Topic: New York - Manhattanhenge & Brooklyn advice (Read 8979 times)

Khurram · « **on:** April 04, 2015, 01:19:05 am »

I'm planning on making a trip to NYC during May 27-June 3, which falls within the manhattanhenge window (May 29-31). I wanted to get some advice for where to shoot from in NYC. I read that for the July Manhattanhenge, 34th street (Empire State building) and 42nd street (Chrysler building) are good places to go to. Does this also hold true for the one in May

Is there somewhere i can get elevated shots of the manhattenhenge

My trip should also fall in the window of the full moon in June (June 2), so i wanted to also get some advice on where to shoot the full moon as well. From what i read, the moon during this time should be aligned opposite to the sun on may 31st.

Lastly, I'd also appreciate some logistical advice for the trip. The hotels in Manhattan are outrageously priced and I was thinking of staying close to the Newark airport and renting a car to get around during the day and maybe taking the transit to get around for sunset. Would appreciate some advice from locals if that if i'm going to end up spending a lot of my time in traffic if i go with that option (hotel prices in NYC are around $280+, while they are in the $150 range in Newark/Elizabeth on the Jersey side.

If i do go with the Jersey option, i was thinking of driving down to DUMBO for shots of the brooklyn bridge and brooklyn heights area at sunrise and sunset. Is parking pricing as outrageous in Brooklyn as it is in Manhattan Are there any places on the Brooklyn side, where i can get elevated shots of the Brooklyn bridge and the Manhattan skyline

PaulNYC · « **Reply #1 on:** April 04, 2015, 10:04:24 am »

Consider staying in Brooklyn. Much more Convenient than Newark.

Khurram · « **Reply #2 on:** April 05, 2015, 12:22:33 pm »

Quote from: PaulNYC on April 04, 2015, 10:04:24 am

Consider staying in Brooklyn. Much more Convenient than Newark.

I considered Brooklyn, but i found most of the hotels around the same price as Manhattan (main chains). I actually was hoping to find reasonable priced accommodations in Brooklyn, as i would like to shoot around the area at sunrise/sunset.

PaulNYC · « **Reply #3 on:** April 05, 2015, 01:09:15 pm »

I've started at the Marriott in Brooklyn for 150 a night. I found that to be a bargain. You might also consider one of the alternatives like a airbnb.

PaulNYC · « **Reply #4 on:** April 05, 2015, 01:10:05 pm »

Also consider locations on the PATH train line. Like Hoboken.

Eric Myrvaagnes · « **Reply #5 on:** April 05, 2015, 01:45:22 pm »

But wherever you stay, use public transportation or even taxis to explore Manhattan. Having a car in Manhattan is like an albatross around your neck.

Khurram · « **Reply #6 on:** April 05, 2015, 05:03:45 pm »

thanks for all the suggestions. I actually had looked at hotels in Brooklyn, Hoboken and Jersey city, but for that time period they are all close to $300+ night (unless you get into the ones that are rated around a 5/10 and have real dodgy reviews). The Mariott or even the Hampton Inn in Brooklyn would have been perfect since they are pretty close to the Brooklyn Bridge, but they are in the $300+ night.

I figured if is stay at Newark, it would be less than half the cost of NYC/Brooklyn/Hoboken, plus i'd have the flexibility of taking transit to NYC and the car to Brooklyn Heights/Dumbo and to locations like Liberty park. Is parking as big of an issue in the Brooklyn heights/Dumbo area as it is in NYC???

Iluvmycam · « **Reply #7 on:** April 05, 2015, 05:06:42 pm »

OP, can't help you, but can you help me out with how to shoot in NY for a day trip. I got a large truck camper. I understand it is hell trying to park even a small RV in NYC. Is there a place I can park it outside of NYC and take a bus into the city?

Thanks!

Khurram · « **Reply #8 on:** April 05, 2015, 05:42:03 pm »

Quote from: Iluvmycam on April 05, 2015, 05:06:42 pm

OP, can't help you, but can you help me out with how to shoot in NY for a day trip. I got a large truck camper. I understand it is hell trying to park even a small RV in NYC. Is there a place I can park it outside of NYC and take a bus into the city?

Thanks!

If you are only going for a day trip, i'd just goto a big mall like Jersey gardens, or the Macy's mall in Jersey city (close to the PATH station) and take the transit into NYC.

Alan Klein · « **Reply #9 on:** April 05, 2015, 10:35:45 pm »

There's so much to shoot right outside your hotel in NYC that just staying elsewhere would limit many good shots. Also you'll be wasting so much time commuting between Newark and NYC and the cost of transportation has to be added to the cheaper hotel cost in Newark.

Stay in Brooklyn or Queens (just on the other side of mid-town Manhattan) and travel around by public transportation. You can pickup I belioeve a package fare card that should save money on it.

Also get The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE) which helps you plan outdoor photography shoots in natural light, particularly landscape and urban scenes. It’s a map-centric sun and moon calculator: see how the light will fall on the land, day or night, for any location on earth. Load it on your smart phone. Perfect for what you want to do. http://www.photoephemeris.com/

Good luck and have fun. NYC is a wonderful town and the people are great.

Slobodan Blagojevic · « **Reply #10 on:** April 05, 2015, 10:43:59 pm »

Quote from: Khurram on April 05, 2015, 05:03:45 pm

... Is parking as big of an issue in the Brooklyn heights/Dumbo area as it is in NYC???

Parking in NYC (Manhattan) is indeed a big issue and count on $40-50 per day without in/out privileges, if you are staying in hotels there. Moving around town in your own car is not a smart idea either, both because of traffic and finding a parking spot.

Khurram · « **Reply #11 on:** April 06, 2015, 09:20:39 pm »

Quote from: Alan Klein on April 05, 2015, 10:35:45 pm

There's so much to shoot right outside your hotel in NYC that just staying elsewhere would limit many good shots. Also you'll be wasting so much time commuting between Newark and NYC and the cost of transportation has to be added to the cheaper hotel cost in Newark.

Stay in Brooklyn or Queens (just on the other side of mid-town Manhattan) and travel around by public transportation. You can pickup I belioeve a package fare card that should save money on it.

Also get The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE) which helps you plan outdoor photography shoots in natural light, particularly landscape and urban scenes. It’s a map-centric sun and moon calculator: see how the light will fall on the land, day or night, for any location on earth. Load it on your smart phone. Perfect for what you want to do. http://www.photoephemeris.com/

Good luck and have fun. NYC is a wonderful town and the people are great.

Thanks for the info and link. I do have TPE, but the challenge is trying to figure out what is a good location, once you have that, that you can determine the sunrise/sunset time. However, i'm still trying to figure out what a good location is for manhattanhenge.

Slobodan Blagojevic · « **Reply #12 on:** April 06, 2015, 09:36:45 pm »

Quote from: Khurram on April 06, 2015, 09:20:39 pm

... still trying to figure out what a good location is for manhattanhenge.

Do not know about that, but I got this, unplanned, on Aug 10, 2013, looking west on the 43rd street and Broadway:

New York Dusk II by Slobodan Blagojevic, on Flickr

Tony Jay · « **Reply #13 on:** April 07, 2015, 03:52:49 am »

That is a very cool image!

Tony Jay

Khurram · « **Reply #14 on:** April 08, 2015, 07:22:43 am »

Quote from: Slobodan Blagojevic on April 06, 2015, 09:36:45 pm

Do not know about that, but I got this, unplanned, on Aug 10, 2013, looking west on the 43rd street and Broadway:

New York Dusk II by Slobodan Blagojevic, on Flickr

nice shot! You maintained good detail in the shadows - is this a blend???

Ken Bennett · « **Reply #15 on:** April 08, 2015, 07:24:14 am »

+1 on stay in NYC and +1 on NO CAR. Take transit or a cab or walk. Driving and trying to find parking in NYC will take all of your time. You will not be able to stay in Newark and drive to anything. I like the Hudson in Midtown near Columbus Circle. Not too expensive at $225/night.

Re: TPE. Don't just use it for times, use it for locations. This might be easier on the computer than on the phone, but you can drop pins and move them around to figure out where you need to be standing to see the sun or moon at different times. Given the tight confines of Manhattanhenge, it's useful to recall that the sun moves quite a bit horizontally as it rises and sets. I've attached a screen shot from my laptop for Midtown on May 30.

Khurram · « **Reply #16 on:** April 08, 2015, 07:28:08 am »

Thanks for the advice! I really hope it's cloudy during that window, like it was for the full moon this past week in Calgary!

Quote from: paulgrundy on April 08, 2015, 05:26:58 am

Yes, the sun will be in exactly the same place on both these dates. May is before the summer solstice, 21st June. July is after it.

My experience of shooting it 5 years ago:
To really show that the sun is setting right down the middle of the street you need to shoot it from the middle of the street. Choose your street and use a pedestrian crossing if there is one, and the red traffic lights to walk into the middle of street with your camera on a tripod and shoot for the 30 seconds or so you have before a yellow taxi tries to run you down.
As the sun is setting you will see how quickly it is moving, you will see the change between each traffic light phase. So start shooting 5 minutes before the ideal moment, going in and out of the street, your confidence will grow, you will have the exposure(s) sorted out and just hope the sun does not disappear behind a cloud.
Good Luck!

Khurram · « **Reply #17 on:** April 08, 2015, 07:34:57 am »

Thanks for the advice and screen shot!!! I'll play with TPE a bit more.

What would you recommend for sunrise??? One of the reasons i was going to stay in the NJ side, was I thought i could shoot the Manhattan at dawn from there.

Quote from: Ken Bennett on April 08, 2015, 07:24:14 am

+1 on stay in NYC and +1 on NO CAR. Take transit or a cab or walk. Driving and trying to find parking in NYC will take all of your time. You will not be able to stay in Newark and drive to anything. I like the Hudson in Midtown near Columbus Circle. Not too expensive at $225/night.

Re: TPE. Don't just use it for times, use it for locations. This might be easier on the computer than on the phone, but you can drop pins and move them around to figure out where you need to be standing to see the sun or moon at different times. Given the tight confines of Manhattanhenge, it's useful to recall that the sun moves quite a bit horizontally as it rises and sets. I've attached a screen shot from my laptop for Midtown on May 30.

Slobodan Blagojevic · « **Reply #18 on:** April 08, 2015, 08:53:44 am »

Quote from: Khurram on April 08, 2015, 07:22:43 am

nice shot! You maintained good detail in the shadows - is this a blend???

No, a single hand-held shot. Just a lucky balance between dusk and street lights.

david loble · « **Reply #19 on:** April 08, 2015, 05:23:55 pm »

I agree on being car-free in Manhattan. But if you insist on driving in download bestparking.com to possibly save some $$ on parking.

Many years ago Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ was a popular spot for photographing lower Manhattan at sunset.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_State_Park

Author Topic: New York - Manhattanhenge & Brooklyn advice (Read 8979 times)