Manhattanhenge Through a Lens: Tips for Getting the Perfect Shot
Photographer Gary Hershorn hasn't missed a Manhattanhenge in more than a decade. Each year he joins the crowds attempting to capture the fleeting moment when the setting sun perfectly aligns with the island's grid. Over the years he has watched the city and the spectacle transform from behind his lens.
'It's one of those crazy New York events that capture everybody's attention,' he said.
Mr. Hershorn, who is the director of photography for ABC News Digital, shared his best tips for capturing the celestial phenomenon, which is scheduled to happen Wednesday and Thursday night shortly after 8 p.m.
The sun and the city's grid should align Wednesday evening beginning around 8:13 p.m., but Manhattanhenge will be hard to capture because the forecast calls for overcast skies and rain.
Tonight is a 'bust,' Mr. Hershorn said.
He may try tomorrow night instead, when there should be some sun come sunset. And if that doesn't work, there will be a second Manhattanhenge in July.
Mr. Hershorn recommends viewing Manhattanhenge on a double wide street that has traffic in both directions, such as 14th Street, 34th Street or 42nd Street.
He used to shoot along 34th Street to capture the Empire State Building in the foreground of his photos, but the construction of Hudson Yards obscured the view. The same went for 57th Street, a once-good vantage point now encroached upon by the newly built skyscrapers along Billionaire's Row.
That leaves 42nd Street. The Park Avenue bridge next to Grand Central Terminal in Pershing Square provides elevation and a good view down the street, but is open to traffic, which means police officers will often shoo away crowds of spectators (and photographers), Mr. Hershorn said.
His preferred perch is on a one-way bridge across 42nd Street between First and Second Avenue, though it has suffered from a narrowing perspective over the years, as trees on either of the street have grown larger, rendering what was once 100 feet of view into 25 feet.
Also, as Instagram became more popular, the bridge became more hectic during Manhattanhenge.
'Ten or 12 years ago, you could walk up to that bridge an hour before Manhattanhenge happened, find a spot and have no problem doing it,' Mr. Hershorn said. 'In today's world, people are up there at like 9 in the morning.'
When Manhattanhenge occurs during the winter, Mr. Hershorn gets a sunrise version by shooting from Weehawken in New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. The cliffs on the Jersey side give him the elevated perspective he looks for, and the sunrise effect is the same, he said.
Long Island City in Queens, on the other side of the city, should work the same way for the sunset version of Manhattanhenge, but according to Mr. Hershorn, the United Nations headquarters on 42nd Street takes up too much of the foreground in the photos.
'It's one of those moments where the phone can actually produce a better quality image than a camera does,' Mr. Hershorn said.
On a camera, adjusting the exposure for the shadows makes the sun too bright, and adjusting the exposure for the sun makes it impossible to see the street. But on a smartphone, a setting called HDR, or High Dynamic Range, balances the light better than a traditional camera.
The sun is the star of Manhattanhenge, but the people it brings out can be just as interesting.
'It's a scene that you want to capture,' Mr. Hershorn said. 'It's a scene that you want to be a part of, like a party.'
During this time, 42nd Street becomes 'hysterical,' he said, filled with honking taxi cabs and commuters trying to pick through the crowds.
'All I want to say to them is, just stop your life for five minutes and watch,' Mr. Hershorn said. 'Don't be in such a hurry to get somewhere. The people are not moving. So calm down, open your car door, stand up and just watch.'
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