As a consummate lover of cityscape photography, there is no better city in the US of A to capture than New York City. It has been two years since I had visited, and I was looking forward to seeing many new locations. This trip to NYC included four other photography friends who were just as excited as I was to see and photograph the Big Apple. Scott Shields, Bruce Kantor, Sheena Xing Kroetsch and John Santilli joined me for six wonderful days on the small island of Manhattan.


The list of locations we wanted to photograph included both new locations as well as some that I had visited in 2017. I am never concerned with visiting a location a second or third time, there are always new photo opportunities to experience. For example, we visited DUMBO in Brooklyn (for those of you not familiar with the acronym, it stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) for both sunrises and sunsets, and shot at night from Pebble Beach as well as the next day. These views are some of the most iconic you can find in NYC.

Purple sunset panorama of Manhattan skyline with wooden pier posts in foreground creating silhouettes.
Golden hour cityscape of Manhattan with wooden pier posts from Brooklyn with long exposure clouds.
Night panorama of Manhattan city skyline with Brooklyn bridge and twinkling lights reflecting on dark waters with long exposure clouds.
View of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline across calm East River waters with long exposure clouds.

With architecture at the top of our list to photograph, we visited several buildings in Manhattan during our stay. We typically would jump on the subway from our apartment downtown and then walk to our intended locations. We visited such buildings (in order, below) as the J Piermont Morgan Library, the New York Public Library, the Beekman Hotel (which had been abandoned but has since been renovated), the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and the Fulton Center subway station. We were very disappointed to see the Flat Iron building covered with scaffolding! I did not get the memo they were going to do that!

Manhattan J Pierpont Morgan ornate wood-paneled library interior with vaulted ceiling and decorative details captured in panoramic view.
Panorama of Manhattan's New York Library elegant marble staircase with intricate architectural details and natural lighting from above.
Manhattan's Beekman House historical building featuring multiple floors with classical architecture and decorative railings.
Manhattan Lincoln Center at night with reflections from wet pavement.
Manhattan Fulton Street Station with geometric dome ceiling, escalators and retail spaces.

We decided before we left Michigan that we wanted to sign up for a helicopter tour of the city with FLYNYON, and to have a "doors-off" experience (so we wouldn't be shooting through a window). Only once I did this, in Detroit, years ago. It didn't seem as scary back then. I have to admit I was quite fearful while in the helicopter, even though we are strapped in. I did what any scared photographer would do, and that was to keep my eye to the camera at all times!

Aerial view of Manhattan skyline showing dense urban development and waterfront from a helicopter.
Panoramic sunset view of downtown Manhattan's skyline with harbor and orange sky from a helicopter.
Helicopter view of Manhattan showing bridges, waterways and urban grid pattern of historic buildings.

Bruce and I gave up one of our sunset experiences to stay up late and capture the crazy energy that is Times Square. We came to the conclusion that it is filled with nothing but tourists, and those wanting to make money off said tourists. It is so bright and ostentatious it made my eyes squint. Even with all that, it was fun to be part of it, if only for a couple of hours. But I can safely say I will not ever have to go back lol.

Illuminated Times Square billboards and theater marquees looking up at night in New York City.
Vibrant nighttime cityscape of Times Square in Manhattan with bright neon signs and motion-blurred taxis creating light trails.
Manhattan Times Square at night with motion-blurred yellow taxis against neon-lit buildings and blurred people moving through.

And last but not least, capturing the streets of New York, some of which includes people as subjects. I rarely include people as the main focus of my images, unless I am shooting the streets in urban locations. I prefer people to be seen as blurry movement, humanity rushing to and fro to get to their next destination. Did you notice the couple on the way to get married on the right side of the image below?

Manhattan subway stairs with geometric ceiling patterns and blurred people coming up the stairs exiting the station.
Manhattan Fulton Street subway station with blurred human figures moving through towards their destinations.
Moody Manhattan nightscape at the 72nd Street Broadway Station with illuminated street lamps casting glow on wet city streets.
NYC subway station walkway with arched ceiling and dramatic lighting creating symmetrical patterns with man on bike caught in movement.
Fulton Street subway station in Manhattan with man in suit on escalator and boy with reflective surfaces creating futuristic atmosphere.

Thank you for sharing in my photographic journey of NYC. These are just the highlights of the almost 2000 images I captured while there, with these being my ultimate favorites. I am already looking forward to my next trip!! If you are interested in purchasing any of these images, you can do so in my NYC gallery.

Urban skyline panorama featuring modern skyscrapers and office buildings of Detroit, Michigan.