a favorite pastime of many new yorkers is to sit out in the parks and play games. on a nice day you can find all kinds of people doing just that, and in particular, there's a small park downtown where the chess and backgammon pros set up their tables and play money games. it is quite exciting to watch, and the play is really high level, and *fast* - you'd expect them to be fast in nyc, but i mean, really, really fast!

here's a guy looking for a patsy ... er i mean opponent ;-)


you have to be there to comprehend how fast these guys play. one guy is finishing his move just as the other player is taking his hands off of the piece he just moved. and then *slam* they hit the timer...


at times, they do get quite serious, especially near the end game:



before i left this spot, i watched one guy lose $450 in about five minutes playing backgammon. this crowd is tough - and they really enjoy this time of year, when all the tourists show up ;-) i should point out that there's no scam here, no cheating, they're all just very, very good players!


about 15 blocks north up the island of manhattan is chinatown, where they play their own version of chess:





i hope you enjoyed seeing these photographs of new yorkers playing their favorite outdoor board games ;-)

enjoy (gaming on your lunch hour) photography

Andy thanks for posting these, every time I go to take a (city) photo I visualize one of your shots and try to replicate it in my own way.

I know I am in Kindergarden to your Doctrate yet I am inspired.

Thanks again

Tim

Originally Posted by Shakey Andy thanks for posting these, every time I go to take a (city) photo I visualize one of your shots and try to replicate it in my own way. I know I am in Kindergarden to your Doctrate yet I am inspired. Thanks again Tim

cool - thanks a lot tim, that means a lot to me

I've watched those guys play on several trips down to the city. Amazing stuff - and I beg your pardon, I think you DID indeed capture it with your shots. Nice work yet again!

Andy,

Are there any leagal issues with taking a picture of an individual for the purpose of selling the image? I think that a person is fair game in public as long as they are not singled out of a group. My concern is an image of a single person such as the Asian man with the cig.

Help?

BTW, as usual, very nice work.


Hutch

Good question, Hutch. If this were TV, we could show the face in a hard news story (it's covered by the Fair Use doctrine.)

But if we were making any other kind of program, including a documentary or a commercial, we would not be allowed to show any kind of recognizable face without a signed release. So when showing the public at large we use a lot of wide shots, rear shots, side shots etc. where you can't really make out who the person is.

I really like this guy. NYC looks like such a great place to shoot.

Originally Posted by wxwax Good question, Hutch. If this were TV, we could show the face in a hard news story (it's covered by the Fair Use doctrine.) But if we were making any other kind of program, including a documentary or a commercial, we would not be allowed to show any kind of recognizable face without a signed release. So when showing the public at large we use a lot of wide shots, rear shots, side shots etc. where you can't really make out who the person is. I really like this guy. NYC looks like such a great place to shoot.

sid and hutch, thanks for the comments and the poser ...

the simple answer is: i can shoot anyone i want in public. i can (and am in the process of) publishing said pics in a book. no persmission needed, *unless* i want to use the cig man in the promotion of my book (cover, advt, etc).

the more complicated answer is: you may want to check with a lawyer, becuase i'm not giving out legal advice