Everyone has that one shot. You know the one. You’re standing in the middle of the "Crossroads of the World," your neck is craned back, and you click the shutter on a vertical frame of a 25-story LED screen. You look at it later and—honestly—it’s kinda boring. It looks exactly like the other ten million pictures of times square in new york uploaded to Instagram this week.
It’s too bright. The people are just a blurry mess of beige coats. The sky is a weird muddy purple.
I’ve spent countless nights navigating the 42nd Street chaos, and if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Times Square is a beast that eats amateur photographers for breakfast. But here’s the secret: the most iconic images of this place aren't just about the lights. They are about the friction between the digital world and the human one.
The Gear Trap (And How to Escape It)
You don’t need a $5,000 Leica to get a decent shot here, though if you’re like the folks in the Phil Penman masterclasses, you might be tempted. Most people overthink the gear. They bring a massive tripod and get frustrated when a tourist trips over it every thirty seconds.
Basically, if you’re shooting handheld—which you should be for the best street energy—crank that ISO. Don't be scared of a little grain. In 2026, even mid-range mirrorless cameras and high-end smartphones handle ISO 3200 or 6400 with enough grace to keep the "vibe" without losing the details.
- Lens Choice: Everyone reaches for the wide-angle. It makes sense. You want to fit the whole skyscraper in, right? Wrong. Try a 50mm or even an 85mm. Compressing the distance makes the billboards look like they are literally crushing the crowds. It creates that "claustrophobic neon" look that feels way more like the actual experience of being there.
- The Shutter Secret: If you want those "ghostly" people moving past sharp billboards, you need a slow shutter (around 1/4 to 1/2 a second). But if you’re doing street photography, aim for 1/250s. You want to freeze the guy selling $20 knock-off comedy show tickets in mid-gesture.
Finding the Angles Nobody Else Uses
If you want your pictures of times square in new york to actually stand out, you have to move. Most people stand on the TKTS Red Steps and call it a day. Sure, the view of One Times Square is great from up there, but it’s a perspective we’ve all seen since the 1945 V-J Day kiss.
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Try the subway entrance on 42nd. If you stand halfway down the stairs and shoot upward, the metal railing and the concrete stairs create a natural frame. You get the grit of the "real" New York in the foreground with the glowing insanity of the billboards in the background. It’s a literal transition from the underworld to the light.
Another spot? The puddles.
New York is rainy. Or at least, it’s wet. After a storm, the asphalt turns into a mirror. Get your camera as close to the ground as possible—basically touching the wet pavement. The reflection of the Nasdaq sign or the massive Samsung LED facade will double the light in your frame. It looks like something out of Blade Runner.
The 2026 Billboard Shift
The landscape is changing. One Times Square has been under a massive redevelopment, and by now in early 2026, the new observation deck and immersive centers are part of the skyline. The screens are higher resolution than ever.
This creates a technical headache: flicker.
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Modern LED screens have refresh rates that can play tricks on your sensor. If you see weird dark bands across your photos, your shutter speed is too fast. Slow it down just a touch to sync with the refresh rate of the billboards.
Also, pay attention to the colors. The billboards change every few seconds. One minute the whole square is flooded in the cool blue of a tech ad, and the next, it’s the harsh red of a Broadway promotion. Wait for the light to match the mood you want. I once waited ten minutes for a specific green-hued ad just because I wanted to photograph a girl in a green dress walking by. It sounds obsessive, but that’s how you get a "human-quality" photo instead of a tourist snap.
A Note on Street Ethics
We have to talk about the "characters." The Elmos, the Transformers, the Naked Cowboy.
Legally, in New York, you can photograph anyone in a public space. Ethically? It’s a bit of a gray area. If you take a close-up portrait of a performer, they are going to expect a tip. That’s their job. If you don’t want to pay, keep your shots wide or focus on the "organic" New Yorkers—the commuters who are staring at their phones, completely oblivious to the neon forest around them. That contrast—the "Crossroads of the World" vs. a guy just trying to get home to Queens—is where the real story lives.
Mastering the "Blue Hour"
Night is the obvious choice, but the "Blue Hour"—that 20-minute window right after sunset—is the sweet spot.
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Why? Because the sky still has a deep, rich cobalt color. At midnight, the sky is just a black void that sucks the life out of your composition. At Blue Hour, you get a beautiful balance between the natural atmosphere and the artificial neon.
- White Balance: Your camera's Auto White Balance (AWB) will absolutely freak out in Times Square. It will try to "fix" the colors, making the neon look muddy. Set it to "Daylight" or "Fluorescent" manually. This keeps the blues blue and the pinks pink.
- Exposure Compensation: Your camera will think the square is brighter than it is because of the screens. It will try to underexpose the people to "save" the highlights of the billboards. Dial in some positive exposure compensation (+0.7 or +1.0) if you want the people's faces to be visible.
Actionable Next Steps
To truly capture the essence of pictures of times square in new york, stop looking at the buildings and start looking at the ground and the people.
- Ditch the Red Steps: Walk two blocks south and look back. The perspective change is massive.
- Shoot in RAW: This isn't optional. The dynamic range between a dark alleyway and a 2026-spec LED screen is too wide for a JPEG to handle. You’ll need to pull the shadows and highlights in post-processing.
- Find a "Static" Subject: In the middle of the movement, find someone standing still. A cop on a horse, a tourist looking at a map, or a street sweeper. Use them as your anchor while the world blurs around them.
- Weather is your friend: If it snows or rains, go. The crowds thin out, and the light reflections on the slush or water are a photographer's dream.
Next time you’re standing at the corner of 7th and Broadway, take one shot for your mom, and then spend the rest of the hour looking for the reflection in a taxi window or the shadow of a street sign against a glowing wall. That’s how you actually document New York.
Practical Tip: Use a lens hood. The light in Times Square comes from every single direction at once. A hood will prevent those weird diagonal flares that can wash out your contrast and ruin an otherwise perfect shot.