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InspirationPhotography

New York Waterways: Explore life on and alongside the Big Apple's mysterious shorelines

New York City is defined by water, yet many of its shorelines are largely unknown. Photographer Susannah Ray spent more than two years exploring these shores and waterways that New Yorkers utilise year-round to fish, swim, sit and daydream.

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All images courtesy of Hoxton Mini Press. © Susannah Ray

All images courtesy of Hoxton Mini Press. © Susannah Ray

The resulting images, inspired by Walt Whitman’s poetry, take us on a seasonal journey past sheltered bays, under great bridges and over deep rivers to give us a new perspective on a mega-city we thought we knew so well.

In a metropolis so often considered to be racing forward, Ray’s work serves as a powerful reminder that the communal human connection to water is as present today as it always has been.

Susannah Ray lives in the Rockaways, a small peninsula on the edge of New York City bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Jamaica Bay, and JFK International Airport. This intersection of city and water is at the heart of her work. Born in 1972 in Washington, D.C, Ray studied photography at Princeton University and the School of Visual Arts MFA Program in Photography and Related Media.

New York Waterways by Susannah Ray is published by Hoxton Mini Press (£17.95), www.hoxtonminipress.com.

Person in dark hooded jacket sitting in a boat on misty water with indistinct city skyline in background
Snow-covered marshland with channels of dark water and the silhouette of an airport terminal building visible across the frozen landscape
Calm waterway lined with lush green trees and vegetation, with abandoned or wrecked boat debris in the foreground on the muddy bank
Shirtless man at the wheel of a fishing boat, steering towards overcast water visible through the cabin windows
Billowing pink fabric draped over a picnic table on a grassy waterfront overlooking the Manhattan skyline across the water
Brooklyn Bridge viewed through rain-spattered glass, with the East River and Manhattan skyline blurred in the background
Man in red New York Knicks shirt and baseball cap holding a fishing rod with a caught fish at an urban waterfront location
Expanse of golden marsh grasses bordering a calm waterway under a pale sky, with a distant shoreline visible across the water
Sailing boat with deep red sails on calm water, with a person standing on deck and flat shoreline visible in the distance under a cloudy sky
Crowded beach scene in the Rockaways with swimmers, sunbathers and umbrellas, with cargo ships anchored offshore and the shoreline visible in the distance
A swimmer in a pink swimming hat and goggles stands on the edge of a boat on the water, with a city skyline visible in the distance
Two young girls stand in shallow water with their arms around each other, looking towards the horizon under a clear sky
Two swimmers in colourful caps swim in New York Harbour with the Manhattan skyline visible across the water beneath an overcast sky
Waterfront view across a bay lined with bare trees towards high-rise residential buildings and industrial structures on the shore in winter
New York City skyline across water with two swimmers in the foreground, text reading "New York Waterways" and "Susannah Ray
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