TITLE: 7pm Appreciation of Front-line Heroes in New York City

The world has been facing the novel Coronavirus global pandemic head on. It is the frontline hospital workers whose lives are at high risk every day. This is extremely stressful work caring for those who suffer from the most severe symptoms, sometimes without proper PPE. They are true heroes.
New York City was the hardest hit city in the world. Late March, in the midst of facing the peak of the deadly virus, New York City began a daily 7pm cheering ritual. This ritual started in Wuhan, China and spread across the globe.
This series of 8 images captures the cheering and appreciation shown at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Brooklyn. Many times the local fire department and emergency workers—heroes, as well—join in the appreciation. These images were captured during the last week in April and the first week in May. I wanted to capture the heart-wrenching emotion of the hospital workers on the front lines as we all cheered, showing our appreciation for their heroism.

1. Hope and Despair
2. Gracias
3. Difficult Day
4. Camaraderie
5. Better Day
6. Exhausting Day
7. We Have This
8. 7pm Appreciation in New York City

AUTHOR: Keith Manning (United States)

My explorations around the world (to four of the seven continents), visiting and living with diverse peoples, and some of the most beautiful natural scenery our planet has to offer, has motivated my art.

I begin with color landscapes, panoramas and portraits, utilizing the light nature offers in the moment. Most of the time I visualize in greyscale (black and white). The creative process of transforming a color image into greyscale is particularly exhilarating.

The techniques of my greyscale images have been largely inspired by Alfred Stieglitz and Ansel Adams.
In portraiture, my preference is to capture people doing something, especially performing. In landscapes natural lighting, clouds and/or water moving at different speeds, contrasting with seemingly static scenery can create interesting images. By manipulating a scene with longer exposures I seek to enhance tonal variations and complex textures transforming an interesting image into an unusual, unique and unworldly piece of art. My intent is for the viewer’s imagination to travel where ever the art piece may take them.