Shot from an unmarked rooftop on the Lower East Side — had to shoot through a busted chainlink fence.

I’ve been trying to get a clean layered shot of Lower Manhattan for months. Most rooftops there are locked, this one you have to climb a fire escape to get to. The fence was right in my face so I used it as a natural frame instead of fighting it.

What I like about it is the layers: bottom is covered in graffiti and AC units, then that classic red brick building with the water tank, then the older financial district buildings, then One World Trade punching through the haze.

Single frame, not a composite.

Gear: Canon R6 w/ 24-70mm f4
Settings: 165mm, f/8, 1/640, ISO 200

What would you have done differently with the fence?