7 New York Photo Spots shot on iPhone

Do you know that feeling when you plan a trip for several months, and then it’s over within a week? Nevertheless, planing the Trip to New York around some iconic New York Photo Spots was worth it!

Moreover, this trip to New York was special to me. First, it’s been a while since I last visited New York. Second, it was the last vacation with my dad before he passed away, and maybe because of that, I still can remember when we queued up to go to the top of the Twin Towers and stood there just enjoying the view.

During my week-long stay in New York, I photographed several iconic photo spots and movie locations as well. So, as a first post, here are seven iconic photo spots in New York.

Radio City Music Hall

The Radio City Music Hall is a great photo spot for the day and during the night. What I liked most here are the vintage style neon lights that will look good from many different angles.

If you want to fit the entire front into the frame, it’s probably a good idea to take the photo from the opposite side of the street. But you can also get a great angle from by just looking up and using a wide lens. For the photo above, I used a Moment Wide attachable lens. To learn more, head to the Moment attachable wide lens for iPhone review I've published earlier.

9/11 Memorial

I hesitated a bit to list this memorial as a photo spot in this article because thousands of people died here. But on the other hand, taking and sharing photos of this memorable place helps not to forget. What I noted here in 2015 is the eerie silence compared to the otherwise loud city.

Iconic Manhattan Bridge View

This place is straightforward to find. Just search Google Maps for “Iconic Manhatten Bridge View.” It’s located in Dumbo, Brooklyn, at the corner of Washington Street and Front Street. Here’s the Apple Maps Link to the Iconic Manhatten Bridge View.

If you’re staying somewhere in Manhattan, I’d recommend taking public transportation to the Brooklyn Bridge and cross it on foot, and you’ll find another iconic photo spot. Hint: Look up!

At the end of Brooklyn Bridge, keep left, and you’ll arrive at the iconic Manhattan Bridge View within 2-3 minutes.

There are three things to mind at this photo spot. First, all the selfie-takers will run into your frame (and sometimes even into you).

Second, how the bridge perfectly aligns with the street and intersection of Washington and Water Street from which I took the photo.

Third, how the Empire State Building in the distance perfectly aligns with the center of the pillar of the bridge.

To get the buildings perfectly straight, you may want to check my post about perspective corrections apps for iPhone to ensure the bridge and the buildings are upright.

Once you’re done here, grab yourself a snack and something to drink at the store to your right and continue towards the sea for one more iconic photo spot - and before you go there, be sure to read about how to take a long exposure with iPhone. You want to use this knowledge there.

Manhatten Skyline View from Dumbo, Brooklyn

Have you downloaded Slow Shutter Cam App and read the blog post I mentioned in the previous chapter? Good, now let’s take an iconic moving clouds photo of the Manhattan Skyline!

For this photo, I chose an exposure time of 56 seconds. The result is a beautifully flattened sea and blurry, moving clouds. I got this photo using Slow Shutter Cam App and, of course, a tripod for iPhone.

Bow Bridge aka Marriage Bridge in Central Park

You can guess from the title why this bridge is so famous. You’ll encounter a lot of proposals here and even see a lot of couples taking their marriage photos on or in front of the bridge in Central Park.

Empire State Building

You’ll also find dozens of angles and perspectives to take a photo of the Empire State Building. Here’s one thing to try: Use all the other buildings and skyscrapers in the area as a frame for your photo.

For more ideas, check out the post about framing ideas for photography to improve your travel photos.

Statue of Liberty as seen from Ellis Island

I’ll tell you a little secret: Since I discovered a dozen handwritten letters from a distant ancestor, I started to research and build my family tree. So I just had to go to Ellis Island and visit the Immigration Museum to learn about the immigration process back then. That was so informative, and guess what: I was even able to solve a family mystery there.

When I left Ellis Island on the ferry boat, the sun was just perfect for this shot. It illuminated the Statue of Liberty on the nearby Liberty Island, plus you get a great view of the New York City Skyline in the background.

One more thing I did in Lightroom Mobile was to give the water a slightly blue tone using selective adjustments.

One more tip for Ellis Island: If you’d always wanted to explore a lost place, check out the hard hat tour of the abandoned Ellis Island hospital. Yes, it’s a guided tour, but you’ll see a lot of great places to take photos. And if you’re visiting Europe, have a look at my post about 7 Lost Places you can visit legally through guided photo tours.