Manhattan Bridge View
The Manhattan Bridge has been featured in countless TV shows and films. A popular photography backdrop for tourists, feature films, and social media influencers, the view from the Manhattan Bridge is also great for capturing a unique perspective of the city.
Whether in or out of focus, the Manhattan Bridge creates an incredible atmosphere.
The Brooklyn Bridge is an iconic symbol of New York. With its gothic revival architecture, it’s easy to see why millions of tourists flock to see one the larger-than-life structure. However, a little further to its north lies the Manhattan Bridge, an underrated gem and tourist attraction in its own right. The Manhattan Bridge's famous spans were immortalized in Sergio Leone’s epic Once Upon a Time in America. More recently, it has become a popular background for Instagram selfies. If you’re looking to capture the city from a unique point of view, nothing compares to photographing New York City from the Manhattan Bridge.
New York’s Manhattan Bridge from DUMBO.
Background Player
Though not as ubiquitous in pop culture as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge is no slouch. It has been featured in countless films and television series. From the aforementioned Once Upon a Time in America, to the opening credits of TV’s Living Single, Fiat and Massimo Dutti commercials, Tom Cruise’s Oblivion and the Denzel Washington starrer The Taking of Pelham 123.
Washington Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn attracts tourists from around the globe.
Washington Street in DUMBO is arguably Brooklyn’s most famous photography spot. Each day, thousands of tourists, social media influencers, professional photographers and videographers flock to the neighborhood hoping to capture the Manhattan Bridge and the Empire State Building in the same frame. However, by not venturing onto the bridge, shutterbugs are missing out on some of the best shots of NYC and its larger-than-life structures.
Finding the Manhattan Bridge Views
The Manhattan Bridge south side walking path gives unobstructed views of several NYC landmarks.
The Manhattan Bridge offers stunning views of NYC from various angles. From the bridge’s south side walking path, Manhattan’s Financial District skyline is prominent, with clear views of towering skyscrapers such as One World Trade Center, the Woolworth Building, and City Hall. Chinatown, the Statue of Liberty, DUMBO, Jane’s Carousel, and Brooklyn Heights are also visible. You can’t photograph the Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn Bridge, so the Manhattan Bridge’s south side path is your best bet for capturing the iconic site.
Northern view from the Manhattan Bridge.
The bridge's north side bike path offers a breathtaking glimpse of the seemingly endless Midtown Manhattan skyline, with views of the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the newly-minted Hudson Yards. Williamsburg Brooklyn and the Williamsburg Bridge are visible from the north side of the bridge.
For video recording, riding the subway between Brooklyn and Manhattan via the Manhattan Bridge offers a cinematic experience. Press your lens against the train windows to capture the steel spans framing sections of the city, showing the depth and breadth of the Manhattan skyline. From the gritty, colorful environs of Chinatown and the Lower East Side to the glitzy Midtown Manhattan skyscrapers, a little bit of everything is visible from this vantage point. The N/Q trains traverse the southern side of the bridge, while the B/D trains offer views from the northern side.
Whichever perspective you choose, the Manhattan Bridge view of NYC is going to make your photos and videos pop.
Graffiti and the Fence
Unlike the pristine Brooklyn Bridge, which is kept spotless and preserved for tourist consumption, the Manhattan Bridge has attitude. It’s adorned by colorful graffiti that gives it a character-filled, lived-in edge and much-needed splashes of color. From whimsical takes about life to DIY advertisements and brutally honest critiques, the graffiti gives one pause to laugh, cry, or ponder their life choices. The graffiti also photographs beautifully, providing a striking backdrop for portraiture or fitness photography.
A chain link fence flanks both dedicated biking and walking paths to prevent people from indulging in point-of-no-return impulses. Despite the protective barrier, life finds a way. At key points along the bridge paths, sections of chain link fence have been cut by industrious New Yorkers looking to give themselves, their cameras, and their phones the freedom to see the city from a different perspective. At these spots, photographers and cinematographers can take a moment to capture the city’s iconic skyline.
A recent addition to the Manhattan Skyline, One Manhattan Square stands tall beside the Manhattan Bridge.
A Busy Crossing
The Manhattan Bridge is so much more than a backdrop for movies and Instagram posts. It’s arguably the most functional of the East River crossings, offering a number of ways to travel between two of NYC’s busiest boroughs.
The blue-steel marvel houses four subway lines, four upper level and three lower level automobile lanes, and dedicated biking and walking paths. It links several unique New York neighborhoods that offer contrasting takes on city living. Chinatown — a cultural epicenter teeming with restaurants, shops, street vendors, and hordes of foot traffic – sits on the Manhattan side. The Brooklyn side sits between two bustling neighborhoods that are the poster children for gentrification: Downtown Brooklyn and DUMBO, with their high-rise office buildings, restaurants, shopping, and residential skyscrapers.
The bridge is loud in every sense of the word. Cars wizzing by and the noisy steel-on-steel of the subway train serve as a reminder of NYC’s go-go-go lifestyle. On the Manhattan Bridge, it becomes apparent that there are a dizzying number of trains traversing city as they frequently make use of the crossing. It’s so noisy that I often wonder how thick the windows are in the surrounding DUMBO high-rises and the relatively new One Manhattan Square residential skyscraper on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
If you want to capture live video from the bridge paths, remember to use a high-quality, noise-cancelling microphone with a windscreen if your subject is speaking. The thundering subway trains make it almost impossible to clearly capture voices.
Getting There
Walk the Bridge: the Brooklyn pedestrian path entry sits at the intersection of Jay Street and Nassau Street. The Manhattan side pedestrian path entrance is at the corner of Canal Street and Bowery.
Bike the Bridge: The Manhattan side bike path entrance is on Chrystie Street. The Brooklyn side bike path entry is at Jay Street and Sands Street.
Capture the view from the Subway: From Manhattan, take Brooklyn-bound N/Q trains from Canal Street station or Brooklyn-bound B/D trains at Grand Street station. From Brooklyn, take Manhattan-bound D/N trains from Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station or Manhattan-bound B/Q trains at DeKalb Avenue station.
Drive: Enter the bridge at the intersection of Canal Street and Bowery on the Manhattan side. From Brooklyn, enter the bridge at the intersection of Flatbush Avenue Ext. and Tillary Street.
When photographing or videotaping from the Manhattan Bridge, please remember that the bridge is first and foremost a mode of transportation. Do not obstruct anyone while taking photos and videos unless you want an authentic New York greeting ;).
Karolina: Samba and Chaos in Chinatown, NY 2018
A samba dancer descends upon Lower Manhattan on a late-summer afternoon.
Photographed in the Summer of 2018, Samba Dancer and Stockholm native, Karolina Finskas poses in Soho.
As of 2022, Karolina Finskas is dancing with Dança Global, a Brazilian samba and fusion dance troupe. At the time of this shoot, Finskas was samba dancing at various events around NYC.
Instagram has connected me with a bevy of clients, and few are more memorable than Stockholm-based, part-time NYC resident, Karolina Finskas. A professional samba dancer who tours the Continental Europe, the Caribbean, South America and the US, Finskas’s zest for life and incredible energy resonate whenever I have the pleasure of photographing her.
This series of photos were taken on a balmy late-summer day in 2018. We met on Grand Street in Manhattan’s Chinatown for a one hour promotional photoshoot. Dressed in a vibrant samba costume, Finskas was able to do something that rarely happens: make jaded New Yorkers stop, look and inquire about what we were doing.
The thirsty response of men from various classes and ethnic groups spoke to the universal nature of men. It also illustrated, yet again, the type of harassment and ogling that women experience. I kept the peanut gallery at bay, begrudgingly enforcing a look but don’t dare touch policy to get through the shoot. But my subject definitely didn’t need my protection. With nerves of steel and an unflinching level of focus, the Stockholmer quipped at tongue-wagging bypassers, giving as good as she got. After a few minutes, they took a hint and moved along.
Karolina on Pell St.
Undeterred by the catcalls, she remained camera focused, giving me the ability to capture a series of promotional photos as well as a range of behind the scenes shots of all the chaos.
Karolina Finskas stares down an overly-enthusiastic crowd on Mott Street.
The most memorable moment of the day occurred as we were wrapping up. We strolled over to Mott Street for a series of photos in the midst of a chaotic scene. Finskas’s presence was enough to stop traffic, motivating tourists and locals alike to pull out their phones to snap photos and record videos. Unbothered by the spectacle of it all, she stared down the crowd like a pro. The photo of her standing defiantly on Mott Street remains my favorite shot of the day. Perfectly coiffed and armed with a sense of humor and devil-may-care attitude, Finskas’s strength and ability to command the situation were awe-inspiring.
The Ballerina and the City
A photogenic ballerina with classic Hollywood looks, long limbs, exceptional posing skills and an incredible personality, Hannah Kickert is one of my favorite subjects.
Hannah Kickert jumps on the streets of Chinatown. New York, 2018
The photos in this series were taken from 2017-2019. They feature Vienna-based, part-time NYC resident, Hannah Kickert. A photogenic ballerina with classic Hollywood looks, exceptional posing skills and an incredible personality, Kickert is one of my favorite subjects.
Hannah Kicker jumps in the East Village. New York, 2017
We met in 2017 at a Runstreet Art Run in the East Village. I photographed Kickert jumping against a Hektad mural in the First Street Green Cultural Park. The photo went on to become one of my most popular shots.
Hannah Kickert on the promo poster for Runstreet’s Daydream 5K Art Run and Festival. New York, 2018
In spring 2018, I worked with Hannah on a promotional photoshoot for the Runstreet Daydream 5K Art Run and Festival. She performed several jumps while wearing a full costume. Hannah was featured on the primary posters for the event.
Alternate take of Hannah Kickert for the Runstreet Daydream 5K Art Run and Festival. New York, 2018
Hannah contacted me in the summer of 2018 to schedule a fashion photoshoot before she returned to Vienna.
Hannah Kickert photographed in Chinatown. New York, 2018
I recommended shooting in Chinatown and Soho, the same locations for the Karolina Finksas series, as I wanted to see the contrast between two dancers — with distinct performing styles, hair colors and body types — and their respective approaches to the settings.
My favorites from the Chinatown portion of the shoot are these four consecutive frames taken on historic Doyers Street.
Hannah Kickert photographed in Soho. New York, 2018
We walked over to the relatively quieter streets of Soho to take street-style portraits. Hannah swapped out her jeans for cropped shorts.
Hannah Kickert walks in Soho. New York, 2018
Hannah in Soho. New York, 2018
Portrait of a ballerina. New York, 2018
We collaborated again in spring 2019 upon Hannah’s return to New York. The photos were captured a few hours before she flew back to Vienna.
Hannah Kickert in NoLita. New York, 2019
I took several shots of her in subway stations and on the streets of Lower Manhattan. But my favorite photos are of Hannah at the red wall in NoLita and her smiling in Central Park.
Hannah in Central Park. New York, 2019
After wrapping up in Central Park, we walked over to the Upper East Side. Before we parted company, Hannah taught me how to properly pronounce two of her famous countrymen’s names: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dominic Thiem.