New York, New Year: How I Got a Professional Times Square Photoshoot for Only $70!

Imagine this: you're in New York City for the first time as a solo traveller – around Christmastime and New Year's, no less – and you want to capture the moment that screams, I'm in New York, baby!, but you don't have any professional contacts.

Instead of latching onto a friend and asking them to brave the cold for you to snap a few shots, here's a less fussy way to do it:

Book a professional photographer.

And I'm not just recommending this because your friend (or, even worse, The Stranger with No Photo Skills) may not have the patience or skills to make you look good on camera. Professional photographers also have the eye (the most important thing!), the equipment, and the local knowledge of all the best aesthetic spots for a great shoot. Plus, they'll know how to edit in post to make the best of those neon signs and festival lights.

Typically, photographers cost a lot, especially for outdoor shoots. Especially for special events or celebration mania like Times Square before New Year's Eve.

Take my Flytographer photoshoot in Positano, for example. Nothing was even happening; I was simply in Positano, and the shoot cost me almost 500 CAD!

But, one platform has gained popularity in recent years that's changed the market game:

Airbnb Experiences

I'm always surprised when someone hasn't heard of Experiences yet. They've been cozying up to celebrities and public figures for a while now on collaboration "stays" via Airbnb. Whether it's a night at Barbie's Dreamhouse or a wine-and-dine with a famous fashion consultant, these special experiences go for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Visitors are selected on a lottery basis.

Celebrities aside, Experiences works exactly like Airbnb, only for, well, experiences. Simply switch to the tab at the top of the page, and you're there.

In Experiences, you'll find a vast array of art classes, food tours, dance lessons, guided group tours, and more. The most popular photography service offered on it is travel photography, perfect for the solo wanderer.

I scrolled down for a while before I found a photographer by the name of Marc-Anthony Lewis offering his annual Holiday Edition photoshoot services for only $70 for the hour! This package included one fully edited photo of your choice; if you wanted all the RAW photos, you could pay a très reasonable extra $50 – this is perfect if you're a skilled editor yourself or want the freedom to play with your images.

I opted to get this add-on deal, so my final total was around $120 – still an incredibly value-packed amount for 158 photos plus the edited one.

The Catch

Ha! Of course there's a catch.

The thing about Experiences is that it's built for group activities, similar to Get Your Guide or Viator. I didn't know this, since it was my first time booking an Experience, and neither did the rest of my group.

So when I saw that someone else, and then another, had "joined" my photoshoot, I was a little confused. Luckily, we were only 3 in a pod, excluding the photographer, and all of us were easygoing and so chill to hang out with.

As Marc-Anthony explained later, all Experiences are implicit group bookings (the exception is if the provider limits the service to 1 person per time slot). If you happen to book a slot that remains only yours until the activity, then you get a private tour for the same group rate. Generally, though, anyone can join you, even complete strangers.

This is how photographers and tour guides can reduce the individual rates on Airbnb Experiences. For those who don't have a group to sign up with from the get-go, you still pay for yourself only. If other people sign up too, then the artist gets their rate from each person involved. It's a fairly win-win situation.

(The only caveat for the artist is that they'd be doing the same amount of work for an uncertain number of people each time. The caveat for consumers is that if you happen to join a large group, there's less time for each of you to get photos done.)

Three people was the perfect amount for us each to take some great photos, as well as see the sights around us, take breaks, and film some behind-the-scenes videos. It also took the pressure off one person to "turn it on" for an entire hour of modeling.

Times Square - The Photoshoot Experience

Our photoshoot was on December 30th.

If you've never seen Times Square during the holiday season or right before New Year's Eve, make it a point to do so at least once in your lifetime. Magical's not quite the right word for it, but pulsating sure is! Fortunately, it wasn't too cold.

Marc-Anthony led us around several venue hotspots, including the Giant Red Christmas Ornaments (that's their real name) across from Radio City and the core of Times Square itself on Broadway. We also visited the subway entrance/exit to 49 St. Station for some creative shots.

We took turns, rotating who went first at each new venue. I took advantage of mine to strike some dance poses. Two in one!

Holy cow.

All those livestreams of Times Square on TV right before the countdown? The energy's exactly that, only 100x more palpable in person. And this wasn't even New Year's Eve yet!

We passed by the main stage where the Jonas Brothers and Carrie Underwood would be performing, amongst others. The technicians were working round the clock to set everything up. (I always think it's funny that artists work their entire careers to be invited to these large-scale events; meanwhile, the technicians probably go to them year after year :P)

I thought it was hilarious that New Year's Eve 2025 was sponsored by Planet Fitness!

All the roads were completely grid-locked. Fences were up; police were stationed. People were jaywalking all over the place. I did not envy those taxi drivers one bit. At the same time, you have to think that they go through this chaos every year, and if there was any other route that could lead to their destination, they would've chosen that.

The drivers just shook their heads and stared out their windows listlessly with a dead look in their eyes. Those who weren't honking their horns were already very courteous.

A group of delinquents turned the corner on the back of a trailer truck, shouting, maybe high on something.

Street peddlers were living it up. This was their time to shine. LED balloons and amateur photographers with those huge iPads adorned the streets. Marc-Anthony knew many of them.

One girl danced to a Christmas jingle while a phone on a 360-degree track rotated around her like lightning, the sights and sounds of Times Square visible from all angles. (I actually really wanted to try this.)

It was all we could do to stick together and keep track of one another. The streets were jam-packed with tourists all vying for a piece of the fun.

I definitely felt like I lost one of my nine lives after our climactic finish to the shoot – running into the middle of grid-locked traffic during a red light, posing for a few, and running off again. Rinse and repeat.

You definitely got to have some bravery for this one. Ignore the drivers giving you the stink-eye (though many just didn't care). I have a lovely photo of an old man looking completely done with the night as he almost walked his bike right into me as I held a jazz pose.

The verdict? It was hella fun.

The best part about the photoshoot wasn't the photos themselves, but the new friends I made and the memories we held together. Throughout the shoot, we helped each other carry our bags. We filmed behind-the-scenes videos for each other. We joked and laughed and wondered at this scene that was New York City with each other. We were all solo travellers, and we found each other.

There's a lot to be said for shared experiences and communal joy.

Marc-Anthony was a great guide and photographer, with a jolly personality that knew no bounds. Under his leadership, we found strength in numbers.

At the end of our time together, we took some group selfies and said our goodbyes. One of my new friends and I got dinner. The night was starting to chill, but I went home feeling cozy and satisfied.

I removed my makeup and let my hair down, then snuggled into bed, the lights of Broadway and bustle of Times Square lingering in my eyes.