Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get into photography a bit more, and I thought a cool project would be capturing the sunset in Manhattan. Sounds simple, right? Turns out, it takes a little more planning than just showing up with a camera.
First, I figured out the actual date. I mean, sunsets happen every day, but I wanted a day with a good chance of clear skies. So I checked the weather forecast like a hawk for a few days, and it, a Friday, looked promising.
Finding the Spot
Next up, location, location, location! I knew I wanted the classic Manhattan skyline, but from where? I spent a good hour, maybe two, just browsing Google Maps, looking at street views, and images. I considered a few options:
- Somewhere along the Hudson River in New Jersey – seemed like a popular choice.
- Brooklyn Bridge Park – iconic, but maybe too crowded?
- Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City – this one caught my eye.
decided to go with Gantry Plaza. It looked like it had a pretty unobstructed view, and it wasn’t as famous as the Brooklyn Bridge, so maybe fewer people.
Timing is Everything
Sunsets are fleeting, man. You gotta be there at the right time. To Find it, I simply googled “sunset time Manhattan”. Boom. Found a website that gave me the exact time, down to the minute. It also showed the ‘golden hour,’ which I’d heard photographers talk about. It’s that period just before and after sunset with the best light.
Gear Up
I don’t have any fancy camera equipment, just my phone. But I made sure it was fully charged. And I grabbed a portable charger, just in case. I also packed a small tripod I had lying around – didn’t want blurry photos!
The Actual Shoot (or, Attempt)
So, I got to Gantry Plaza about an hour before sunset. Good thing I did, because it was already getting pretty full. People were setting up tripods, drones, the whole nine yards. I found a decent spot, not the perfect spot, but good enough. I set up my little tripod, mounted my phone, and started snapping some test shots.
The golden hour was amazing. The light was just…wow. I played around with different angles, tried to get some creative shots with the Pepsi-Cola sign, and just soaked it all in.
The Result
Honestly, some of my photos are okay, some are pretty “meh.” But I learned a ton! I realized how important positioning is, how quickly the light changes, and how much I still have to learn about photography. But hey, it was a fun experiment, and I got to see a beautiful sunset over Manhattan. That’s a win in my book.
Next time and I will be better!
