It is loud. It is bright. Honestly, it’s usually way too crowded to even move. But every single day, hundreds of thousands of people cram themselves into the "Center of the Universe" just to hold up a phone. Most photos of Times Square end up looking like a blurry, chaotic mess of yellow cabs and glowing billboards. We’ve all seen them—those washed-out shots where the neon lights look like white blobs and the people look like ghosts. Yet, we can't stop taking them. There is something about that intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue that demands to be captured. It’s the visual heartbeat of New York City.
If you want to understand why these images matter, you have to look past the Elmos and the souvenir shops. You’re looking at a place that consumes about 161 megawatts of electricity at peak times. That is enough to power roughly 160,000 homes. When you point a camera at those screens, you aren't just taking a picture of an advertisement; you are capturing the most expensive real estate in the world of attention.
The Exposure Trap in Photos of Times Square
The biggest mistake everyone makes? Trusting their camera’s "Auto" mode. Because the LED billboards are so incredibly bright compared to the dark asphalt, your phone gets confused. It tries to brighten the road, which ends up "blowing out" the screens into giant white rectangles. If you want photos of Times Square that actually look like what your eyes see, you have to underexpose. Tap the brightest part of the screen on your phone and slide that little sun icon down. It feels wrong because the preview looks dark, but that is how you save the colors.
Professional photographers like James Maher, who has spent years documenting New York streets, often talk about the "Blue Hour." This is that sweet spot right after sunset. The sky isn't pitch black yet—it’s a deep, moody indigo. This balance is crucial. When the sky has some color, it competes with the neon, creating a much more layered and professional-looking image than a shot taken at 2:00 AM when the contrast is too harsh.
Finding the Angles Nobody Uses
Don't just stand on the "Red Steps" above the TKTS booth. Everyone does that. It's a cliché for a reason—it gives you a high vantage point—but it’s also where you’ll get bumped by a tourist every three seconds.
Instead, try these spots:
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- The traffic islands near 44th Street. If you get low to the ground, you can use the puddles (and there are always puddles) to get a reflection of the Nasdaq sign.
- The "Glass Elevator" at the Marriott Marquis. It’s a classic move. You get a top-down view of the chaos without the noise.
- The intersection of 47th and 7th. Most people look south toward One Times Square (where the ball drops), but looking north provides a more compressed view of the "bow-tie" shape of the plaza.
Why We Are Obsessed With the Neon
There’s a historical weight here. In the 1970s and 80s, photos of Times Square looked like scenes from Taxi Driver. It was gritty. It was dangerous. The transformation into the "Disney-fied" version we see today started in the mid-90s under Mayor Giuliani and the team at Disney. This shift changed the photography forever. We went from grainy, high-contrast black and white film to high-dynamic-range digital files that can see every pixel on a 4K billboard.
Some people hate the change. They miss the "old New York." But from a purely visual perspective, the modern iteration is a playground. You have the "Midnight Moment," the world's largest and longest-running digital art exhibition. Every night from 11:57 PM to midnight, the billboards sync up to display synchronized art. If you are trying to get unique photos of Times Square, that three-minute window is your best bet. It’s the only time the "commercial" vibe disappears and the whole place feels like a giant gallery.
Gear Matters Less Than You Think
You don't need a $4,000 Sony Alpha to get the shot. Honestly. Modern smartphones use computational photography to stitch multiple exposures together instantly. This is actually better for most people than a DSLR. If you use a big camera, the "shutter speed" can get weird with the refresh rate of the LED screens. You might see weird black lines (flicker) in your images. Phones usually smooth that out.
If you do bring a "real" camera, keep your shutter speed around 1/125 or slower to avoid those scan lines on the screens. Use a wide-angle lens, something like a 16mm or 24mm. You want to feel the scale. You want the buildings to look like they are leaning in on you. That’s the feeling of being there. Total sensory overload.
The Ethics of Street Photography in the Plaza
New York is a "one-party consent" state for audio, and in public spaces like Times Square, you generally have a legal right to take photos of anything you see. However, the costumed characters—the Batmans, the Elmos, the Statues of Liberty—are a different story. They aren't there for fun. They are working. If you take a close-up photo of them, expect them to ask for money. Usually $5 to $10.
If you don't want to pay, keep your distance. Use the characters as "background elements" rather than the subject of the photo. It’s better for the composition anyway. A lone Elmo walking through a sea of businessmen says a lot more about the weirdness of New York than a posed selfie does.
Dealing with the Crowds
You will never get a photo of an empty Times Square. Unless there is a blizzard or a global lockdown, it’s not happening. So, lean into it. Use a slow shutter speed (if you have a tripod or a steady hand) to turn the crowds into a colorful blur. This makes the static buildings pop. It shows the "energy" of the city.
Most people try to wait for a gap in the crowd. Don't. The crowd is the story. Look for the "Naked Cowboy" or the street performers. Look for the light reflecting off the top of a yellow taxi. These are the details that make photos of Times Square feel authentic rather than like a postcard you bought at a deli.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Visit
If you’re heading down there tonight, keep these three things in mind to actually come home with something worth posting.
First, clean your lens. It sounds stupid, but the air in Midtown is greasy. Seriously. There is food truck steam and city grime everywhere. A quick wipe with a microfiber cloth will get rid of that weird "haze" around the lights.
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Second, look up. Everyone shoots at eye level. If you tilt your camera straight up towards the sky, the billboards create a frame of light around the patch of dark sky. It’s a perspective most people ignore because they are too busy looking at the street performers.
Third, move to the edges. The best shots of the lights often come from the sidewalks of 8th Avenue or 6th Avenue looking toward the center. You get the glow of the square without being trapped in the "mosh pit" of tourists. This gives you a better sense of how the light "leaks" into the rest of the city.
Ultimately, capturing this place is about embracing the chaos. Don't try to make it look clean. It isn't clean. It’s a loud, bright, expensive, wonderful mess. The best images are the ones that make the viewer feel a little bit dizzy, just like the real thing does.
Next Steps for Better NYC Photography:
- Check the Weather: Go right after a rainstorm. The wet pavement acts like a mirror, doubling the amount of light and color in your frame.
- Use "Long Exposure" Mode: On an iPhone, turn on "Live Photo," take the shot, then swipe up in your gallery and select "Long Exposure." It will blur the cars and people automatically.
- Time Your Visit: Aim for 20 minutes after sunset for the perfect sky-to-billboard light balance.
- Edit for Contrast: In your editing app, boost the "Black Point" and "Saturation" slightly to make the neon colors punch through the city haze.