Top 5 Places To Shoot In New York City - Tilly Clifford

Having just got home from a month in New York City, I thought I’d share with you some of my travel snaps and favourite places to shoot. New York is huge and there are so many hidden vantage points that make for amazing photos with crazy city views. I managed to stumble across quite a few incredible photo locations and most are very easy to access. If you are planning a trip to New York with your camera, these locations are a must!

All images below are shot on Canon 5D Mark iii with Canon 35mm f1.4L

The New York City Highline is located in Chelsea, It’s a public park built on a historic freight rail line, which is elevated above the streets. You can walk the whole trail or simply head up for a quick photo-shoot. There are many access points along the way but I stepped up from 14th Street and walked the whole park.

You can actually walk the entire Manhattan Bridge. It’s not as enjoyable as the Brooklyn Bridge walk as the subway trains to Brooklyn rattle loudly past you, but it has some fantastic photo opportunities every step of the way. It is fenced in places but the wire has been broken in perfect positing for you to poke your camera through and shoot the side streets. You access the bridge from Chinatown on the Manhattan side and if you keep walking you end up in DUMBO Brooklyn, which is the next stop on the list!

Dumbo is an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. It’s a neighbourhood on the edge of Brooklyn with incredible views of the Manhattan skyline. Plenty of exploring to do around this area if you want to find different angles and compositions to shoot, there is so much there if you have a little time to spend. I suggest coming back at sunset too!

As busy as it is, walking the Brooklyn Bridge is something most people do on their first trip to NY. While everyone is stopped taking photos of the bridge itself, I suggest stepping aside and pointing your camera back at Manhattan Island. You can get some amazing cityscape views from here just be careful not to get run over by a bicycle rider!

Top of the Rock and top of the Empire State Building are a must do if you have time for both. But if you can only squeeze in one visit make it the Rockefeller Center. When your up on top you have incredible views of the Empire state building right in front of you, and you can see the entire way down the Island and the surrounding Boroughs. Aim for early morning for the best light. Make sure you put your camera down for a moment too and just take it all in with your own eyes.

There you have it.
My top five favourite spots to shoot in New York City, Enjoy!

If you like Tilly's work, check out her portfolio and galleries here...

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