Of the 20 or so bridges connecting to Manhattan, all but one are on the east side of the island, connecting the island to either Brooklyn, Queens or the Bronx.  There is only one bridge on the west side of the island, and that bridge is the George Washington Bridge, connecting the island to Fort Lee, NJ.

Built in 1931, the bridge is 4760 feet in length and is the most-traveled bridge in the world on a daily basis, carrying an average of 300,000 people every day.  It’s also one of the most photographed bridges in the city.

I’ve photographed the bridge in the past, taking these shots from various points:

Nightfall on the Hudson

The George Washington Bridge at Sunset.

The George Washington Bridge as seen from the top of the Billings Arches at Fort Tryon Park

Recently, I had the opportunity to go back to Fort Washington Park and shoot the bridge again, catching just as the sun set behind the Palisades, casting a beautiful orange glow across the clouds and sky.  And, of course, I had to get a shot of the famous Little Red Lighthouse at the foot of the bridge.

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

It doesn’t have the grand history of the Brooklyn Bridge.  It doesn’t carry as much traffic as the George Washington Bridge.  It hasn’t been immortalized in Simon & Garfunkel song like the 59th Street Bridge (also called the Queensboro Bridge and now [offically] named the Edward Koch Queensboro Bridge).   But yet, it has a charm and a beauty all it’s own.

There is a park that runs along the Belt Parkway on the eastern side of the Verrazano.  It includes a walking path that stretches all the way back to Ceasar’s Bay Shopping Center at Bay Parkway.  People run, jog and walk along the path.  During the summer, many people fish off the walkway as well.  Kids play in the park and it’s not uncommon to see kites in the sky.

From the Brooklyn side, you can often catch the sun setting behind the Verrazano.  Last fall, I caught it setting behind the Staten Island side of the bridge.  In late July, however, it sets behind the Brooklyn side.  This allows for some nice sunset shots.  I spent some time there a few weeks ago and came away with these shots.

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at sunset in July, with Shore Park in the foreground.

The sun setting behind the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Brooklyn on a July evening.

All three of these shots were shot on the same day, within minutes of each other. I happen to like the fact that the composition and processing of the photos give each one a distinct feel from the others.

What do you think?  I’d love to hear from you.

This was my picture from the last time this occurred, on July 11.  I was standing on the corner of 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue when this shot was taken.  So far, this photo has become my most popular photo ever.

Manhattanhenge is a truly wonderful time to take a picture in New York for several reasons.  First of all, by definition, it’s in the golden hour, that wonderful time of day when photographs have that warm glow from the low-hanging sun.  In addition, it’s very unusual for New Yorkers to see the sun at the horizon.  Usually, during the rest of the year, Manhattanites cannot see the sunset because it’s blocked by the buildings and skyscrapers.  However, on these days, we can actually see the sun go down from most of the island.  Lastly, it’s a great opportunity to photograph crowds of people, as I did above.

The next sunset Manhattanhenge will be in late May 2017.  In the meantime, if you want to purchase prints of this shot (starting at $28), please visit my sales site.

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

When you ask someone to name a famous place in New York, I believe you’ll find that most people will respond with one of three responses…. Times Square, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.  Those are, in my opinion, the “big three.”  That’s not to state that there aren’t other places that people would mention — New York has lots of great places, but I believe those three would dominate the answers given.

That being said (and the fact that I work in Times Square), I figured that Times Square would be the best bet for a photo.  As it is, I’ve had some success shooting in Times Square in the past.  In fact, one of my favorite photos was taken two years ago in a snowfall in Times Square:

There is so much constantly going on in Times Square that there are plenty of different ways to shoot the scene.  You could focus on the people, telling their stories.  You could focus on the brilliant signage, instantly recognizable anywhere.  You could focus on the buildings and the famous brands that have storefronts there… and on and on.

I didn’t have a chance to shoot during the day… during the winter the day is short and I’m usually stuck indoors working during the daylight hours.  So, considering I was going to be shooting at night, I decided to focus on the colors and lights and activity of Times Square.  I was going to try to soak up as much color and light as possible for my shot.  I found a spot off to the side of Broadway (you can’t shoot in the middle of the street at rush hour!), attached my camera to my tripod, zoomed my lens out as wide as it would go and shot.  In the end, I shot from several locations around Times Square and came away with two shots that I really liked.

Here’s the shot I submitted:

Times Square on a winter evening.

Here is the one I did not submit:

I would have loved to submit both, but in the end, I had to pick one.  I asked several people for their opinions and most of them chose the top shot, which is the one I was leaning towards too.

What do you think?  Did I pick the right shot?  Or do you like the lower one better?  Let me know…

Zev

I never really noticed how late in October the fall foliage season lasts here in New York City, and I was kind of surprised by how much color there was to shoot.  I decided to try to do my best to have the color “explode” off the page in a lot of the shots, and I think I managed to succeed.

I’ve been displaying these shots on Facebook over the last few days and have, so far, received quite a bit of positive feedback on them.  Some of the shots were released on Facebook while others are being shown here for the first time.  Feel free to scroll through the images…

I had such a great time taking these pictures that I think I’m going to take my birthday off of work every year and do this…

As always, comments are welcome, encouraged and appreciated.  Please feel free to let me know what you think of them.  Which are your favorites?

Zev

The longest bridge in the city is the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.  It was built in the early 1960s to connect Brooklyn and Staten Island.  Until then, the only way to get to Staten Island from the rest of the city was by ferry.

Aside from its length, you could easily say that the Verrazano-Narrows is overshadowed by other bridges in the city.  It’s certainly not as legendary as the Brooklyn Bridge.  It doesn’t carry as much daily traffic as the George Washington Bridge.  It doesn’t have the antiquity of the recently-reopened High Bridge.  It hasn’t been immortalized in song as the 59th Street (Queensboro/Ed Koch) bridge was.

But yet, there is no denying that the Verrazano-Narrows bridge is still unique and special to New York.  Much like the Brooklyn Bridge, it’s construction was considered an engineering triumph of the day.  When completed, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world.  The two bridge towers, 693 feet high, are actually not in parallel.  Due to the curvature of the earth, they are about 3 inches further apart at the top than they are at the bottom.

I’ve lived in southern Brooklyn since I was nine years old, and the Verrazano-Narrows bridge is a visible landmark visible from most of the region.  I could see it just about any day that I walked westward along Avenue M where, off in the distance, the bridge’s eastern tower rises into the sky.

While the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is not as iconic (and perhaps not as beautiful as) the Brooklyn Bridge, it does have a beauty all its own.  I recently took a stroll along the Belt Parkway last Sunday at sunset, hoping to catch some nice shots of the bridge.  As you can see from the shots here, I was not disappointed.  The bridge and the sunset together put on an amazing display that I was privileged to be able to attempt to capture.

As always, your feedback on these photos is encouraged and appreciated.  Please feel free to let me know what you think!

Zev

For 52Frames, the weekly assignment was Street Photography and, truly, if there is anyplace in the United States that is idea for street photography, it’s Times Square.  The choice to shoot there was made easier by the fact that my day job is right in Times Square, on the corner of 42nd Street and 7th Avenue.  Street photography isn’t as much about the street itself as it is about the human condition, about capturing people in their “natural environment,” without the fancy poses and lighting and all that.

I had a plan to try to shoot Times Square empty of people.  You might ask how I could possibly do that, since there are *always* people in Times Square, 24 hours a day.  Well, there is a way you can do it by taking a series of photographs and, using the magic of Photoshop, edit the people out.  Unfortunately, for technical reasons (including my failure to think it completely through!  ), it didn’t quite work out.

Nonetheless, I still had a bunch of shots that I took that day.  If I couldn’t get rid of the people, I reasoned, perhaps I could combine the shots.  I found four shots that showed interesting people in Times Square and blended them together.  I believe this shot shows not only the hustle and bustle of the city, but also how people — residents and tourists alike, enjoy being at the Crossroads of the World.

Zev

P.S.  If you like photos of New York City, please be sure to check out my New York City photo gallery!