Photographing NYC for Brand & Lifestyle
A few weeks ago, I took a spontaneous day trip to New York City, intending to see not only how it would be to travel such a far distance from North Carolina and return within 24 hours without sleeping, but also to see just how much photography I could capture within that time frame.
Although the primary reason for my visit was to see all that I could experience in such a short time frame, I was also curious to see how many different photoshoot locations I could come up with, combining a mixture of popular and prominent tourist attractions, less-obvious locations catered towards my lifestyle photography niche specifically, and personal favorites that resonated with me when I had visited in times past.
One of my favorite aspects of New York City, from a photographer’s perspective, is its incredible diversity in both culture and architectural environment.
You can visit the exact location a dozen times, and depending on the weather, time of day, and any relevant happenings in the area, you can have unique opportunities to photograph each time.
That being said, I took some time to compile a list of my favorite locations in New York City for photoshoots.
Some of these are popular tourist attractions that will come as no surprise, while others are lesser-known and far less frequently visited and photographed.
Doyers Street | Chinatown
I made plans to take some apparel portraits of my friend Ziyu, a local model in the area.
Since this was going to be a shoot that emphasized baggy and bold streetwear, I wanted to utilize an architectural and environmental setting with colors that complemented the bright reds and yellows in her clothing.
Thankfully, Chinatown and Doyers Street, specifically, are fantastic options to utilize for photography that lends itself to brighter and bolder subjects.
I highly recommend this area if you want to emphasize a more edgy, “in-your-face” complementary color palette of warmer tones, and I’m super stoked with the work Ziyu and I produced in this area to convey this approach.
Staten Island Ferry
Contrary to popular opinion, I think that the real opportunities to photograph arise not from the island itself, but rather on the ferry ride to and from.
Don’t get me wrong, Staten Island is very pretty, and a nice change-of-pace if you’re looking for an environment that’s more nature-centric, as well as significantly quieter than the rest of Manhattan, but the opportunities it can provide to photograph are determined almost entirely by the happenings and events that occasionally take place on the island, rather than the island itself being a strong environment to photograph.
However, the ferry ride between Manhattan and Staten Island is, at least for me, filled to the brim with creative opportunity.
Not only can you view the skyline itself from a great close-up perspective, with the water from the Upper Bay serving as an excellent foreground subject, but it also serves as an excellent background when you want to take environmental portraits.
Delmonico’s | 56 Beaver Street
Otherwise well-known as the location serving as the interior of The Continental in the ‘John Wick’ films, this Delmonico’s location will always have a special place in my heart.
The rich red hues in the bricks do an excellent job of standing out amidst the rest of the neutral-toned surrounding architecture, as does the shape and location of the building itself, which occupies a triangular lot at the corner of a five-way intersection.
Aside from serving as an excellent location for portrait and fashion shoots, I enjoy photographing taxis and pedestrians that pass by the crosswalks in front of it, really highlighting and honing in on that old-school, more traditional perspective and environment that New York City is best known for to outsiders.
East River Piers
The highlight of my trip was highlighting the various families, couples, and events taking place at sunset along the East River Piers, looking towards Lower Manhattan.
The sheer amount of activity taking place here made it incredibly easy to candidly capture the families and couples enjoying each other’s company.
I plan to return here in the future whenever I have a concept that requires a location that complements the best aspects of both an urban environment and various green spaces, as well as a slightly slower-paced, romantic atmosphere.
As a side note, my favorite aspect of this location was getting to see many people with blankets spread out, tossing footballs, flying kites, etc., and just focusing on living in and appreciating the current moments with the company of their loved ones, something that I admittedly don’t get to experience much of in my hometown.
Curious to see how I can utilize urban lifestyle environments to bring your brand’s vision to life?
I’d love to hear about your marketing goals and how I can best utilize my skill set to help you achieve them!