I am off to new york :)

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Robert
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Hello all I am off to New York I am fairly new at photography but I believe I am getting better, I was just wondering if any body could give me any tips and general help with shooting in New York Plz.

Bob.
 
What do you want to shoot cityscapes? people? Grand Central Terminal Station is a must on your list, A great place to eat is Marriott Marquis revolving restaurant, panoramic views of the city whilst dining
 
Cheers guys I have made a note of these places and marked them on my map, I will be taking my carbon tripod a 50mm, a wide angle, and my kit lens with extra battery's and memory cards plus charger for battery's :)
 
You don't say when you're off to the Big Apple Bob but if soon, then the weather looks to be getting colder with lots of snow predicted so be prepared for some magical winter shots as well.

If you have some time, this store I've heard is great to visit. www.bhphotovideo.com

Di
 
I think you'll struggle to set down a tripod anywhere in the centre of New York, but if you specifically want to do some very slow shutter speed work, and can carve out some time for that then go for it. Expect to be challenged if you are using it near any monuments, major buildings or inside Grand Central station etc.

IMHO you are maybe better off with a small beanbag and finding a wall/pillar etc in many cases.

(As suggested above while I was typing) Whatever you choose to do make a trip to B&H Photo and allow a good hour to marvel at the worlds greatest photography shop (be aware that the shop observes Jewish opening hours and holidays).

I didn't take a wide when I went and regretted it. I used my 70-200 less than envisaged & only really on the Staten Island ferry looking across at the Statue of Liberty.

Have fun.
 
Do both Empire State & Top Of The Rock as they give different views. Niether like tripods (they will take them off you) but I did get away with using a gorillapod on top of the rock, empire state even took that off me ! (returned upon descent) - no where to use one up there anyway.
Top of the rock have flat topped pillars where you can rest the camera/gorillapod or even a bean bag.

Top Of The Rock do tickets where you can go up twice in a day, worth it to do day and night time.

As said Brooklyn Bridge & Flat Iron Building are landmarks.
In Grand Central I rested the camera on the balustrade and my hand to get a long exposure, a beanbag would work well there.

Not sure if USS Intrepid has re-opened yet but thats worth a look too, they have a space shuttle on deck at the moment.

If it snows go to Central Park, lots of interest to use.

My rather touristy set http://www.flickr.com/photos/hotrods/sets/72157629058938023/
USS Intrepid http://www.flickr.com/photos/hotrods/sets/72157629070450429/

Look at these for inspiration, both do some great work in and around the city:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanbudhu/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vivnsect/

Edit: As above, seriously consider a UWA lens, if you don't want to buy lenses for hire (owner frequents the forum) will sort you out :)
 
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Cheers all for your help with places I should go to :) Great photos Craft. I will be flying out tomorrow morning and I should be there at 11.00 in the morning I can't wait, it like Christmas all over again :)
 
Widest I had was the 24-70, and I wished I had wider. If you want to get all those tall buildings in frame from the ground an UWA is a must. I went to B&H to buy one, only to discover I had lost my passport somewhere along the way :/ I was buying a 14mm used prime, and using my card to pay - they always ask for ID, which is great, as I wouldn't have noticed it missing until we were leaving otherwise!

The guys at B&H were brill, they tried their best to help me locate the passport, they called all of the places I had been that morning but no luck. In the end the concierge at the hotel located it for me, it was handed in to Macy's lost and found - phew! - B&H emailed me after I'd come home, asking if I had found it and got home alright. Thought that was nice of them.

Because of thick fog for half the time we were there we didn't get out to the statue or Brooklyn bridge. An excuse to go back some day! :)


Top of rock is great, amazing view. But they don't like anyone queuing until your allotted time. It can get cramped at the entrance with so many people waiting for their turn to head up, they only take so many at a time. Just get your ticket, go have something to eat - plenty of options in the Rockafella centre, and only go back to the entrance for TOR at the precise time you were given. You can indeed take a gorrilapod up there, I saw people with tripods even. Just fold them up and stick them in your bag before going for the elevator. There's a hall on the second to highest floor where you can set a gorrilapod up on the window ledges. Because of the glass panels on the top, there isn't really anywhere to set them up there. If you did manage to get your tripod up you'll need to extend it full to get a clear view. Most of the shots I took up there were hand held, pushed the lens flat against the glass and managed anything up to 1" exposures. From the lower floor on the window ledge I could do much longer, but the glass is a bit dirty, and unless you press right against it you'll get reflections from behind.

Your wide angle and 50mm will do nicely in general.
 
I would shoot in raw or if you are not processing raw yet shoot jpeg+raw as one day you will be and you will wish you had the raw files. Then take a lot of sd cards at just shoot as much as you can. You will be like a kid in a candy shop, its one of the best cities in the world.
 
I was there in May, a wide angle is a must for taking shots of buildings. I took at sigma 10-20mm (DX) and used it most. I got asked if I had a tripod when I went to the Empire State building and said no even though I did have a Trek-Tech Optera 230 in my rucksack (they did't check).

Here's some of my pics which should give you an idea of focal length.
 
Really useful thread..... I've just booked a week there in March, can't wait now Ive seen some of the photo examples :)
 
Take a taxi to the financial district theres loads of great building world trade centre,trinity church, stock exchange,city hall, library...... and you must walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and go down washington street:)
 
Definitely recommend walking over Brooklyn Bridge. There is a slight downer at the moment as much of the Manhatten side is swathed in sheeting whilst being renovated, but still many great shots for the taking.

Another good spot is around the South Street maritime museum.
 
Going myself next week, looks like there'll be plenty of NY pics on the forum shortly!
 
Been to New York 3 times this week, don't see the attraction;) :D

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Hello all I am back from New York oh my god it was awesome I felt like a kid again, every thing was so big and so much to see. Many thanks for all the tips and replies I will have to sort my pictures out as I did rather take a lot of them :)

I hope this link to some of the pictures I took works please let me know and I will add some more, also I don't claim to be the best every photographer and I am still learning :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92136007@N02/sets/72157632501611045/
 
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I am going in April, so searching everything related to New York, planning on taking my wide and nifty 50.
 
That is all you will really need. If i was going back I'd keep it very light. You will do a hell of a lot of walking. You wont want large zooms on your back all day.
 
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