Best spots to photograph the NYC skyline
Photographing New York City from Liberty State Park in Jersey City.
Hoboken, Jersey City, Weehawken and Brooklyn are perfect spots to photograph the New York skyline
You can get to both Hoboken and Jersey City from New York City via the PATH subway and NY Waterway ferry. There are options from both mid-town and from the World Trade Center area. (be sure to look at the PATH map closely, weekend service is different than weekday)
In addition to ample spots to photograph the skyline, both cities have great dining, although Hoboken’s restaurants on Washington Street might be easier to access from the waterfront.
View of the World Trade Center and lower Manhattan from Exchange Place, Jersey City.
Photographing New York City from Hoboken
The photo below is the wonderfully designed Pier C Park in Hoboken Another great location is Hoboken’s Pier A Park, conveniently located right next to the train station and ferry.
Sunset view of the Hudson River and the Empire State building from Hoboken’s Pier C.
A short walk further north in Hoboken leads you to the elevated area around Steven’s Institute of Technology providing panoramic views of the New York skyline.
When you are finished photographing the fantastic views walk a few blocks from the water to Washington Street. You’ll find never-ending options for restaurants.
View of New York City skyline from Liberty State Park in Jersey City.
NYC Skyline photography from Jersey City
Jersey City is located just south of Hoboken and has equally stunning views. You can use the same PATH trains and NY Waterway ferries to travel to Jersey City. If you are visiting the World Trade Center area just hop on the PATH train for a very short ride to Exchange Place. This is absolutely the quickest and easiest spot to get great views of the skyline.
Directly next to the PATH train exit is J. Owen Grundy Park, a pavilion over the river with great views. Facing the skyline you’ll see the Hyatt Regency Hotel, the plaza around the hotel extends even further out into the river and offers wonderful views.
If you are feeling a little more adventurous hop on a rented CitiBike and take a ride to Liberty State Park (photo below) at the southern end of Jersey City. This will give you great views of the skyline plus you’ll be right behind the Statue of Liberty. There are bathrooms by the historic train station and the park office at the southern end of the park.
On the way back to the PATH station there are wonderful restaurants located in the Paulus Hook area of Jersey City. Just be sure to return your CitiBike so you aren’t charged while you are dining.
View of the Manhattan skyline from Liberty State Park, near the Statue of Liberty.
Photographing NYC from Weehawken
Weehawken is a great place to photograph New York City. It’s located just north of Hoboken but this section of Weehawken is not located near public transportation so you’ll need a car or Uber. The Weehawken Dueling Grounds, made famous by the Aaron Burr - Alexander Hamilton duel, is located on Hamilton Avenue on a cliff overlooking the whole NYC skyline.
The photos from this park are unique because the location is elevated on a cliff so you are looking straight across from the skyscrapers. While you are directly across from mid-town Manhattan you can see all the way down to the World Trade Center.
Sunlight reflects off Hudson Yards, NYC. Photographed from the cliffs of Weehawken, NJ.
Lower Manhattan and World Trade Center at sunset photographed from Weehawken, NJ.
Using a Manfrotto variable friction arm instead of a tripod to secure the camera on a fence in Weehawken.
Equipment used for many of the photos seen here:
Canon R5 (more information from Adorama here)
Canon 15-35 f2.8 lens (more information from Adorama here)
Canon 24-105 F4 lens (more information from Adorama here)
Canon 70-200 f2.8 lens (more information from Adorama here)
Manfrotto variable friction arm (more information from Adorama here)
Gorilla Pod travel tripod (more information from Adorama here)
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Photographing the NYC skyline from Brooklyn
Brooklyn Bridge Park is a fantastic spot to capture the New York skyline. Best of all the actual park is getting nicer all the time. You’ll see below that a short walk from the southern end of the park to the area just north of the Brooklyn Bridge will lead you to many great photo locations. A scenic way to get to this area of Brooklyn is to take the NYC ferry from the Wall Street- Pier 11 to DUMBO Brooklyn Bridge Park. It’s a scenic and inexpensive way to get to the Brooklyn waterfront.
This above location is at Pier 6 of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. It’s at the end of Atlantic Avenue, which is a great place to stop for dinner.
A short walk north along the East River leads you to an area where you can capture a small pond in the foreground. The resulting photo is below.
A very nice location to photograph to New York City skyline (or just hang out and enjoy the view) is under the trees along a wooded path just north of Pier 2. The area feels like you are deep in the woods and not in the middle of Brooklyn.
In the photo below I used the trees to frame the skyline.
Below is a good example of post-processing after your photo shoot. In Lightroom I used the tungsten setting to make my raw image bluer. I then converted the photo to a warm black and white image. I really like them both.
This classic photo location is just north of the Brooklyn Bridge near Jane’s Carousel.
Bonus tip - How to photograph Manhattanhenge
What is Manhattanhenge?
Twice a year the rising and setting sun aligns perfectly with Manhattan’s street grid. The exact date changes every year but for sunrise, it is around December 5 and January 8 and for sunset it is around May 28 and July 13.
Where is the best place to photograph Manhattanhenge?
The widest streets give you the best crosstown view. Wide streets include 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd, and 57th Streets.
Another option for sunset is heading to Gantry Plaza State Park in Queens. This is directly across the East River from the United Nations and allows you to photograph straight down 42nd Street.
For sunrise, you can head to New Jersey and photograph from Weehawken (see above for details)
What equipment do I need to photograph Manhattanhenge?
The great thing about Manhattanhenge is that you can use whatever gear you have. You’ll see people using everything from iPhones to expensive telephotos. A wider lens will capture more of the street-scape with a small sun in the distance. A telephoto will give you a huge sun framed by the buildings.
Final thought - Manhattanhenge has become hugely popular. There may be hundreds of people battling for a good spot. So arrive early and maybe bring a stepstool so you can shoot over the head of other photographers.
Other NYC travel blog posts:
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While there are countless attractions and restaurants to visit, here's a great plan that’s all within walking distance of Penn Station train station.