James shares tips from years of photographing the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.




Link: http://www.nwpphotoforum.com/ubbthr...aphing-the-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade

Thanksgiving is a special holiday to me. It was the first holiday that Chanthee and I broke away from our biological families and chose to spend together, alone with a few treasured friends, as our own little family unit. There is something really nice about not having to drive with the sea of humanity going up and down the corridor between New York and Boston. There is also something wonderful about spending time with people who are special to you because you chose them. To me, the concept of “Friendsgiving” is such a waste. Folks—that is Thanksgiving. The rest is obligation.

Enter the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! We both love the energy and the very different sea of humanity. We have made many—many—trips to the parade. It is a particularly perfect way of entertaining guests when they come to visit. It gets them out of the apartment and out of the cook’s way. The other thing that we do is watch the Dog Show—but that will be a conversation for another day. For the record, we don’t go every year. I definitely skip the years when it is raining (hey, I don’t like it quite that much :))—but it is safe to say that I have gone many times, and I know pretty much where to go and when to go in order to get access to the parade route. I think my images show that I have been pretty fortunate, even though I don’t have the trust fund for an apartment facing CPW.

If you are coming to New York for the holidays, you might want to try these tips. Now...for full disclosure: I recognize about four of these balloons. I’m mostly here for the light, the chaos, and the faces!



(1) The most obvious one—get there earlier than everyone else. You want to be on the corner of 75th or 76th Street by 6:00 AM. I’d even say 5:30 AM. This is particularly true if you want to drop a tripod on Central Park West. Subway service is usually on the holiday/Sunday schedule, so it may take you longer to get there than you think.

(2) While the parade stretches from 77th Street all the way to 34th Street (it ends in front of Macy’s on 34th and 7th Avenue), I think you are better off staying on the Upper West Side. As the parade route goes down toward 59th Street, the crowds start getting even deeper. The police also close off sections of the route to public viewing south of 59th Street—so trust me, you are best off staying farther north.

(3) Be prepared for what may be cold weather. While there are years when it is quite temperate, we have had some blisteringly cold Thanksgivings here in New York City. Bring gloves and a hat and be prepared to dance around a bit to stay warm.



(4) Try to stay on the westbound side of the street (the side closer to Amsterdam and Broadway). While both the east and west sides of the street offer equal viewing opportunities if you are there early, you are more isolated on the east side of Central Park West. Specifically, there are fewer ways to get out if you need to leave unexpectedly. At least on the west side of the street, you can potentially get out of the area if you need to.

On that note, I was there the year (1997) that the lamppost fell and hit that poor woman during the heavy winds, after one of the balloons collided with it. By there, I mean I was across the street and actually saw the unfortunate event happen. My brother had been trying to encourage us all to go and stand there because he thought it looked less crowded. The winds were whipping, and the signage was already moving and didn’t look super safe. Fortunately, we decided to stay put.

(5) You might be surprised that your access to the parade route varies a lot depending on where you are and who is around securing the perimeter. One year I was allowed right into the middle of the avenue because the guards thought I was Kid Rock. I am not joking. The whole family was walking in the middle of the street with the parade. In retrospect, that was a crazy lapse in security....but I had a total blast - no regrets from me. Also, I am not encouraging anyone go out of there way to do anything inappropriate. We all want a fun and safe Thanksgiving. I will also admit that I always want amazing photos.

Along this frame of thought, there are some areas that are officially shut down (for good reason) but are actually still open for other purposes that allows you access. An example is that pedestrians might be allowed to be there to visit a store as long as they are not loitering in the street. I am specifically thinking of the stores adjacent to the parade route that are open on Thanksgiving. In years past, that would have been stores like K-Mart (now long since gone and, I think, replaced by a Target). This was always a great way to watch the parade and balloons come down 34th Street from inside the large glass doors. It was particularly cool because you had special access to the glitterati finishing the parade and heading to their cars. For the record, this does absolutely nothing for me, but I know a lot of people who would go bananas that they got to see stars like Tony Bennett, Britney Spears, and others.

Anyway, don’t go there and get angry if you are turned away from the location. It has always been hit or miss. Sometimes, Chanthee and I like to mix it up.



(6) This next tip is probably the most important one that I can give you. I strongly advise taking care of all bodily functions before you leave for the parade, if at all possible. Also—don’t drink beverages until you feel confident that you will be able to make it to a bathroom afterwards. Bring a thermos if you want—but hold off until you can enjoy it, so to speak.

Unfortunately, public bathrooms in New York City are not commonly available, and being stuck in one spot for a couple of hours can be difficult for a lot of people when you have to go... and to be clear…once that parade starts, you aren’t going anywhere. The streets are jammed with people. You can easily have groups 50 people deep packed next to you, everyone trying to get a view of the balloons.

When I say you are not going anywhere, I am serious. Even if you somehow make it out of the parade area, you aren’t getting back to where you were, so you had best be comfortable.



(7) You can apply for tickets to get special seating on the parade route. My feeling is that unless you are a VIP, the access won’t be as good as just getting there early and hanging out on Central Park West. Also, I don’t believe that the ticketed areas have ready access to bathrooms either.

(8) When the parade is over and you are on your way to wherever you are going, you may be tempted to try to get a drink at a local café. The best way of doing this is to walk a few blocks in. The closer you get to Broadway, the less packed the local places will be. Everything near CPW will be slammed.



(9) Come the night before and watch the staff blow up the balloons! There is surprisingly free access to the staff inflating the balloons around the Natural History Museum. It is a lot of fun and well worth the time if you are in town.

Bonus: Photo Tips from the Parade Route

Since a lot of you reading this are photographers (or at least camera-curious), a couple of quick thoughts:

(1) You don’t need a giant lens. A mid-range zoom (something in the 24–70 or 24–105 neighborhood) is usually perfect. I'd even go so far as to say that Wide is better than Standard. You’re closer than you expect, and going too long can actually make life harder in a crowd. As my friend Steve would say, "You are better off being too wide than not long enough." The value of the Standard Zoom is that you get the power to isolate your subjects. I personally like seeing more of the landscape - but that is a personal thing.

(2) Don't be afraid to look behind you. The balloons are great, but you can make some amazing frames of the crowd and the performers going down the street. Get a sense of the humanity of it all.

(3) Try changing your height, angles and perspective...if your knees will tolerate it. Changing up angles can give big rewards in regards to helping clean up the street 'clutter.' And if you’re short or packed in, don’t be afraid to lift the camera up for a few overhead shots. You’ll be surprised at what you pull out of the chaos. This is particularly the value of getting to the street early and having a tripod.

(4) The cold can eat batteries. If it’s really chilly, keep a spare battery in an inside pocket so it stays warm. Your future self will thank you about an hour into the parade.

Now—one last photographic note. For folks who are focused on horizons (myself included), I made a choice with some of these images to frame the balloon the way I wanted to frame it. This means that my sea of humanity might sometimes be slightly askew. Please bear with me on those images. In general, I absolutely prefer to have humans’ feet straight on the pavement. I promise no laws of nature were broken for these photographs—just perhaps some laws of photography.



Finally, a word about why this holiday—and this parade—mean so much to me. For over a decade, our Thanksgiving “family” included a ragtag group of misfits and misanthropes who became the cornerstone of my life. The two most important figures were an elderly couple named Helene and Irving Zarember. Helene had been my boss at the Children’s Aid Society. She was a remarkable human being with a giant heart and a dark–dark–dark sense of humor. She was the first female director at the agency and had a million stories about things she had been involved with. She was a ball of nervous energy and strong conviction. Her husband, Irving, was quiet and steadfast. While he did not wear his thoughts on his sleeve, he was like-minded in his sense of justice for the weak and oppressed. More importantly, they put their time and effort where their mouths were. My kind of people.

Our Thanksgivings were spent together, sharing common interests, and often airing political disagreements (LOL—something you don’t do with family), and in general making a lot of mischief. While Helene and Irving have now both been gone for close to 20 years, their memories continue to shape my appreciation of Thanksgiving and why this holiday—and this parade—remain so important to me.

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Photographing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade