People ask me constantly whether they should shoot in Manhattan or Brooklyn. My honest answer: Brooklyn wins most of the time. The variety is better, the crowds are more manageable once you know when to go, and the backdrops give you something that Central Park can't. Cobblestones, bridges, waterfront promenades, open meadows. Here is where I actually take people, and what you need to know before you arrive.
DUMBO
DUMBO is the obvious first choice, and it earns the attention. The archway on Washington Street looking toward the Manhattan Bridge is one of the most recognisable shots in New York, and for good reason: the steel arch, the cobblestones, the suspension cables disappearing into the frame. It works for couples, it works for families, it works at almost any time of day. The cobblestones on Main Street and Water Street give you that textured, cinematic ground that reads well in photos and is unlike anything in Manhattan.
Empire Stores, the old warehouse complex along the waterfront, adds a different mood: exposed brick, large windows, industrial scale. The pebble beach just to the west of it gives you the East River and the lower Manhattan skyline from a low angle. That combination, stone in the foreground and skyscrapers behind, is hard to find anywhere else in the city.
One practical note: DUMBO on a Saturday afternoon is not the place you want to be. Every tourist in the borough has the same idea. The time to arrive is before 9am on weekends, or on a weekday morning. The streets are empty, the light is better, and you are not waiting for strangers to clear the frame every thirty seconds.
Getting there: A/C to High Street–Brooklyn Bridge, or F to York Street. Neither is a long walk to the main spots. Parking exists but is metered and fills fast on weekends. Taking the train is the honest recommendation.
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Brooklyn Bridge Park stretches along the waterfront from the Manhattan Bridge down to Atlantic Avenue, and different parts of it work for different things. Pier 1 is the spot: a wide lawn with the Manhattan skyline directly across the water, the Brooklyn Bridge to the north, and enough open space to let couples and families move without bumping into each other or into anyone else.
The skyline views at golden hour are something else. When the sun drops to the west and the buildings across the river catch the light, the background goes from nice to extraordinary. If you have any flexibility on timing, plan around sunset.
Permits: Brooklyn Bridge Park requires a permit for commercial photography. At the time of writing, the fee starts at around $150 and permits need to be requested a few weeks in advance. I handle this for sessions booked here, but it is worth knowing upfront that it adds to the planning. The permit covers the whole park, not a specific pier.
Prospect Park
Prospect Park is the one I reach for when people want something greener and less photographed. Olmsted and Vaux designed it after Central Park, but it has a different character: wider meadows, more trees, a slightly wilder feel. The Boathouse (the Audubon Center on the east side of the lake) is a beautiful brick building surrounded by water that photographs very differently from anything in DUMBO.
Long Meadow is one of my favourite spots for families and maternity sessions: a vast open field with elms running along the edges and the sky wide open above. It is the kind of location where children can run and it reads beautifully in the frame. The flower gardens near the Flatbush Avenue entrance bloom in spring and early summer and add colour without being too themed or formal.
Unlike Brooklyn Bridge Park, Prospect Park does not require a commercial permit for photography. It is also more accessible by subway than DUMBO: Q or B to Prospect Park, or F/G to 15th Street–Prospect Park.
The Williamsburg Waterfront
East River State Park in Williamsburg gives you the Manhattan skyline from an angle most people have not seen in photographs. It is looser and more industrial than Brooklyn Bridge Park, with a worn waterfront feel that works well for couples who want something less polished. The foot traffic is significantly lower than DUMBO or the piers, which means you get the space to work without the weekend crowd.
The neighbourhood around it has changed a lot in the last decade, and there are pockets of street art, wide cobblestone loading areas, and old brick facades along Kent Avenue that give you options if the waterfront is busy. It is a more flexible spot than it gets credit for.
A few things worth knowing before you go
Light in Brooklyn, like everywhere, changes everything. Golden hour at Pier 1 or on the Long Meadow is a completely different experience to midday sun. Overcast days are actually my preference for most portrait work: the light is even, there is no squinting, and the colours in the images tend to be richer. If you have the option, a cloudy morning in DUMBO beats a sunny Saturday afternoon.
For couples and families, I usually plan for 60 to 90 minutes at a single location, or a shorter visit to two spots if they are close. DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge Park are a short walk from each other, so combining them is easy. Prospect Park is its own trip and works better as a standalone.