I was in the city on the morning of September 11, 2001.  Not only was I in the city, I was about a block and a half from the towers when they fell.  I saw, heard and felt them fall.  It is something that I will not forget for the rest of my life.

Every year, the city pays tribute to the fallen of the day with the Tribute In Light and I try, whenever possible, to photograph them.  Some of my favorite shots come from those shoots, and this year was no different.  I try to find different locations to shoot from each year, and this year I stationed myself in Brooklyn Bridge Park on the evening of September 11.

Of course, I arrived there before sunset and the lights, and my arriving early paid off with some very nice shots.  One of my favorites from then is this shot:

The Manhattan Skyline at Sunset

The setting sun off and clouds were putting on a spectacular show and I could not resist shooting them.  I came away with a few images before the lights came on, but this one was my favorite.

Once the lights were turned on, I (and the hundreds of other photographers that were there) began shooting.  My favorite from that set is this one:

The annual Tribute In Light memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks, taken from Brooklyn Bridge Park.

As you can see, it was taken from the same vantage point as the previous shot.  However, the difference in lighting and clouds from just a few minutes (the sun had just set only a few minutes previously — you can still see the sun glare to the left of Manhattan) makes this shot very different from the previous one.  The previous shot (to me, anyway) has a certain energy to it.  The bottom picture, however, is very calming.  Perhaps it’s the smoother water (largely due to the longer shutter speed necessary due to the reduced light), perhaps it’s the coloring (purple is a much cooler color than blue), perhaps it’s the dispersal of the crazy clouds in the first shot — whatever it is, the two shots, taken from the same vantage point only minutes apart, are very different.

Of course, once I was there in the park, I spent some time shooting from different vantage points.  As I walked around the park, I found a spot where the lights were set against one of the arches of the Brooklyn Bridge and could not resist setting up my tripod to take the shot.  This was the result:

The Brooklyn Bridge with the Tribute In Light memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks in the background. Taken in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

The Brooklyn Bridge is, of course, one of the quintessential symbols of New York City, and photographing the lights together with it seemed very appropriate.  Aside from the bridge arches and the lights, I also happen to like how the lines go in various directions all over the picture, giving the picture some dynamic energy.

Until a few weeks ago, I worked in the Empire State Building and, as such, had the opportunity to go up to the Observation Deck and take some shots.  I went one day towards sunset and spent some time shooting.  I came away with a few shots that I really liked:

A sunset over Manhattan, south of 34th Street

The sun setting over the island of Manhattan and New Jersey

These shots make me realize that one of these days, I have to take a helicopter ride over the city and get some shots from really high up.  

Next time, I’m going to present my Top 10 Shots from 2016.   See  you then.  

Zev

The most famous, of course, is the Brooklyn Bridge, built by John Robeling and opened to traffic in 1883.  The bridge was one of the factors in the consolidation of New York City, when Brooklyn (along with the other boros) were incorporated into Greater New York City in 1898.

The Brooklyn Bridge was a marvel of it’s time, the longest suspension bridge in the world.  It soon proved to be incredibly popular — so much so that two more bridges crossing the East River had to be built to accommodate the traffic — the Williamsburg bridge in 1903 and the Manhattan Bridge in 1909.

Brooklyn Bridge park sits right under the Brooklyn end of both the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and is within sight of the Williamsburg bridge.

Aside from providing amazing views of both bridges and the famous downtown Manhattan skyline, the park is home to historic icons such as Jane’s Carousel.  In addition, there is lots of parkland to relax and enjoy yourself, piers that have been converted to sports facilities, barbeque stations and good food and drink.

One of my favorite times to come here is around sunset, when the sun is going down over the skyscrapers.  You can always get some great shots then.

Here are some shots that I took when I visited the park this week and brought my new wide-angle lens:

The Manhattan Bridge at Sunset, with the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline in the background.

The Brooklyn Bridge at Sunset with the New York skyline in the background. Also in the picture is Jane’s Carousel.

The Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, together with One World Trade Center and other Manhattan skyscrapers.

Do you have any favorite places around the city where you like to shoot?  If so, let me know.

Zev

In the end, I narrowed my choices down to two pictures.

The first, titled “Freedom’s Arrow” is a shot taken from the base of the new One World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan.  I stood at the base of the tower and simply pointed my camera up.  This was the result:

The other shot that I liked was one that I took from the Brooklyn Bridge.  There are lots of things to focus on while on the bridge, but I was out looking for patterns and found something that appealed to me:

I like this shot because of the repeating patterns and the leading lines that lead you straight to the center portion of the arches and the flag.

In the end, I chose the tower picture.  I like the simplicity of it and the blue of the sky and the tower windows.

What do you think?  Did I make the right choice?  Or should I have gone with the bridge shot?

Zev

There are many places to see the Manhattan skyline and I have yet to shoot from all of them.  However, I do have three favorite spots that I frequent:

1.  Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklyn Bridge Park is located on the northern tip of Brooklyn, just across the East River from lower Manhattan.  The park itself is very new – construction began in 2008 and the first part of it opened in 2011.  Even if you’re not going to photograph or enjoy the skyline, it’s a wonderful place to relax, bring the family and enjoy some time outdoors.  You could spend time eating from one of the shops here, riding Jane’s Carousel, playing in the playground with the kids, and enjoying the spirit of Downtown Brooklyn.

Of course, the view of the southern tip of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge are magnificent.

One of my favorite shots taken from here is a panorama that I took on a photo walk in May 2014.

Lower Manhattan NYC Skyline & Brooklyn Bridge

If you can get here towards sunset when there are lots of interesting clouds in the sky, you’re practically guaranteed to get a great picture.

Downtown Manhattan as viewed from Brooklyn Bridge Park

The next two places are actually in New Jersey, which is across the Hudson River from Manhattan.  From here, you can get terrific shots of the west side of Manhattan.

2.  Liberty State Park, NJ

Liberty State Park (located in Liberty, NJ) is not (in my opinion) as vibrant and lively as Brooklyn Bridge Park, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to do.  There are places to sit, eat and enjoy the wonderful view.  You can also see and photograph the remnants of the railroad that used to run through the area as well as visit the Empty Sky memorial dedicated to the people who perished in the September 11 attacks.  And if you have kids, you can’t go wrong visiting the Liberty Science Center.

But again, for me, it’s all about the pictures.

From here, you can get wonderful shots of lower Manhattan during the day or night.  Some of my favorites are:

As an added bonus, you can also take some nice shots of Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from here as well.

3.  Weehawken  Waterfront Park

I’ve only been at this park twice, but it was where I captured my favorite NYC skyline panorama.  From here, you can see practically the entire west side of Manhattan, from the George Washington Bridge in the north to the Verezzano-Narrows bridge in the south.  If you want a shot of the Empire State Building lit up from across the river, this is the place to go.

The first time I was here, I came on the night of a full moon, hoping to catch the moon rising over the city.  The result?  Well, judge for yourself…

Aside from the fact that it’s a nice image, this picture also has additional meaning for me as this panorama was the first canvas print I ever sold.

There are certainly other great places to go to shoot the New York City skyline and I plan to continue exploring them in the coming months.

What about you?  What are your favorite places to go to see the skyscrapers of Manhattan?   Have you taken any great pictures of the skyline?  If so, I’d love to see them.  Feel free to share in the comments.
Zev

The only thing that is better than an image of the New York skyline is a panorama of that same skyline.  If there is a non-natural subject that is tailor-made for panoramic images, it’s this collection of buildings.

I was on a photo walk this past spring, which led us to the Brooklyn Bridge Park.  Most of the participants didn’t bring along a tripod (seriously, who brings along a tripod to a photo walk?), but I did, in the hopes that I’d be able to take some panoramas and sunset pictures by the park at the end of the day.   Fortunately, I was able to put it to good use when I captured this panorama at sunset, which made the whole day of schlepping the tripod around worth it.

  The bridge on the right side of the image is the Brooklyn Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to Manhattan.  I’ve walked over that bridge many times.  When I used to work downtown, I often walked over it and back during my lunch break.  The tall building with the antenna just right of center is the new 1 World Trade Center (aka The Freedom Tower).

Other cities have plenty of things going for them.  Paris has its famous Tower.  Seattle is rightly proud of its Space Needle.  Jerusalem, Rome, Constantinople, Damascus and others have histories so long that it’s impossible to think of New York as anything but a babe of a city compared to them, even after four centuries.  But the New York skyline is unique.  It’s one of the things that define the city and has no equal throughout the world.

Zev

I took some nice shots, but the shot I’m proudest of is this panorama of the New York City skyline.  I took this at sunset from Brooklyn Bridge Park.  This is a panorama of eight shots stitched together.

NYC Skyline From Brooklyn Bridge Park