You’ve probably cleared every base, stopped every car chase, and found every single backpack in Insomniac’s Manhattan. Your map looks clean. You feel like a completionist. But then you look at your suit collection and realize you’re missing that one specific, cel-shaded look—the ESU Suit. That’s when the realization hits: you haven't actually found the secret photo ops spiderman players have been obsessing over since the game launched.
Most icons in Marvel's Spider-Man just pop up on the mini-map. You swing to the yellow dot, you press a button, and you move on. These 50 hidden locations are different. They don't show up on the main map. They don't give you a waypoint. Honestly, they’re a bit of a pain if you don't know what you're looking for. You have to be right on top of them for the camera lens to turn green. It’s a scavenger hunt that rewards players who actually pay attention to the world-building Insomniac tucked into the corners of New York City.
Why the Proximity Sensor is Mandatory
Don't try to do this blind. Seriously.
To even begin hunting for the secret photo ops spiderman needs to be at Level 50. Once you hit the cap, you unlock the "Proximity Sensor" suit mod. This is the only way to find these locations without having a guide open on your phone every ten seconds. When you have this mod equipped, a small camera icon will appear on your mini-map when you’re near a secret spot.
It’s not perfect. The icon only shows up when you’re within a certain range, usually about half a block. If you’re swinging at top speed, you’ll likely zoom right past it. Slow down. Parkour a bit. The game wants you to look at the architecture.
The Landmarks You’ve Definitely Missed
Most people find the big ones by accident. You’ll probably snap a picture of the Statue of Liberty or the Charging Bull in the Financial District because, well, they're obvious. But the designers were sneaky. They put several photo ops in places that look like generic scenery.
🔗 Read more: Straight Sword Elden Ring Meta: Why Simple Is Often Better
Take the Financial District. Most players grab the big ones and leave. But have you checked the flower mural? There’s a specific piece of street art on a brick wall that counts. Or the Statue of Liberty? You can’t just stand on the pier; you actually have to get close enough for the game to register the landmark, which usually means jumping toward the water or using the zoom lens.
Then there’s Midtown. It’s the densest part of the map. You’ve got the United Nations building, which is an official landmark, but right near it is a small, unassuming statue that counts as a secret op. The game expects you to recognize Marvel lore, too. The Nelson and Murdock law office sign in Hell's Kitchen? That's one. The Alias Investigations door? That’s another. If you aren't a fan of the comics or the Netflix shows, you might walk right past the biggest Easter eggs in the game without a second thought.
The Harlem Struggle
Harlem is where most completionists lose their minds. It has 11 secret photo ops, more than any other district.
Why so many? Because Harlem is packed with community detail. You're looking for things like the mural of J. Jonah Jameson (which is hilarious), specific community gardens, and the tomb of Uncle Ben. Yes, Uncle Ben’s grave is a secret photo op. It’s located in the cemetery at the very north end of the map. It’s a quiet, somber moment in a game that’s usually about exploding helicopters and quips.
Finding these requires a change in how you play. Instead of looking up at the skyscrapers, you have to look down at the street level. You’re looking for statues in parks, specific storefronts, and even a small fire station.
💡 You might also like: Steal a Brainrot: How to Get the Secret Brainrot and Why You Keep Missing It
Breaking Down the District Counts
If you're trying to track your progress, you need to know how many are in each area. Since the game doesn't give you a checklist, you have to do the math yourself.
- Financial District: 8
- Chinatown: 8
- Greenwich: 3
- Hell’s Kitchen: 4
- Midtown: 3
- Upper West Side: 5
- Central Park: 4
- Upper East Side: 4
- Harlem: 11
That's the magic 50. If you’re stuck at 49, it’s almost always Harlem or the Financial District. People often miss the one on the Raft—yes, you can actually snap a photo of the prison sitting out in the water from the edge of the map.
The Reward: Is the ESU Suit Worth It?
When you nail that 50th photo, Peter Parker gets a notification. You unlock the ESU Suit.
It’s not a high-tech armor set. It’s not a glowing symbiotic masterpiece. It’s Peter in a t-shirt, jeans, and his Spider-Man mask. For some, it’s a letdown. But for fans of the "everyman" version of the character, it’s the best suit in the game. It represents the duality of his life. It’s also the ultimate "flex" in the game’s photo mode. Seeing Spidey in a regular t-shirt while fighting the Sinister Six just feels right in a weird, grounded way.
Common Mistakes and Glitches
Sometimes the camera won't turn green. It’s frustrating. You’re looking right at the Ben Franklin statue, you press L2, and... nothing. Usually, this is a distance issue. The secret photo ops spiderman requirements are stricter than the regular landmarks. You often need to be closer than you think.
📖 Related: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Unhealthy Competition: Why the Zone's Biggest Threat Isn't a Mutant
Also, check your lighting. If you’re playing in the "night" setting, some murals are hard for the game engine to recognize if they aren't hit by a streetlamp. I’ve found that switching the time of day to "Sunset" or "Day" via the research stations makes the hunting process significantly easier on the eyes.
Another tip: don't rely solely on the mini-map icon. Sometimes the icon triggers when you’re on the wrong side of a building. If you see the camera flash on your map, circle the entire block. It might be a manhole cover or a tiny plaque on a wall that you're overlooking.
Moving Toward 100% Completion
If you're serious about finishing this, start in Harlem and work your way south. Don't fast travel. Swing low to the ground. Keep your eyes on that mini-map in the bottom right corner.
Once you’ve finished the secret photo ops, you’ve basically conquered the hardest "invisible" challenge in the game. From here, you can focus on the DLC or the higher difficulty tiers. To make the hunt faster, equip the "Long Range Scanner" if you're playing the remastered version, though the Proximity Sensor remains the heavy hitter here. Grab your camera, head to the North cemetery to visit Ben, and start the grind. It's the best way to see the version of New York that Insomniac worked so hard to build.