New York City Nighttime HDRs
January 2012
You don’t have to wait until very late at night to take nighttime shots of New York City. When Daylight Savings Time ends in the fall, it’ll be completely dark by rush hour when most people get out of work at 5pm.

I’ve been meaning to take advantage of the early sunsets in the wintertime and take pictures of NYC skyscrapers with windows aglow. I think they’re perfect for HDR (“high dynamic range” -- a digital technique for balancing lighting in a high contrast scene) because detail can be seen through windows -- or at least the ceiling lights inside brightly-lit rooms -- as opposed to the usual blown-out windows in traditional long exposure night shots.

However, each time I came out of my building at 5pm I came up with excuses not to pull my camera out of my bag. Too cold. No clouds. Dull sunset. Too cold. I think part of the reason also is I just wanted to get home. In other words, I get lazy all of a sudden. As a result, we’re already halfway through winter, the sun is setting later and the evening getting brighter, and all I’ve managed are a paltry handful of nighttime shots. Soon it will be spring and shooting nighttime scenes will be over for me.

At least I have these photos enough to maybe satisfy my voyeuristic tendencies. New York City is the perfect place for that. I mean, try pointing your camera at homes in the suburbs at night and you will likely be greeted by cops.

Voyeurism and laziness. They’re traits I’m not particularly proud of. But that I’m afraid is the back story. So I’m rather hoping you don’t read my narrative, bask instead in the glory and wonder of my New York City nighttime HDRs, and satisfy your voyeuristic tendencies all from the lazy confines of your comfy couch.

Click on a picture to enlarge.
New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue.
Fountain at Bryant Park.
42nd Street near Times Square.
Grand Central Terminal, Metlife, and Chrysler buildings.
Skating rink at Bryant Park.
All photos were taken at about the same time -- between 5 and 5:30pm. As you can see in this last photo taken two nights ago, the sky is getting brighter.
But sometimes I get lucky. Tonight was cloudy so it got dark early again.Bryant Park, 40th Street side.
Fashion District on 7th Avenue.
New York Times building on 8th between 40th and 41st.
BACK TO: Home Gallery