The iconic Empire State Building, once the world’s tallest skyscraper, is one of the world’s most photographed buildings. Instead of describing it here, I abstract it by shooting it with a setting sun at the end of 34th Street. By backlighting the famous building, I make the golden clouds overhead my subject, while the silhouetted structure itself becomes context for nature at work. I hold just enough detail in the shadows to reveal a smattering of lights along the building’s façade. I frame the structure with tilting buildings on either side, creating an overhead triangle of sky that echoes the thrust of the Empire State’s soaring tower. The buildings just in front of it offer an additional layer for scale comparison.