When I first moved to New York, I was utterly overwhelmed by all the new areas, neighborhoods and landmarks I would now be shooting at for my posts here on This Time Tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I love San Francisco (remember this little tribute series I did here?) but after five years, I was ready for a backdrop change. New scenery. Different visual inspiration to guide me. Oh, and seasons perhaps would be nice, too.

And, as you might imagine, New York certainly hasn't disappointed.

Aside from exploring the West Village like a mad woman, I've really pushed myself to explore new areas and to shoot in new-to-me places on a regular, consistent basis. Lydia and I have an ongoing list of places we both want to shoot at and I started scouring old photography books that showcase different landmarks around the city, from the overly obvious like the view from Top of the Rock to the obscure, like a park bench that Woody Allen included in a scene for "Manhattan."

I liken it to a treasure hunt. Finding those photogenic spots around the city that jump out at you in a way that only New York can.

But my best source of inspiration? Simply playing tourist in my own city. A big focus for me this year in 2017, is to push myself for one day each week, to head out to a neighborhood I don't usually frequent for an event or to just walk around and snap photos of whatever I see along the way that strikes me. I currently have a new photo folder on my iPhone 7 (yep, you're looking at the owner of the 256 GB one, mainly because of ALL the photos I need to store on it) dedicated to JUST locations around New York. Street corners. Buildings. Interesting graffiti. How light hits a certain intersection at a particular time of day. Beautiful apartment entrances. Unassuming street vendors in front of the park. And it's made planning shoots that much easier, because I can browse through locations based on mood and ambiance and light, depending on what outfit I have planned.

Needless to say, I shoot a lot of photos on my iPhone for a multitude of social platforms, (Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram Stories), but I always really enjoy using my phone as a tool to explore New York. I'm hardly ever without my phone, making it, for better or for worse, an extension of me. On that note, as this is the last of my series of posts with OtterBox (see my other installments here), I just wanted to say how much I truly love this brand for creating a product that really delivers on its promise. As a girl who has dropped, maimed, shattered and close to obliterated her phone on many occasions, it's a relief to know it's safe in an OtterBox case, in pretty much any and every environment New York can throw at it. From the West Village to almost 70 floors high above the street at Top of the Rock.

OUTFIT DETAILS: Morgan Lane bodysuit // St. John skirt // Express heels // Celine sunglasses // OtterBox phone case

This post was in collaboration with OtterBox. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting all This Time Tomorrow collaborations!

Photos by Lydia Hudgens