Photographers hit the streets for Manhattanhenge

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - It's a phenomenon that had New Yorkers flocking to the west side of Manhattan-- planting themselves right in the middle of the street.

"So Manhattanhenge is when the sun lines up in Manhattan in a very specific way, so the sun is setting directly between the streets that go east to west," explains Crissibeth Cooper with the Sony Alpha Collective.

On Friday night, Sony Square NYC held a free class to help photographers—both pros and amateurs-- learn how to get the best shots of the special sunset. Friday and Saturday night's spectacles will be the second and last Manhattanhenge of the year. Brooklyn photographer Chaz Langley didn't want to miss it.

"I've been shooting Sony since I owned a camera so to be able to use it and know how to use it in situations like this, it's really cool," said Langley. "Always under-expose because you're shooting the sun so you want to make sure it's not blown out because there are highlights and lowlights." 

About 50 photographers came out for the class, and they join dozens others on West 23rd Street.

"It's a very photogenic city and now that the weather is warm, everybody has their cameras out and they are just ready to take in a memory that they will be looking at years from now," said Lateef Bello, brand ambassador for Sony Square NYC. 

If you miss Manhattanhenge this year, a similar event happens near the winter solstice, usually in December and January. In the winter you'll see the sun rising, instead of setting.