City parks through the lens of a New York Times photographer

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Capturing the essence of New York's parks takes a special eye. Daniel Arnold has that eye.

"I try to put myself in a place and open myself up to it and kind of let my curiosity lead the show," Arnold said. "I think about it as a reporter almost. What's worth bringing back to the world?"

As a photographer for the New York Times, Arnold has for years photographed the city's green spaces. Central Park is his favorite.

"Obviously it's a beautiful backdrop and such an iconic view of New York," Arnold said. "To see the skyscrapers poking out over the green -- it's just an interesting place where life takes a different pace than it does on the street."

During our interview, we saw a couple taking wedding pictures right next to everyday tourists taking pictures of their own. We asked Arnold how he would choose to shoot this.

"That gives us a lot of potential. There's tourists, there's kids running around, there's a lot of action around this sort of set shot with classic props -- the wedding dress, the suit, tuxedo," he said. "And from here we've got it framed by the trees."

Arnold reluctantly calls himself a "photographer." He sees himself more as someone who simply records life and the beauty therein.

"The idea that success is some sort of magical mystery combination of things that's only for a few people is nonsense," he said. "And that we're all the same thing and that if you work hard on something you believe in, a lot of the time it works for you and if not, you're still doing something great for yourself."