Welcome to Eddie Mercer Art. This site is a database showcasing hundreds of NYC photographs and some of my artwork. To get started browsing choose a category or click on a section below to learn more.
I originally intended to use this site as a digital portfolio for my commercial work in the creative fields. As I began adding content I realized just how boring most portfolio's are, and decided to take things in a different direction. What I ended up creating was a new way to catalog my images. You can watch my progression starting in 2005 when I first moved to NYC until now.
Every image in here has been listed by the exact date and time it was shot, the equipment/mediums used, even the camera settings on my DSLR shots. At the same time they are categorized by the photo's content and the exact location it was taken. In the neighborhoods section below the photo's are linked to maps of NYC neighborhoods where they were taken.
This site mainly reflects everyday scenes of life here in New York City, the architecture, the street scenes, the people, and the fine details one may not appreciate unless presented artistically. I've tried to convey a general feel for what NYC looks like to me and a feel for this time period. I've also tried to document the street, public, and graffiti artwork that decorates this city.
I'm not sharing photo's of super models, Brooklyn hipsters, long exposure with flash shots of musicians for myspace, stuffy corporate types, mad hip hop gangstas, or anything else most people suggest I shoot. I shoot photo's to share my own love for this place, these people, and my appreciation for my short time here.
I'd rather turn a few people on to taking photo's themselves, than be praised by someone "credible". I take these photo's for me, what I like to see. I try to show New York City's character in these photo's. I'd like to progress and eventually develop my style of shooting so it's unmistakable as my style and have no delusions of grandeur about my skills, yet hahaha.
I'd like to do the same thing with artwork. I try to find time to sketch almost every day and paint canvases on a semi regular basis. I don't earn my living in fine arts but I'm very much involved and have been since my grandfather taught me to draw Popeye while I was still in diapers.
I work with a broad range of styles and can create bold or universally appealing illustration and design styles. My life long obsession for combining line and color into art is now applied to designing graphics for print and web, typography, illustration and commercial art.
The foundation for all of my creative skills comes from my early passion for drawing. I've been told my grandfather taught me how to draw when I was still in diapers, and I've sketched and drawn constantly ever since. During the 90's my obsession for communicating through line and color was further shaped by graffiti and it's constant competition. My expansion was fueled by hours of drawing daily and hours of painting at night.
My services are available for commissioned illustration and graphics, even fine art including paintings, murals, and more. If interested feel free browse through the site for examples of my work or contact me for more info.
Most of my photography work consists providing professional image content for web sites here in New York City. I do travel to shoot, and provide quality images for print as well as web. All of my photography services come standard with my post production skill set and top of the line equipment.
Most of my commission based work involves event and product shots, I'm also available for portrait and fashion photography. I occasionally work as as a digital tech and photography assistant for a few other well know photographers here in New York City.
For a detailed assessment and prices suited toward your specific photography needs contact me. I offer discounts for my regular clientele and usually work at cost for non profits and community based organizations. Links to non-commercial examples of my photography are categorized just below in the index.
I build sites using basic HTML & CSS formats adding Javascript and Ajax for interactivity. Every site I build comes search engine optimised to ensure sites like google know what's on them and directs the right kind of traffic to it. I'm also a huge fan of web standards and use only W3C validated code. Every site I build works flawlessly and shows up pixel perfect and exactly the same in every browser.
Most of my past work was designing basic HTML websites and custom templates for email and marketing. Recently the majority of my work consists of designing custom themes for content management systems like WordPress. These types of sites not only allow for easily managed content and advanced features, the're also as easy to update as sending an email or updating your social networking status.
I can't quote general prices since each job varies in complexity and how much actual content I'd provide for the site. Feel free to contact me to find out more and recieve a quote based on your specific needs no matter how big or small.
I approach all of the services I provide by first understanding my clients vision. I provide my own creative input and design experience as needed, but I feel that no designer, artist, or photographer will ever understand your audience or potential customers better than you.
I feel that a truly gifted artist turns their own imagination into substance to communicate thoughts beyond the context of language. A good commercial artist or designer should focus on using that gift to help turn the imagination of others into reality.
My usual customers are other designers, artists, musicians, and photographers as well as businesses. My ability to understand their vision makes satisfying even the most demanding clients possible.
Along with a firm academic foundation in visual communications and my approach, I'm constantly updating my skill set to take advantage of the latest tools and techniques in these rapidly evolving fields. The end result is satisfied customers with the best image possible.
It seems like everyone is a designer these days. Access to design software and a basic academic understanding of visual communication is fairly common. What hasn't changed is the importance of using real creative talent develop your image. Using an amateur or even a professional without creative talent can only lead to one of two things, another generic trend in design, or even worse, a poor image.
Branding the right image is very important especially in todays global economy where consumers have almost infinite choices. If you manage a small business, a large corporation, or you're representing yourself, it's almost as important as providing quality goods and services. A positive image that stands out will promote growth beyond just word of mouth and ensure your continued success.
Tapping into my creative passion and artistic talent means you'll stand out. My services focus on making sure your brand is a "brand name" that people will recognise, remember, and view in a positive light.
This section list the photo's by the location there were taken. I haven't taken enough pictures in Staten Island to be able to break it down into neighborhoods so I apologies. The other 4 Boro's of NYC are.
The neighborhoods are broken down in small hand drawn maps to the right, pick a boro and place your mouse over a highlighted neighborhood and it's name shows up. Click that neighborhood and all the photo's taken there are listed. There is also a list next to it to help you navigate, the boro's name up top takes you to every shot taken in that boro.
Hopefully I'll have enough shots here to make it a nice digital tour of NYC one day, until then I think Manhattan from midtown down has enough to get a feel for those areas. I know the maps aren't 100% accurate geographically, but their close enough to get the picture. I'd like to improve this section and improve my map designing skills, but it's fairly time consuming and I feel this offers more than most other photography sites already.
