Christmas lights photowalk · Fifth Avenue

City of Lights: a Christmas photowalk

Tue, Dec 8, 2026 · 4:00–7:00 pm · Fifth Ave, Midtown Manhattan

$149

Book Dec 8

Dec 8 · Up to 15 photographers

Every December, Fifth Avenue becomes one long light show. We walk it together after sunset — the storefront displays, the Rockefeller Center tree and Radio City Music Hall — and you learn to turn Christmas lights into photographs that glow.

  • 3 hours
  • Any camera, phone to pro
  • All skill levels
  • Up to 15 photographers
Louis Vuitton’s Fifth Avenue flagship wrapped in giant lighted monogram trunks under a pink snowflake
Louis Vuitton, Fifth Avenue · last December’s walk
  • 30+Years in photography
  • 2M+Copies of Stunning Digital Photography sold
  • 1.6MYouTube subscribers
  • 15Photographers max

The evening

4:00–7:00 pm, down Fifth Avenue to Radio City

  1. 4:00 pm

    Meet & camera settings

    We meet near the southeast corner of Central Park — ticket holders get the exact spot by email the day before. Tony helps you set up for handheld shooting after dark — he’s reviewed and taught every camera out there, so bring whatever you have.

  2. 4:30 pm

    Exposing Christmas lights

    Bright lights against a dark sky fool every camera meter. Learn to expose so the bulbs glow without blowing out, while the blue-hour sky stays rich instead of black.

  3. 5:00 pm

    Hand-holding long shutters

    Blinking displays light only some of their bulbs at any instant. A longer shutter speed catches the display fully lit — Tony teaches the grip, stance and breathing that keep slow handheld shots sharp.

  4. 5:30 pm

    Christmas-light bokeh

    Turn strings of lights into glowing orbs of color. Wide apertures, close subjects, and how the distance behind your subject controls the size of the glow.

  5. 5:45 pm

    Portraits by the lights

    Our model, dressed for the season, poses at the brightest displays while you practice portraits against walls of bokeh. Want one of yourself? Tony will make your portrait too, if you’d like.

  6. 6:15 pm

    The Rockefeller tree

    We arrive in full dark, when the tree is at its best. Finding clean angles through the crowds, and exposing a tree that outshines everything around it.

  7. Until 7:00

    Radio City, and keep shooting

    We finish beneath the neon marquee of Radio City Music Hall. Times are approximate — we shoot the whole way down Fifth Avenue, and Tony slips the lessons in between displays.

Shot on last year’s walk

By Tony, on Fifth Avenue, with the group

Saks Fifth Avenue holiday light show with giant glowing diamonds
Saks Fifth Avenue
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree above the skating rink
The Rockefeller tree
Radio City Music Hall neon marquee at Christmas
Radio City Music Hall
Portrait of a photowalk guest in front of Christmas-tree bokeh
Portrait by the lights
A visitor at Bergdorf Goodman’s holiday windows
Bergdorf Goodman’s windows
St. Patrick’s Cathedral decorated with garland at night
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
The Atlas statue and Rockefeller Center lit for Christmas
Rockefeller Center
Fifth Avenue traffic streaking past the Louis Vuitton holiday facade
Louis Vuitton

Your portrait, included

Last year’s participants, photographed by Tony — say the word and you’ll get one too

Smiling workshop participant in front of giant red ornaments on Fifth Avenue
Participant in an orange beanie smiling against golden holiday lights
Smiling participant in a gray puffer and olive scarf among giant red ornaments
Participant in glasses and a beanie against soft holiday-light bokeh

Your instructor

One instructor, up to 15 photographers

Tony Northrup

Photographer, author and teacher

More than 30 years in photography. Author of Stunning Digital Photography, with more than 2 million copies sold, and host of a YouTube channel with 1.6 million subscribers.

About Tony

Where we meet

Midtown · near Central Park’s southeast corner

We start near the southeast corner of Central Park, steps from several subway lines, and walk Fifth Avenue south to Radio City. Tony emails ticket holders the exact meeting spot and a map the day before, and he’s there from 3:45.

Questions

Is it right for my skill level?

Yes. All skill levels are welcome, with any camera. Tony checks everyone’s settings before we set off and keeps checking all evening.

What camera equipment should I bring?

Any camera works, including your phone. A fast normal or short telephoto prime — 35mm, 50mm or 85mm at f/1.8–f/2.8 — is ideal for the bokeh portraits, and a mid-range zoom covers the storefronts and the tree. Image stabilization helps with the long handheld shutter speeds Tony teaches, but it isn’t required.

Where exactly do we meet?

In Midtown, near the southeast corner of Central Park. Tony emails ticket holders the exact meeting spot and a map the day before.

What if it rains or snows?

Light snow makes the photographs better, and we shoot in light rain. If the weather is truly miserable, we reschedule, and anyone who can’t make the new date gets a full refund.

Is it a lot of walking?

About a mile total, flat and slow, from the park’s southeast corner down to Radio City at 50th St, with long stops at the displays along the way.

Can I bring a friend?

Yes, if there’s room. Each photographer needs a spot, so book two tickets and check out once.

Tue, Dec 8 · 4:00–7:00 pm · Fifth Avenue

One evening. Fifteen spots.

Three hours of Christmas lights down Fifth Avenue, ending under the Radio City marquee, with Tony at your side for every shot.

$149

Book Dec 8

Dec 8 · Up to 15 photographers

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