I made a day trip to New York City today to attend the Sony Alpha in Residence program held at the Academy Mansion, steps from Central Park. It provided photographers with hands-on access to the latest Sony gear, along with expert-led panels, photowalks, and styled photo sets featuring models. I drove to Worcester at 5 am, boarded a bus for the Port Authority, and walked the final 2 miles to the venue, arriving by noon. I immediately signed up for a Photo Walk, which afforded me an hour-long opportunity to photograph birds in Central Park with the new Sony A7R6 camera and 100-400mm f4.5 lens, both of which I ordered when they were announced yesterday. Our group was led by Tony Northrup, an author, photographer, YouTuber, educator, and speaker with more than three decades of experience in photography and digital imaging. He offered several useful wildlife photography tips which only enhanced my experience with all the new gear.

Later, I spent time photographing inside the mansion, and I will feature those images tomorrow.

I walked back to the Port Authority by way of Times Square, where I enjoyed a nice meal and all the energy and madness that is NYC. I made it home by midnight, having logged more than 400 miles on the road and 6 on foot.