Clayton Rawson’s Daily Bridge Ritual Selected at Metropolitan Melodies 2025

Among the standout entries to this year’s Metropolitan Melodies competition, one photographic piece struck a deeply resonant chord with the jury — not for its dramatic flair or digital manipulation, but for the quiet power of consistency, observation, and devotion.

Clayton Rawson’s The Brooklyn Bridge: One-A-Day is more than a photograph. It’s the result of over two years of daily snapshots, captured while commuting on the 37X bus from Bay Ridge to Manhattan.

“I always aimed for the same angle, from a window seat. Depending on the speed of the bus, I could get three to five shots per ride. The bridge stayed the same, but the sky always changed.”

Rawson’s unique project documents the subtle shifts in light, mood, and atmosphere over New York’s most iconic structure — a quiet tribute to urban rhythm and natural change. His work was selected as one of the Editorial Highlights for the 2025 edition of the competition, a special recognition granted to three artists whose vision and persistence deeply impressed our curators.

We celebrate Rawson’s project not just as a photographic achievement, but as a love letter to ritual, perspective, and the ever-changing skies above New York.

→ View all selected artists of Metropolitan Melodies 2025 

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