For those of you who have never had the chance to live in NYC, you probably have never heard of the phenomenon that is Manhattanhenge. Also known as the Manhattan Solstice, this circumstance occurs twice a year during which the setting sun aligns with the east–west streets of the main
street grid in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The neologism is derived from Stonehenge, where the sun aligns
with the stones on the solstices with a similarly dramatic effect. The word
was popularized in 2002 by Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural
History.
Being an armature photographer and knowing that while I am in NYC, I better jump at any opportunity to take unique photos, I decided to set out and grab some shots of this twice a year photo-opp. I did some research to find out where the best spots in the city were to shoot this unique sunset and found out that 34th Street and 42nd Street provided this best framing for the "money shot". I decided on 42nd since it was only 3 blocks from our apartment. I set out at 7:30 pm thinking or hoping I would still be able to grab a good spot before the 8:15 setting. Much to my surprise most of the street had been occupied for hours with photogs waiting for the event. Rookie move. Luckily, at 6'2 ft. tall, I can shoot pictures over most average sized people. Thank God.
Around 8:10, Mother Sun started to peak out from around the corner of the Madame Tussauds sign. We were minutes away and up went a sea of cameras and cell phones.
On cue, at 8:13 she was moving into place for the "money shot".
And within minutes, she was gone...
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