Some pros and cons of waking up bright & early to take photos at one of New York’s most popular spots.

It should come as no surprise that the Brooklyn Bridge is a BUSY place. Your first instinct might be to take your engagement photos in the afternoon, or at sunset – but those are some of the busiest times for a tourist destination like the Brooklyn Bridge.

Since sunrise can be as early as 5:30am during some months of the year, you’ll find far less people on the bridge.

In the case of J+A’s engagement session below, we arrived shortly after sunrise and shortly after a rainstorm, giving us almost the entire bridge to ourselves and some beautiful, hazy lighting.

Sunrise is just as beautiful as sunset — and while some locations like the beach kind of need to be at one or the other for the sun to be over the water, the Brooklyn Bridge has the Manhattan skyline on one side and quaint Brooklyn on the other, and you can’t go wrong with either. Plus if the lighting is harsh, you can find some shade in the middle of the bridge.

I’m not a morning person personally, but I will always opt for sunrise for the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s beautiful and far more peaceful than sunset.

That being said, sunset is also lovely for several reasons – the sun setting over the Manhattan skyline and being behind the bridge if you end your session in DUMBO, etc. – but know there will be people in the background of some of your shots.

Some shots of J&A’s post-storm sunrise session: