Where to shoot photos in Boston?
January 30, 2007 3:35 PM Subscribe
BostonFilter: What are great places to take photos in Boston?
I love my D50, I love flickr, I love taking photos. However, I need more places to take them! I live in Boston.
Besides the reasonable suspects like: Boston Harbor, North End, Quincy Market and so on what are your favorite spots to snap photos.
Last time I aspect the Hive mind for Boston Info I got a ton of great responses.
So, all you photo shooters out there: what are your favorite spots?
I love my D50, I love flickr, I love taking photos. However, I need more places to take them! I live in Boston.
Besides the reasonable suspects like: Boston Harbor, North End, Quincy Market and so on what are your favorite spots to snap photos.
Last time I aspect the Hive mind for Boston Info I got a ton of great responses.
So, all you photo shooters out there: what are your favorite spots?
Use the Flickr map to zoom in on Boston and find photos from other users that show locations you find visually appealing. Or check out some Boston pools on Flickr, or join a local Flickr meetup group.
posted by matildaben at 4:12 PM on January 30, 2007
posted by matildaben at 4:12 PM on January 30, 2007
Fort Hill in Roxbury is also cool. Just now while I was searching to figure out the exact name of it, I came across this list of Boston places.
posted by xo at 4:23 PM on January 30, 2007
posted by xo at 4:23 PM on January 30, 2007
The Blue Hills Reservation. You can get incredible, panoramic views of Greater Boston from there.
posted by otio at 4:43 PM on January 30, 2007
posted by otio at 4:43 PM on January 30, 2007
xo said it before I could--Mt Auburn Cemetery indeed. I tend to like industrial photographs, so Fort Point Channel is nice for that.
posted by jdl at 4:53 PM on January 30, 2007
posted by jdl at 4:53 PM on January 30, 2007
The new ICA building is nice, and you can get some good shots in the waterfront area. For nature photos, Arnold Arboretum would be a good spot. Also, if you would like to shoot outside of Boston, you could visit some of the properties of The Trustees of Reservations or look at the Audubon Society reservations.
posted by tuff at 5:36 PM on January 30, 2007
posted by tuff at 5:36 PM on January 30, 2007
Christian Science Center
Creepy back alleys of Beacon Hill and the North End
posted by cadge at 7:05 PM on January 30, 2007
Creepy back alleys of Beacon Hill and the North End
posted by cadge at 7:05 PM on January 30, 2007
The John W. McCormack Post Office and Court House is a beautiful old building downtown. If you have ugly as beautiful sensibilities, city hall might work.
On the Cambridge side, MIT has some pretty interesting buildings.
posted by Xalf at 7:12 PM on January 30, 2007
On the Cambridge side, MIT has some pretty interesting buildings.
posted by Xalf at 7:12 PM on January 30, 2007
Deer Island in Winthrop. It's near the airport so you can see the airplanes landing and it's got a great view of the city and an even better view of the gorgeous open ocean. There's a nice 2.5 mile walking path around the waste treatment plant. It's an odd place to love, but I really miss it since I moved away from Winny.
posted by SheIsMighty at 7:33 PM on January 30, 2007
posted by SheIsMighty at 7:33 PM on January 30, 2007
Acorn Street in Beacon Hill. The most photograhed street in the world.
posted by WaterSprite at 7:40 PM on January 30, 2007
posted by WaterSprite at 7:40 PM on January 30, 2007
Take pictures of the people you see in these amazing spots (with their permission of course), they are the true gems of this hub. And people are friendly here indeed.
posted by Meemer at 7:53 PM on January 30, 2007
posted by Meemer at 7:53 PM on January 30, 2007
from the mass ave bridge or the cambridge side of the charles river.
posted by brandz at 8:14 PM on January 30, 2007
posted by brandz at 8:14 PM on January 30, 2007
Best answer: Don't bother with the Salt and Pepper Shaker bridge. Take this from someone who nearly got themselves killed on it trying to get "that perfect shot." There's a whole story there which I won't bother going into, but it long and short of it is, it doesn't rise enough to get you a good enough perspective on Beacon Hill.
Your best bet is to take places you already know and shoot them from quintessential perspectives.
For example, you say The North End, but what are your shots? The Old North Church? That's a fucking hard-ass shot to take, because your back is right up against buildings. Or the cemetery? Maybe if you get a big-ass honkin' zoom and frame a grave with the Constitution behind it. But none of these are quintessentially North End.
What you need to do in the North End is get on the roofs. Seriously, that's where all the good shots are. The roofs are the only place you can get a good downward perspective on the intersections of back-alleys without having your back against a wall. Be careful you don't fall off, though... most of the roofs up there are either renovated decks (no access) or they're open and un-railed (5 flights is a long way to fall).
Bay Village is a neighborhood downtown that always seems to get overlooked. I think it's something like 5 blocks large.
The only interesting shots in Copley Square are shots of people, which is fine if you're into street photography, but forget about the sublime juxtaposition of old and new (the church and the Hancock Bldg)-- it's been done before, about a million times a day.
Beacon Hill has about three good shots in it, and they're all at night. Wait until it gets good and foggy, then plant yourself next to some fake gas lamps and cobblestones (Acorn St.).
The Aberedum is a good place to shoot flora.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 9:43 PM on January 30, 2007
Your best bet is to take places you already know and shoot them from quintessential perspectives.
For example, you say The North End, but what are your shots? The Old North Church? That's a fucking hard-ass shot to take, because your back is right up against buildings. Or the cemetery? Maybe if you get a big-ass honkin' zoom and frame a grave with the Constitution behind it. But none of these are quintessentially North End.
What you need to do in the North End is get on the roofs. Seriously, that's where all the good shots are. The roofs are the only place you can get a good downward perspective on the intersections of back-alleys without having your back against a wall. Be careful you don't fall off, though... most of the roofs up there are either renovated decks (no access) or they're open and un-railed (5 flights is a long way to fall).
Bay Village is a neighborhood downtown that always seems to get overlooked. I think it's something like 5 blocks large.
The only interesting shots in Copley Square are shots of people, which is fine if you're into street photography, but forget about the sublime juxtaposition of old and new (the church and the Hancock Bldg)-- it's been done before, about a million times a day.
Beacon Hill has about three good shots in it, and they're all at night. Wait until it gets good and foggy, then plant yourself next to some fake gas lamps and cobblestones (Acorn St.).
The Aberedum is a good place to shoot flora.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 9:43 PM on January 30, 2007
The Longfellow Bridge. The view while riding the Red Line across is my favorite.
posted by MasonDixon at 9:44 PM on January 30, 2007
posted by MasonDixon at 9:44 PM on January 30, 2007
I second the Arnold Arboretum, which I believe is what Civil_Disobedient meant.
For something a little more offbeat and whimsical, try the DeCordova out in Lincoln; it has an outdoor scupture garden and a new rooftop deck with a nice view.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 7:03 AM on January 31, 2007
For something a little more offbeat and whimsical, try the DeCordova out in Lincoln; it has an outdoor scupture garden and a new rooftop deck with a nice view.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 7:03 AM on January 31, 2007
Forest Hills Cemetery in JP or Prospect Hill Tower in Somerville.
posted by jk252b at 8:30 AM on January 31, 2007
posted by jk252b at 8:30 AM on January 31, 2007
Agree with Prospect Hill; with a telephoto lens you can get some nice skyline views. The caretaker was nice enough to let me in early for a beautiful sunrise when I visited Boston a while back.
posted by TedW at 10:02 AM on January 31, 2007
posted by TedW at 10:02 AM on January 31, 2007
Go to the top of the Museum of Science parking garage, and you can get some pretty impressive sweeping views of downtown from the North. And if I remember correctly, the parking garage is free for up to half an hour. (Or you could take the green line to Science Park and then just walk in.) Go at night (before closing, though, or else the Staties might show up) and bring a tripod.
posted by Plutor at 7:27 AM on February 2, 2007
posted by Plutor at 7:27 AM on February 2, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 3:51 PM on January 30, 2007 [1 favorite]