The Best Photography Locations in New York City

Where I shoot, when to be there, and exactly how — by Serge Ramelli

Hello fellow New York lovers and chasers of that big-city light!

From the harbour to the rooftops, no city gives a photographer more than New York. Below are my favourite spots, each with a Google Maps link to the exact place I stood, the camera settings, and the time of day that makes it sing.

One quick tip: New York is huge and vertical — plan around light and height. Catch the bridges and harbour at sunrise and sunset, go up high for the skyline, and save Times Square and the rainy streets for after dark.

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1. The Statue of Liberty (from the Staten Island Ferry)

📍 Staten Island Ferry — Whitehall Terminal (40.7012, -74.0135)

Here is an insider tip: the best free view of Lady Liberty is from the Staten Island Ferry. Board at the Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan, stand on the right-hand (starboard) side, and the ferry sails right past the statue — no ticket, no crowds, and a moving vantage point. A long lens at sunset compresses her against the skyline and lets a burning pink sky do the rest.

Best time: Catch a sunset departure from Whitehall Terminal; sit on the starboard side and use a telephoto.

📷 Sony A7R V · 220mm · f/5.6 · 1/320s · ISO 1250🔖 License this image — ref. NY-01

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2. Lower Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge Park

📍 Brooklyn Bridge Park (Pebble Beach) (40.7003, -73.9967)

The classic downtown skyline view. From the little pebble beach at Brooklyn Bridge Park, the old wooden pilings make a perfect foreground leading out to the glittering towers of the Financial District. A long exposure smooths the water and streaks the clouds.

Best time: Blue hour into night, long exposure on a tripod.

📷 Sony A7R V · 17mm · f/11 · 25s · ISO 100 (tripod)🔖 License this image — ref. NY-02

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3. The Manhattan Bridge & the East River

📍 DUMBO / Manhattan Bridge (40.7037, -73.9903)

No bridge rewards a photographer like the Manhattan. Shoot the whole span and skyline at sunrise from the Brooklyn waterfront; get underneath it in DUMBO for a dramatic black-and-white of the tower rising from the river; and find the spot on the Manhattan side where the bridge's stone arch frames the Empire State Building dead-centre.

Best time: Sunrise for the skyline; golden hour for the Empire State framing.

📷 Leica Q3 · 28mm · f/3.5 · 1/125s · ISO 100🔖 License this image — ref. NY-03 

📷 Sony A7R · 25mm · f/4.5 · 1/100s · ISO 125🔖 License this image — ref. NY-04 

📷 Sony A7R V · 248mm · f/7.1 · 1/8s · ISO 80🔖 License this image — ref. NY-05

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4. Central Park

📍 Central Park – The Mall (40.7716, -73.9716)

In autumn, Central Park is the best free studio in the world. The Mall's cathedral of American elms turns gold and orange overhead, and from the rock outcrops on the south end you can frame the supertall towers of Billionaires' Row behind a screen of fall colour.

Best time: Mid-to-late October for peak foliage; soft overcast or golden hour.

📷 Leica Q3 · 28mm · f/5 · 1/50s · ISO 100🔖 License this image — ref. NY-06 

📷 Sony A7R V · 24mm · f/5.6 · 1/400s · ISO 100🔖 License this image — ref. NY-07

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5. The View from the Top of the Rock

📍 Top of the Rock (40.7593, -73.9793)

The best high view in the city. From the Top of the Rock observation deck you look straight up the green rectangle of Central Park, flanked by the towers of the Upper East and West Sides. Stay until dusk and turn around — the new generation of pencil-thin supertall towers lights up against the last band of sunset colour.

Best time: Arrive in late afternoon and stay through sunset into blue hour; book the timed entry.

📷 Sony A7S · 35mm · f/8 · 1/250s · ISO 125🔖 License this image — ref. NY-08 

📷 Leica Q3 · 28mm · f/1.7 · 1/60s · ISO 400🔖 License this image — ref. NY-09

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6. Times Square

📍 Times Square (40.758, -73.9855)

Loud, bright, unmistakable. Shoot the wall of billboards with a yellow cab in the frame for the postcard, then slow the shutter down at night to turn the traffic into ribbons of light. Embrace the chaos.

Best time: Blue hour into night; a tripod or steady surface for the light trails.

📷 Canon EOS 7D · 25mm · f/4 · 1/800s · ISO 100🔖 License this image — ref. NY-10 

📷 Sony A7R III · 24mm · f/13 · 4s · ISO 100 (tripod)🔖 License this image — ref. NY-11

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7. Radio City Music Hall

📍 Radio City Music Hall (40.7599, -73.9799)

A glorious slab of Art Deco neon. The vertical RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL sign and the curving marquee are made for a tight night frame — get across Sixth Avenue and let the red and blue tubes glow.

Best time: After dark, when the neon is at full strength.

📷 Sony A7S · 35mm · f/2.8 · 1/50s · ISO 400🔖 License this image — ref. NY-12

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8. The New York Public Library

📍 NY Public Library (Schwarzman Building) (40.7532, -73.9822)

Step inside the Schwarzman Building and shoot the grand marble staircases and hanging lanterns of Astor Hall. Tuck a lone figure into the frame for scale — it turns architecture into a story. Works beautifully in black and white.

Best time: Opening hours, quieter early in the day. Tripods are restricted — shoot handheld at higher ISO.

📷 Sony A7R V · 24mm · f/2.8 · 1/50s · ISO 800🔖 License this image — ref. NY-13

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9. The Upper West Side after Rain

📍 W 72nd St / Upper West Side (40.7782, -73.9819)

Do not put the camera away when it rains — that is when the city turns cinematic. A glowing glass market hall on a wet Upper West Side plaza, with the lights smearing across the puddles and residential towers rising into the mist, is pure New York atmosphere.

Best time: A rainy blue hour, for the reflections.

📷 Sony A7R · 41mm · f/22 · 13s · ISO 50 (tripod)🔖 License this image — ref. NY-14

Happy shooting! — Serge

 

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Serge — Photoserge | Coaching photographers who are serious about getting to the next level.