Back in July, I spent a long weekend with a small group of photographers exploring parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. No matter how many times I visit the city, there is always something different to capture.

We were lucky to have nice weather, with not-as-hot-as-it-could-have-been temperatures and only a few sprinkles. The day after we left, a storm dumped a record amount of rain in the area and flooded one of the subway stops near our hotel, so sometimes you get lucky.

On this page are a few of my favorite images from the trip, and the full gallery is here.

At the top is a view of the Brooklyn Bridge that’s familiar to many tourists, looking towards Manhattan. Getting up and out while it’s still dark means you get both the good light at sunrise and miss the summer crowds.

We were in town during Manhattanhenge, the days when the sun sets between buildings on 42nd Street, making for what I was told is an iconic shot. However, it’s impossible to get a good spot to photograph that “phenomena” without standing around for hours holding your place. So I borrowed someone else’s view instead.

During the middle of the day, we spent some time in Central Park, where lots of people seemed to be taking advantage of the nice weather and great scenery to do photoshoots. This couple, all dressed up for pre-wedding photos, looked like they had misplaced their photographer.

In all my visits to New York, I had never been to Grand Central Station. Not sure why but… So I took this opportunity to play with shutter speed and try to make some of the people in the great hall vanish. Even if some of those folks just didn’t want to move enough to be “erased”.

Finally, we have an example of the entrepreneurial spirit found in any big city. Welcome to New York.