honor? Maybe both? From above you’re able to see how humans have created all this beauty with their hands; a city with its arteries of roads, social infrastructure that can handle and feed millions of people. It’s pretty amazing.

What else are you working on right now?
Right now I’m art directing a science animation film with Radius Digital that will help educate people on micro-level mechanism action in their fight with cancer.

Website: www.kashpersky.com
Instagram: @kashpersky_com

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