We describe and characterize a modular Folded Tubular Photometer for making direct measurements of the concentrations of air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO<sub>2</sub>), sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>), ozone (O<sub>3</sub>), and black carbon particulate matter. Direct absorbance measurements using this photometer can be made across the spectral range from the ultraviolet (UV) to the near-infrared. The absorbance cell makes use of modular components (tubular detection cells and mirror cubes) that allow construction of path lengths of up to 2 meters or more while maintaining low cell volumes. The long path lengths and low cell volumes enable sensitive detection of ambient air pollutants down to low part-per-billion levels for gas species and aerosol extinctions down to 1 Mm<sup>−1</sup>, corresponding to ~ 0.1 μg m<sup>−3</sup> for black carbon particulates. Pressure equalization throughout the stages of the absorbance measurement is shown to be critical to accurate measurements of analyte concentrations. The present paper describes the application of this photometer to direct measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO<sub>2</sub>) and the incorporation of design features that also enable measurement of nitric oxide (NO) in the same instrument. Excellent agreement for ambient measurements along an urban roadside was found for both NO<sub>2</sub> and NO measured by the Folded Tubular Photometer compared to existing standard techniques. Compared to commonly used methods for measurements of NO<sub>x</sub> species, the advantages of this approach include 1) an absolute quantification for NO<sub>2</sub> based on the Beer-Lambert Law, thereby greatly reducing the frequency at which calibrations are required; 2) the direct measurement of NO<sub>2</sub> concentration without prior conversion to NO as is required for the commonly used chemiluminescence method; 3) the use of modular components that allow construction of absorbance detection cells of varying lengths for extending the dynamic range of concentrations that can be measured; 4) a more economical instrument than other currently available direct measurement techniques for NO<sub>2</sub>; and 5) the potential for simultaneous detection of additional species such as SO<sub>2</sub>, O<sub>3</sub>, and black carbon in the same instrument. In contrast to other commercially available direct NO<sub>2</sub> measurements, such as cavity-attenuated phase shift spectroscopy (CAPS), the Folded Tubular Photometer provides a means for measuring NO simultaneously in the same apparatus by quantitatively converting NO to NO<sub>2</sub> with ozone, which is then detected by direct absorbance.