Everyone seems to love the Flatiron Building. A lot of tourists have told me that it’s their favorite building in New York City. The relatively short height of the building, its unique shape, and the detail of the architecture make it very interesting to photograph.
The Flatiron Building is located at 175 Fifth Avenue, which is very close to 23rd street in Manhattan. If you want to visit it, take the R or W train to the 23rd street station. You can use any subway exit and you’ll automatically be in a great position to take a picture of the Flatiron Building, since all of the station’s exits will leave you across the street from it.
To get an ideal shot of the building, your best strategy is to move away from it, walking uptown towards 24th or 25th street, so you can fit the whole structure into your shot. If you use a wide-angle lens — 35mm or wider on full-frame, for example — you’ll be able to include other interesting things in your image. Using a 24mm lens on a full-frame camera, I was able to include the stylish Fifth Avenue Building Clock in the shot above.
Another interesting place to shoot the Flatiron Building is from inside Madison Square Park. Madison Square Park is located between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue at 23rd street. The park is small, stretching only to 26th street.
Many classic photos of the Flatiron Building from the early 1900s have been taken from inside Madison Square Park.
Nowadays it’s easier to shoot from inside Madison Square Park in the winter or early spring since the park’s many trees will interfere with your shot of the Flatiron Building when they have leaves on them. But even in summer you can manage a clever or creative Flatiron shot incorporating the leaves, flowers and trees of the park.
Is the Flatiron Building your favorite building to photograph in New York City? If not, then which building is? Let me know in a comment below, and remember to follow me on Instagram.