Inside the Crown of the Statue of Liberty

An incredibly tight spiral staircase, a 20 story climb, and a surreal perspective from inside one of the world's most recognizable landmarks - this is the experience of ascending through the girders and copper framework to reach the crown of the Statue of Liberty in New York City. 

There are a few things worth pointing out. 

The Statue of Liberty is smaller than you think. No more than 10 people can fit in the crown at any one time, hence the need for timed entries that (in most cases) require booking months in advance. There is also no elevator to the crown so be prepared for a climb. And finally, despite the lookout there's actually not much of a view considering the statue faces away from the skyline.

All that said, it's an unreal experience to see the landmark this way. To see the framework of the statue up close, to see the island below, to realize where you actually are for a moment. As part of a series of distinctly New York travel shoots I was doing, this one ranks pretty highly.

Looking up into the framework of the Statue of Liberty.

State House in Trenton, New Jersey

A state capitol dome and a few colonial ruins - all part of a quick stop in Trenton, New Jersey.

Epic Adventures in the Northeast USA

Over 5500 miles covered, 10K+ images shot, and some incredible sights marked another successful series of travel shoots as I explored the Northeast United States over the last two weeks. While this road trip did have some overlap with previous shoots, all totaled I spent time in 14 states. In fact, I filled in the last few gaps I had on the map - meaning I've now shot photography and video (in varying capacities) in all 50 states + the District of Columbia.

Highlights included a pretty diverse range of activities - from exploring ships in Baltimore to beaches in Cape Cod to driving back roads in Vermont to walking the entire National Mall in Washington D.C. This ended up being one of my most ambitious road trips to date, not because of the distance or driving required, but instead because I had to have a bit more strategy to cover one of the most populated and expensive parts of the USA effectively.

Traffic was always going to be an issue in this part of the country, and knowing that I'd be staying in a different city every night meant navigating a lot of busy streets. I always try to give myself windows to catch up if things don't go to plan, but my biggest worry was getting stuck / wasting time in traffic jams in some of America's largest cities.  

Amazingly, my timing seemed to work out in avoiding most rush hours and the buffers I gave myself actually allowed me to cover more places when I ended up ahead of schedule. All of the experience I gained planning elaborate shoots like this over the last few years really seemed to come in handy this time. I'm just as willing to admit that I lucked out though.

There's no question, as much fun as it was, this series of travel shoots in the Northeast was really challenging to orchestrate. That's just made me more excited to share it now. Stay tuned for more additions to my Middle America series in the weeks ahead!