What to shoot in NYC?

[JaniMarkus Hasa]

I'm going to NYC on my holiday in March. I'm going with wife who is not very keen on photography, so this will limit my obsession to reasonable level. I'll go to musical with her, she tolerates me stopping every 3 minutes to take a picture. That's how marriages work.

 

Anyway, this is my 5th trip to United States and 4th to NYC, last time was February 2015. I've got all the usual attractions covered. Haven't uploaded any of those yet, only images from 2016 SF-trip. I don't believe my Statue of Liberty photos will ever be even viewed (with my BHZ-position). And I like street photography best anyway. 

 

So far I have spent time almost only in Manhattan and covered Midtown, LES, Bowery, Soho, Little Italy and Chinatown to some extent. I've also done Circle Line sightseeing cruise - though it was only half circle due to ice on Harlem River. 

 

I'd love to get some tips on where to shoot street photography. Haven't really been anywhere north of Dakota Building. Not familiar with Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens or Staten Island. Any advice is appreciated. Doesn't really need to be limited to street photography. 

[Ed Rooney]

Four visits to New York makes you a knowing vet in the Big Apple as an outsider. To the outside world, Manhattan is NYC. 

 

Queens and the Bronx, except for the zoo and a few other landmarks, is best left to the locals. The East River edge of Brooklyn is worth a visit. But I bet you've done that? And I bet you've been on the Staten Island Ferry, too?

 

Here's what I suggest for a Brooklyn shoot: do not walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Walk across the Manhattan Bridge to Dumbo. The entrance is on Canal Street. That gives you a great view of the BB. Walk around Dumbo and when you're done take the ferry next to the BB to Wall Street. 

 

Street photography? You mean snaps of people looking at their cellphones? HCB wouldn't be bothered.

[JaniMarkus Hasa]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Street photography? You mean snaps of people looking at their cellphones? HCB wouldn't be bothered.

 

HCB... it took a while to figure that out. 😃

 

Sure, I like to take pictures of people. But by street photography I mean just about everything that can be seen in the city street apart from the most obvious tourist attractions and designated landmarks. 

 

Street art to start with. Wheatpaste posters. Stencil graffitis. Murals. Ghost signs. 

 

Iconic restaurants and diners, like Cup and Saucer in Lower East Side or Carnegie Deli on 7th Avenue. Both gone now, I guess. 

 

Interesting store fronts like Evolution on Spring Street. Beautiful buildings like Pearl Paint building in Tribeca. 

 

Fish Markets. Meat Markets. Farmers' Markets. Swap meets. Parks where pensioners play card. Booths selling hot cider for $2. Signs saying "Air will be taken out of tires from unauthorized parkers". Buskers. 

 

That sort of thing. 

Edited January 31, 2020 by JaniMarkus Hasa

[JaniMarkus Hasa]

I guess the topic should be "Where to shoot in NYC (apart from Manhattan between Central Park and Battery Park).

[Ed Rooney]

42 minutes ago, JaniMarkus Hasa said:

I guess the topic should be "Where to shoot in NYC (apart from Manhattan between Central Park and Battery Park).

 

There is no way a visiting shooter would use up that primary area. 

 

Pearl Paint on Canal Street? They closed in 2014. The Fulton Fish Market moved up to the Bronx. Union Square still has the best Farmers Market, but it's become gentrified. Street photography is candid photography. And what we shoot is what we see and like. 

 

I almost forgot! When you shoot street art in NYC, make sure you have people or other things in the frame.

Edited January 31, 2020 by Ed Rooney

[NYCat]

Edo and I were thinking the same thing..... Pearl Paint gone. If you can afford 16K a month you can live above the old store..  https://ny.curbed.com/2017/3/24/15048544/tribeca-pearl-paint-art-store-luxury-rentals

 

Paulette

[John Mitchell]

15 minutes ago, NYCat said:

Edo and I were thinking the same thing..... Pearl Paint gone. If you can afford 16K a month you can live above the old store..  https://ny.curbed.com/2017/3/24/15048544/tribeca-pearl-paint-art-store-luxury-rentals

 

Paulette

 

Yikes! I imagine that Alamy contributors will lining up to rent those! 🤑

[Ed Rooney]

Yeah, I saw that, Paulette. Rental prices in NYC have gone totally insane. 

 

[MizBrown]

Area around City Hall has some interesting things.  Some of the restaurants in Little Italy where they served half a sheeps head.  Dessert restaurant.  If a Little Italy restaurant is full of just men in short sleeves white shirt, don't take photos.  Far west Greenwich Village.  Some neighborhoods and private street around York Avenue uptown on the West Side.  The Cloisters and the George Washington Bridge.   Been years.  Found a cop bar near the Manhattan court house and that was interesting but may not be reasonable to take photographs in.  Lower east side south of Houston Street has one of the original settlement houses. 

 

[Chris1603]

Tribeca Grill is a good place - co-owned by Robert De Niro ... great food and atmosphere too.

[DJ72]

I have been to NYC twice in the past few years and Spanish Harlem / Bronx always has lots going on. Its an endless procession on a Sunday and the vibes were very friendly. 

 

[JSaunders]

Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village always has a lot going on.

 

[JSaunders]

Also, the Highline can be interesting. It runs on the West side of Manhattan from 34th street to around 12th street. It's an elevated park populated by lots of people, with views of the city too.

[Bryan]

Some customers search by date shot so new images of popular views can and do sell. E.g. I once sold a standard daytime  shot of the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn and there's no shortage of those! 

 

March possibly a bit early for a visit to Brooklyn Botanic Garden. As in any city, architecture, streets, shops, traffic, subway, taxi cabs, the high line, statues, people going about their business, evening views of the lights etc etc an infinite number of possibilities.