Grand Central Terminal's silent wedding venue

How a cold New York winter led me to discover brides, blurred commuters, and silent wedding parties at a tenth of a second

When winter arrives in New York, we have to start thinking about ways to feed our photography needs while staying indoors. Going out is basically asking for frozen fingers, jammed film cameras, and all sorts of trouble.

That’s when, last week, I had the idea of grabbing my digital equipment and heading to Grand Central Terminal, only to realize that the train station looks absolutely gorgeous in black and white with a Kodak Tri-X emulation.

Exterior facade of Grand Central Terminal, with the MetLife building right behind it.

At first glance, Grand Central Terminal is so beautiful and refined that it resembles one of those churches in the Vatican, or a library, a real grand one, dressed in Christmas decoration as we approach December. The symmetry is striking.

I pulled the classics, too: some handheld slow exposures to catch the movement of people going places. Who hasn’t?

I wanted to marry the charm of this station with its utility of moving people from one place to another. When I arrived, the first shot came from the ramp with the information kiosk right in the middle, at a daring tenth of a second.

Shots like this are a cliché. Long exposure (for handheld values) to show the movement of people in a train station. Again, a cliché move, I must say. But what could go wrong with something classic and refined?

I preserved the highlights on this one because I didn’t want to lose the information in the clock, at the cost of a slightly underexposed (but noir) shot.

Where are these people going? Where are they coming from? Each one of them carries a story. Most of them wear black. The information kiosk stands there, intact, with the intercom system in place, static, ready to provide information.

There’s a woman waiting for something. Is she waiting for her train? Is she waiting for someone? I don't know…

For this one, the exposure seems more correct, at the cost of blowing the highlights on the clock. The movement of a woman passing with a striped skirt relates to the American flag, which highlights the studium (Roland Barthes’ Camera Lucida concepts).

I used the new Fujifilm G 110mm f/2 lens on the Fujifilm GFX 100S, a medium format camera with its 102 megapixels. This is simply the perfect rig for this occasion. The GFX (and the lens!) has IBIS, and I could shoot at 1/10, 1/8, or even 1/2 of a second with no camera shake. This allowed me to shoot low ISO photography in a dimly lit space. And since tripods are prohibited inside the station because they get in the way of commuters, this setup lets me offer something singular.

That’s my type of horsepower when I’m going digital, baby. This rig is an absolute luxury, and it resulted in the shots in this post. Pay attention to the exposure triangle, available at the right bottom side of each shot, and notice the shutter speed used for these. Respect for Fujifilm.

The Fujifilm G 110mm f/2 is considered the best and sharpest lens for the G system, allowing handheld shots at 1/10s of exposure.

And then, it happens:

The only person wearing white is the bride herself. To my surprise, I realized that many brides (along with their new husbands!) come here for photoshoots. One day I will camp there the entire afternoon and make a full album about it. I didn’t know this was a practice!

What a beautiful couple they make. They didn’t seem to be from New York. I believe they were speaking a different language. They were so happy.

I really wish I could get their contact to send them the photos I took, but they had a professional photographer working with them, and out of respect, the last thing I wanted to do was disrupt the professional relationship they were having with the photographer they hired, so, no interruptions.

It’s a public place, though. As long as I don’t expose, stalk, or become a nuisance during the time of shooting, I think I’m good with my street photography, as well as they are with their wedding photography.

PS: Dear couple, if you somehow are reading this, please get in contact. I would love to send you the high resolution photos (and a free print) I made of you both. Congratulations on the new life you’re both forming. It looks beautiful and full of promise!

The only one wearing white is the Queen of the night afternoon (can’t lie about the time, there’s a clock right on top of the information kiosk, Raf...).

I immediately wanted to capture a studium portraying an imaginary party they were throwing to unknown people with a strict dress code: black clothing, except for the bride, of course.

I think I succeeded. These shots are bonkers!

WAIT. What's going on here?

The bride strikes again, but this time a different one! At this point, I just realized this seems to be a thing at Grand Central Terminal, and I, as a photographer, simply fall in love with every little aspect of it.

There’s a thread running through all of this. Like a train that comes and goes, the station, this “events space,” also gives everyone the opportunity to celebrate. In a 20-minute window, the hall was renewed with new guests, new hosts, but the same photographer, camera, and lens.

Her hair is perfectly lit. It seems like this place was made for it, with a team of professional lighting and everything. The party is thrown again, with the same dress code.

The Grand Central Clock, now available as Fine Art print

The clock is now available in both A3+ and Letter sizes, click here to learn more about the quality of my fine art prints.