Locations in New York city

[chrisb]

Hello all, I will be traveling to NYC the first of April for a couple

of days, and would like to make pictures of the following sites:

 

1. GE building, exterior and interior

2. Brooklyn Bridge

3. St Patrick's Cathedral

4. Flatiron Bldg.

5. Washington Square Arch

 

Does anyone have recent experience on these locations, best time of

day or staging area to work from, I use both hand held medium format,

and 4x5 monorail on tripod, I carry personal and equipment insurance,

and work solo 99% of the time.

 

Are any of these locations off-limits, or require permitting from the

landlords or city of NYC.

 

Any help advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Best Regards,

 

 

 

Christopher Bullinger

Photographer & Printer

[Monophoto]

Christopher:

 

The City of NY regulates the use of tripods. As a practical matter, that limitation isn't enforced in areas with low pedestrian traffic, for example, inside parks, but you might get some hassle on sidewalks, especially in the busier areas of mid-town Manhattan. It's possible to apply for a permit. I've never done it but my sense is that the process is designed to be discouraging. Perhaps someone else could comment.

 

As to your sites:

 

1. GE building - I presume you mean the Rockefeller Center building and not the old building at 570 Lexington that's now part of Columbia University. The current GE building faces the skating rink at Rockefeller Center, and you can probably find some nice angles in that area. One strong view might be from the entry on Fifth Avenue. As to the interior - that's a problem. There are tours of the NBC studios, but I don't know if they are organized in a way that allow you to do any serious photography. And unfortunately, you can't just wander in because of post-9/11 paranoia. And as a retired GE employee, I can tell you that getting access with a camera will be very difficult.

 

2. St. Patricks - directly across Fifth Avenue from Rockefeller Center. No problem with access, but I've never tried using a tripod inside. The worst case is that they ask you to leave.

 

3. Brooklyn Bridge - there are several spots in the South Street Seaport area where there are nice views of the Bridge. You can also access the pedestrian portion of the Bridge. There are signs posted on the NYC bridges banning photography - its not clear to me whether that is for traffic control or just more post-9/11 paranoia - but they are regular tourist photo spots anyway.

 

4. Flatiron building - the best views are from Madison Square Park, 23rd and Fifth. Not a problem for exteriors, and probably not a problem with tripods in the park itself, but you could get hassled on the sidewalks surrounding it. I've never been inside, but based on other buildings in NYC, I wouldn't assume that the interior is all that spectacular.

 

5. Washington Square Arch - no problem at all. You can probably get away with using a tripod in the park, and frankly, the neighborhood is quiet enough that you may be able to set up on a sidewalk, especially on a weekday. The only problem could be that there is some event scheduled for the park the day you are there. When we were there last May, there was a festival designed to protest a City regulation banning dancing in the streets, and the park was mobbed.

 

Have fun!

[jtdnyc]

Christopher, taking these in reverse order:

 

Washington Square is being extensively renovated -- the central fountain is being moved -- and the Arch is now surrounded by an unsightly chain-link fence. It doesn't look like the job will be done by 1 April. (I live two blocks from the Arch. Feel free to check with me for progress reports.)

 

The Flatiron Building is best viewed from the north, which means you'd be shooting into the sun during the middle of the day. You might want to shoot in the morning, when the sun hits the east face of the building, which is visible from Madison Square and is the side of the building most often seen in pictures.

 

The signs and ushers at St. Patrick's will tell you not to use flash. I don't know what the official rules are on tripods, but the cathedral is often so busy that tripod use would be out of the question as a practical matter. If you want to use a tripod there, you should contact them in advance.

 

As far as the Brooklyn Bridge, I have never had any problem photographing infrastructure in New York, nor has anyone else I know personally; however, I have seen posts from people who claim that they have been hassled. For the official rules about whether you need a permit for a tripod, call 311. (I presume you'd dial area code 212 first from your location.) That's the city's non-emergency information hotline. The Mayor's Office of Film and Television had proposed restrictive rules last year, which were rejected. The people at 311 would be able to tell you the status of any new rules.

 

The GE Building is both private property and a busy tourist location. The lobby is also very dark. You would almost certainly need the landlord's permission to set up a tripod. In addition to shots of the building and in the building, consider some from the building. The observation deck on the roof, which had been closed for decades, re-opened a few years ago and offers spectacular views. The wait for the elevator to the top is only a small fraction of the wait at the Empire State Building.

 

Good luck!

[mark_schafer1]

As for permits, check with the Mayors Film Office. Permits are usually free and are

distributed on a first come bases, it's a PDF download/fax in service. They're great and

very efficient. The only snag you could hit is if someone already has permits for that

day/location.

The permit is great to have, but most of the time totally unnecessary, especially for such a

small shoot (one person, 2 bags, 1 tripod). And even if you have a permit and are blocking

traffic, vehicular or pedestrian, the cops will move you. I would bring business cards,

maybe some promos and your photo association/pr id?s to facilitate things with any

security personnel.

As for private Property: GE building, the entire Rockefeller center area is considered

private and does not allow photo shoots (Tishman Speyer is the managing agent). But due

to the height of the buildings you need some distance anyway.

Overall I would consider the very early morning, 6-8am, weekends 9am, before the city

wakes up; easy to get around, less people, great light. Have fun and remember in NY

people have place to go and people to see; they?re not rude, just in a hurry. If they would

be so awful we would have much more mayhem, oh, and for Sundowners go to the village,

great fun. Best, mark

[jeffpolaski]

I don't think I have ever seen more complete answers to a location question. After dozens of visits to NYC, it just confirms my opinion that New Yorkers are terrific hosts for their city.

[omar_fernandez]

The best view of the Brooklyn bridge is from the Brooklyn Bridge park in Brooklyn, I think. See this link: http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/index.cfm?objectid=EE3D272B-3048-7098-AF1E10FFD5D8DE43#brooklyn_bridge_park

 

Its actually two parks, side by side, with one owned by NY State and the other by NY City. Enter City owned park from Plymouth and Washington streets. Its open for night time shots, and I?ve used a tripod there on several occasions without hassles from Park Rangers (Note that tripods on any city park, without permit, is forbidden.). The State park closes around dusk. There are also good views of the bridge from the pier on the other (South) side of bridge (Fulton Ferry Landing). The above site has directions.

[david_henderson]

I'm in NYC with cameras now

 

St Patricks. As at today the front of the cathedral is partly covered by screens etc for a building project- enough to spoil a front shot anyway.

 

I'd agree with the suggestion that the best place to shoot Brooklyn Bridge is from the parks just east of the bridge on the Brooklyn side. They are accessible from Water Street. The ranger there clearly enjoys his job and will ask you what the purpose of your photography is- in detail. With LF on a tripod you might have trouble getting him to accept your answer. You can photograph quite nicely from the bridge itself of course and though there is signed to be CCTV surveillance I've had no problems with tripods there. Avoid weekends- the cyclists and joggers will drive you crazy.

 

There is a classic "Flatiron" shot currently unavailable due to building works - with the clock in front on the Flatiron. You'll need to be in the park. Its not an easy shot.

 

I'd suggest you may not have a lot of luck with a tripod anywhere in the Rockerfeller Centre unless with prior arrangement. The place is well watched. Handheld exterior shots should not be a problem.

[patrick_p]

I've shot at all these locations and agree with the above. I've even brought a tripod into the Rockerfeller area and managed to get 1-2 shots off before getting chased off. The guards there are pretty tough about it, so if you must use your tripod plan the shot go in take it and get out before your spotted. There are many locations to shoot from in the city. My favorites are in central park. Have fun exploring.

[sallie_jo_perraglia]

I have been told on the Brooklyn Bridge to put away my camera by a police officer, but he said

it very nicely and didn't hassle me. And I was later able to take more pictures. I agree the

best angle is from Brooklyn. For sunrise if you have no clouds and the light is getting harsh

I like to walk from "lighthouse" which sells ice cream east and you can get some tight shots

where a plain blue sky works with the bridge lit up. My favorite thing is to walk the bridge

after the sun is up - you can find great angles and abstracts.