One Thing You Should Book for Your Christmas Trip to NYC (That You May Not Have Thought About)
When you're planning a Christmas trip to New York City, there's probably already a very long list of things you're thinking about booking.
Your hotel.
Broadway tickets.
Dinner reservations.
Maybe tickets to the Rockettes.
An observation deck.
Ice skating.
And somewhere between figuring out which Christmas market to visit and what time you should see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, there's one experience you may not have thought about booking:
A professional Christmas photoshoot in New York City.
I know. I'm a photographer, so you could say I'm slightly biased.
But after more than five years of photographing visitors during the Christmas season, I've also seen how much these photographs end up meaning to people after their trips are over.
And if New York at Christmas is one of those trips you've dreamed about for years, I genuinely think it deserves more than a few rushed phone pictures.
Christmas in New York Really Does Look Like the Movies
There's a reason New York City has become almost synonymous with Christmas.
Even if you've never visited during December, you've probably already seen Christmas in New York dozens of times.
You've seen Kevin wandering through Manhattan in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, including Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall.
You've watched Christmas stories unfold around New York in movies like Elf, Miracle on 34th Street, Serendipity and countless other holiday films.
You've seen Fifth Avenue covered in lights.
You've seen Rockefeller Center's enormous Christmas tree towering above the skating rink.
You've seen Radio City Music Hall glowing red at night.
And then one December, you're actually here.
You're standing in front of those places yourself.
That's one of the things I love about photographing New York during Christmas. There are moments when the city genuinely feels like you've walked into a movie you've been watching since childhood.
For Some People, This Is a Trip They've Dreamed About for Years
Through my work, I meet visitors from all over the world.
I've photographed people who have been to New York many times, but I also work with people who tell me they've dreamed about seeing New York at Christmas for years.
Sometimes decades.
For them, this isn't simply another weekend away.
It's finally seeing the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in person.
It's walking down Fifth Avenue surrounded by holiday lights.
It's drinking hot chocolate while exploring a Christmas market.
It's hearing Christmas music everywhere.
It's seeing New York dressed up for the holidays exactly as they've imagined it.
And that's why I think photographs from this trip matter.
You may visit dozens of attractions while you're here, but years from now, what you'll probably want is something that immediately brings you back to how this trip felt.
Your Phone Will Be Full of Pictures. But How Many Will Have You in Them?
This happens on almost every trip.
You return home with hundreds—sometimes thousands—of photographs.
The Rockefeller tree.
The Empire State Building.
Your dinner.
A Christmas window.
Another Christmas window.
A blurry Times Square video.
Twenty-seven pictures of the same Christmas tree.
And then you realize something.
You're barely in any of them.
Or one person in your family is missing because they were always behind the camera.
Of course you can take selfies.
You can hand your phone to a stranger.
Sometimes you'll get a great picture.
Sometimes you'll get a photograph with half your feet missing, a tilted Rockefeller Center behind you and someone's finger mysteriously covering part of the lens.
You never really know.
That's completely fine for everyday travel memories.
But if this is a trip you've been dreaming about, I think it's worth having at least one set of photographs where everyone gets to be in the memory.
Christmas Makes Every Kind of Photoshoot Feel More Special
Over the years, I've photographed so many different stories during the New York Christmas season.
Families traveling together.
Couples.
Solo travelers.
Friends celebrating a Christmas trip.
Engagements.
Secret proposals.
Anniversaries.
And one of the things I love about December is that you don't necessarily need a major occasion.
Christmas in New York can be the occasion.
You can dress up, walk through some of the city's most beautiful holiday locations and spend an hour creating something that you'll still have long after you've returned home.
For families especially, those photographs can become part of your family's history.
Years later, children grow up. People change. Life moves forward.
But you'll always have that Christmas when all of you were together in New York.
Where Can You Take Christmas Photos in NYC?
This is where working with someone who photographs New York regularly makes a huge difference.
Christmas locations can look very different depending on when you visit them.
Some places are beautiful at sunrise and nearly impossible later in the day.
Some look best during blue hour.
Some decorations photograph beautifully from one particular angle but become completely lost in the background from another.
And some locations that look close together on a map aren't necessarily practical to combine during a short session.
These are some of my favorite Christmas photoshoot locations:
Rockefeller Center
Of course, we have to start with the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
It's probably the most recognizable Christmas location in New York City and one of the photographs most visitors want.
The trick is timing.
Rockefeller Center can become extraordinarily crowded during December, which is why choosing the right time and angles matters enormously.
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City is another New York Christmas classic.
The glowing marquee, decorations and surrounding Midtown lights create a completely different look from Rockefeller Center, even though the two locations are relatively close.
It's especially beautiful once the lights become visible.
The Giant Christmas Ornaments
The oversized red Christmas ornaments around Sixth Avenue have become another recognizable Midtown holiday photo location.
They're playful, colorful and particularly good if you want your photographs to feel unmistakably Christmas without every image being centered around a Christmas tree.
Fifth Avenue Holiday Displays
Every year, Fifth Avenue transforms.
Department stores create elaborate holiday windows, buildings are covered in lights and decorations appear throughout the avenue.
The exact displays change from year to year, which is actually part of what makes photographs here special.
Your Christmas pictures become a little time capsule of what New York looked like that particular December.
Bryant Park Winter Village
Bryant Park gives you a completely different Christmas atmosphere.
Instead of dramatic Midtown landmarks, you have little holiday shops, lights, food stands, the skating rink and the surrounding skyline.
It can feel cozy and festive rather than grand.
Central Park
Not every Christmas photograph needs Christmas decorations.
Central Park gives us a quieter, more timeless winter New York look.
And if we're lucky enough to have snow?
That's when New York becomes something else entirely.
Hudson Yards
Hudson Yards is another beautiful option if you love lights.
During the holidays, the area is filled with enormous numbers of twinkling lights, creating a glamorous, modern Christmas backdrop that's very different from traditional Rockefeller Center.
Timing Is Everything During a NYC Christmas Photoshoot
This is probably one of the biggest advantages of hiring a photographer who knows New York.
I know where to go.
I know when to go.
I know which locations work together.
I know where the beautiful angles are.
And, just as importantly during Christmas, I know how to work around the crowds as much as realistically possible.
December in New York is busy.
Very busy.
You can't magically remove every tourist from Rockefeller Center.
But timing, positioning, lenses and angles can completely change what you see in the final photograph.
During my sessions, I also show you photographs as we go. That way you can see what we're creating rather than spending the entire photoshoot wondering whether you look good or whether we're getting the shots you wanted.
And you don't need to know how to pose.
That's my job too.
You Don't Have to Turn Your Vacation Into a Photoshoot
This is important.
I don't think anyone should spend half their New York vacation taking photographs.
The whole point is to experience New York.
A photoshoot should become one fun part of your trip rather than taking over your itinerary.
We walk.
We talk.
We explore.
We stop at beautiful locations.
I guide you when you need direction, but I also photograph the little moments in between—the laughs, walking together, looking at the city and simply experiencing where you are.
For many of my clients, the photoshoot itself becomes one of their memories from New York.
And You Won't Have to Wait Months to See Your Pictures
There's something particularly exciting about receiving photographs while the trip still feels fresh.
My Christmas sessions include a gallery of professionally color-corrected photographs delivered digitally within five business days.
That means you can potentially be looking through your New York photographs while you're still talking about the trip, sharing them with family and deciding which ones belong in frames—or maybe even on this year's Christmas card.
Give Yourself Something You'll Still Have After the Trip Is Over
Eventually, Christmas in New York ends.
The Rockefeller tree comes down.
The lights disappear.
The holiday markets close.
Your suitcase gets unpacked.
You go back to normal life.
But photographs have this strange ability to collapse time.
You look at one image years later and suddenly remember the cold air, what you were wearing, who you were traveling with and how exciting it felt to finally be standing in New York at Christmas.
That's why, if you're planning your holiday trip, I'd add one more thing to that very long NYC itinerary:
Make sure you're actually in some of the memories you're creating.
And if you'd like me to capture them for you, I offer Christmas photoshoots for families, couples, solo travelers, friends, engagements and proposals throughout New York City.
You enjoy Christmas in New York.
I'll make sure you have the photographs to remember it.