Stone Street and the Financial District
Stone Street is a pedestrian-only one-block cobblestone lane laid out in the 1600s Dutch era and paved with Belgian block that arrived as ship ballast, and it's the rare NYC street with no cars, low buildings on both sides, and cafe tables running the length of it. That combination--crooked narrow roadway, warm brick and fire-escape facades, string lights, and constant human activity--makes it a compressed, layered scene rather than a wide vista, and it sits a two-minute walk from Hanover Square, Delmonico's, the Charging Bull, and the deep glass canyons of Broad and Wall Streets, so you can shoot intimate texture and monumental scale in the same hour.
Route: We'll begin at the Charging Bull in Bowling Green, make our way up to Trinity Church, head down to Wall St and Federal Hall, then go to Stone St and end at Hanover Square.
PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES
Techniques Focus:
• Work the shade/light split: Expose for the highlights and let the shadows go--then either lift them in post or leave them black for graphic contrast. Phones: tap the bright facade and pull exposure down.
• Hunt reflected light: The glass towers act as giant mirrors around midday. Look for the bright rectangle of bounced sun on a brick wall and wait for someone to walk into it.
• Use the low angle for shadows: Shoot low angles to get long, clean shadow shapes across plazas. Shoot them as the subject, not as a byproduct.
• Backlight the Trinity churchyard and the plaza trees: With the sun in the southeast, standing so it's ahead of you gives rim light on leaves and railings. Watch for lens flare--shield with your hand just outside of the frame.
• Long lens for Stone Street, wide for everywhere else: One 24-28mm and one 70-135mm equivalent covers all of it. You can also use a 24-70mm. No tripod is needed.
Articles to Review Before the Photo Shoot
• [Backlighting-Contre Jour](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_CM89_wdHM4t424aVOG3b9KLfReNc49V/view?usp=drive_link)
• [Architectural Details](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mh-daL_wKFRmb5l-OcChGe42_6EfhRxO/view?usp=drive_link)
• [Incorporate More Shadow](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TBnAwbB_8EvAFtqySsyiU0DxPNq1uszj/view?usp=drive_link)
Meeting Location/Event Hosts
Your host will be Doug. We will meet at Bowling Green near the Charging Bull. We will be wearing our TAOP NYC hats.
Post-Event
TBD.
PHOTO CHALLENGE
Once this Meetup event ends, we will create an album on the [Photos](https://www.meetup.com/the-art-of-photography-nyc/photos/) page. Please post up to five (5) of your best photographs from the event before 7 PM (ET) on Sunday, October 4, 2026.
Eligible photos:
• Must be taken on Saturday, September 26.
• Must be posted before the deadline
• Must have a title
• Must NOT be sexually explicit or suggestive
This album will be reviewed. The winning image will become the permanent album cover of the event. The name of the winning photographer will appear in the album title.
We welcome your participation and look forward to meeting you at 11:00 am.
