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The Empire State Building by Rodrigo Luft

Captured during a stroll along 5th Avenue in New York City, this photograph frames the iconic Empire State Building from a unique perspective across the street. Utilizing a wide-angle lens, the photographer masterfully emphasizes the towering scale and architectural grandeur of the landmark against the urban backdrop. The image stands out for its precise composition and technical execution, effectively conveying the overwhelming presence of one of the world's most famous skyscrapers. This shot serves as a testament to the photographer's ability to find fresh, compelling angles within one of the most photographed cityscapes on the planet.

The Empire State Building by Rodrigo Luft
Nikon D7100 with Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED
Exposure 1/125sec @ f/4.5 | ISO 125 | Focal Length 11mm
Copyright Β© Rodrigo Luft
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Rodrigo Luft

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Born in the south of Brazil, Rodrigo Luft is an amateur photographer based in Porto Alegre who explores the intersection of landscape, architecture, and abstract imagery. His work has gained international recognition, including a selection of his photographs for the 2013 'History of Creative' exhibition in New York. While he maintains a deep appreciation for black and white photography, his recent projects demonstrate an evolving mastery of color. Luft continues to share his creative journey and evolving perspective on the everyday world through his active presence on platforms like 500px and Flickr.

Profile View Full Profile
12.2/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
180/500
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SUBMISSION
Award Reach | Reviews
17,398 views | 8 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date April 27, 2014
62.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 11.0
Clarity 12.0
Composition 15.0
Style 12.0
Skill 12.0
Photograph Location
5th Avenue, New York City, United States

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Architectural Photography
Rodrigo Luft Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (11.8/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,692/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
17,398/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.0/5 points
0/100 Review
Submissions
1.8/5 points
180/500 Submission
Jury Score: 62.0/80
Resonance Score: 11.8/20
Total Award Score: 73.8/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 8

Lena Brandstrom Macro Photography, Optics & the Science of the Seen Expert Review
At 11mm, the Nikon’s glass stretches the Empire State’s geometry, pushing the focal plane to its limit. The f/4.5 aperture keeps the diffraction limit at bay, allowing the sensor to resolve the limestone’s texture with startling clarity. I’m genuinely breathless at how the light clings to those Art Deco setbacks. It’s a rare instance where the lens doesn't just capture a building; it dissects the very architecture of the New York sky. It’s technically exquisite.
Amara Diallo Portrait, Human Story & Narrative Portraiture Expert Review
We look up from 5th Avenue and feel the weight of stone against the sky. Rodrigo Luft didn't just capture a building; he listened to the city’s ambition. Through that wide lens, the Empire State Building leans in, whispering secrets of a thousand lives lived in its shadow. It’s dizzying, really. I find myself holding my breath, feeling small beneath such cold, towering steel. This is a portrait of a giant that finally decided to speak.
Thomas Hargreaves Earned Photographs, Craft Discipline & the Long Wait Expert Review
It’s a perfectly competent stroll along 5th Avenue, I suppose. One suspects the shutter was tripped during a casual walk, rather than a vigil. The wide-angle distortion is handled well enough, but I can’t help feeling the lack of a shivering photographer waiting for the light to truly commit. It’s a clean capture, certainly, but it hasn’t cost the artist a single night’s sleep. I’ve seen this view a thousand times; it’s just missing the ache.
Rafael Ortega Shutter Technique, Motion & the Cinematic Single Frame Expert Review
The lens gasps. At 11mm, the Empire State Building doesn't just loom; it tilts, threatening to collapse into the frame. It’s a dizzying, kinetic rush of stone and sky. I feel that familiar vertigo, the one I get when a camera crane hits its limit. Luft caught the city’s pulse here. He didn't blink. The cut would’ve ruined the tension. It’s a breathless, wide-angle sequence frozen in a single, heavy, perfect beat.
Yusuf Al-Hamdan Landscape, Light as Presence & the Spiritual Dimension Expert Review
To stand on 5th Avenue is to feel small, but Rodrigo has found a stillness in the stone. He waited for the light to climb the facade, turning the steel into a quiet prayer. I’ve spent hours in similar canyons, and I can feel the vibration of the city fading as he pressed the shutter. It’s a lonely, beautiful perspective. It makes me ache for the silence that must have existed just before the frame was taken.
Isabelle Fontenay Colour Harmony, Tone & Atmospheric Light Expert Review
The limestone facade doesn't merely scrape the sky; it absorbs the bruised, melancholic violet of a dying Manhattan afternoon, echoing the muted, dusty stillness found in a Morandi still life. It’s a chromatic ache that catches in one’s throat, that particular grey-gold of fading light against cold stone. I’m utterly seduced by how the shadows bleed into the architecture, turning the Empire State into a ghost of itself, suspended in a palette of profound, lingering silence.
Eleanor Voss Composition & Visual Structure Expert Review
The 11mm focal length forces a violent convergence of vertical lines. It’s a risky geometry. The Empire State Building’s mass occupies the frame’s upper quadrant, creating a precarious spatial tension against the street-level clutter. The negative space doesn't quite resolve, leaving the composition feeling slightly top-heavy. I’ve grown tired of such wide-angle distortions, yet the sheer audacity of this structural tilt holds my attention. It’s a cold, calculated exercise in architectural dominance that barely stays upright.
Clara Whitfield Award Criteria, Legacy & What Makes an Image Endure Expert Review
Of the thousands of skyscraper shots I’ve reviewed, most are just postcards. Luft’s work avoids that trap because of the 11mm distortion; it forces the Empire State Building to lean inward, creating a claustrophobic tension that feels honest to the crushing scale of 5th Avenue. It’s not just a landmark; it’s a monolith looming over the viewer. I’ll admit, it makes me feel small, and that’s exactly why it’ll still matter in thirty years.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Sven Lindqvist

The Weight of Stone

We build to defy the gravity that eventually claims us all. There is a strange pride in stacking steel and glass toward a sky that does not care for our ambition.

Read the reflection →
By Yuki Sato

Stone Reaching for Silence

We often mistake height for ambition, believing that to reach upward is to leave the earth behind. Yet, even the tallest structures are rooted in the same quiet soil that holds the smallest seed.

Read the reflection →

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