Boston POTN Meet

[kpiela]

Man, I wish I had seen this thread at the inception. I would have loved to have jumped in on this.

Oh well, next time I guess.

Keep an eye open Christian. We will hopefully aim for warmer weather (altho Jan. was pretty warm!)

[JennF]

If there's a meet in the warmer weather, I'd be interested too. Why do I live in MA? I hate the cold, lol!

[Scottes]

I have to think that another meet will happen when we get some warmer weather.


Everyone start coming up with ideas...

[BeccaNH]

How about a day trip out to Provincetown on the ferry? I've never been out there, but I've been told there's a lot to see.

[20DNewbie]

:confused:There's a ferry? Everyone that I know that has been there just drives:lol:. Or are you thinking of the Vineyard/Nantucket?

[BeccaNH]

Yep, there's a ferry. www.boston-ptown.com

I just thought if we wanted to do a day trip, it would be too far to drive out and back. This way we could go out in the morning and come back in afternoon.

[20DNewbie]

WOW, that's awesome. I'd just jump the commuter rail(7 min. from home), take it to South Station and jump on the T. That would certainly beat the Rt. 3S parking lot.:lol: Then again if I'm ever heading to the Cape I take the back way in. Depending on traffic, it cuts about 2+ hours off travel time.:shock:

[CyberDyneSystems]

Who's with me for climbing the Pilgrim tower! :shock:
http://www.office-assist.com/provincetown04/provincetown04-Images/7.jpg

[BeccaNH]

Who's with me for climbing the Pilgrim tower! :shock:
http://www.office-assist.com/provincetown04/provincetown04-Images/7.jpg

I'd give it a shot... but I might have to be carried down! :shock: (Most likely on a stretcher!) But what the heck... you only live once!

[20DNewbie]

Who's with me for climbing the Pilgrim tower! :shock:
http://www.office-assist.com/provincetown04/provincetown04-Images/7.jpg

Can you get in there?

Great now I gotta go buy a WA :lol: .

[holland_patrick]

I'd give it a shot... but I might have to be carried down! :shock: (Most likely on a stretcher!) But what the heck... you only live once!

Don't worry I'll try and make it (I'm a paramedic:lol: )

[kpiela]

Who's with me for climbing the Pilgrim tower! :shock:
http://www.office-assist.com/provincetown04/provincetown04-Images/7.jpg

Just got back from a family vacation and saw this thread picked back up... Jake, you can't be serious! :lol: :lol:

Did you see how tired we all were after walking across Boston? I would imagine the lunchtime gear table would be significantly smaller if we were to plan on climbing anything. :lol:

[BeccaNH]

Just got back from a family vacation and saw this thread picked back up... Jake, you can't be serious! :lol: :lol:

Did you see how tired we all were after walking across Boston? I would imagine the lunchtime gear table would be significantly smaller if we were to plan on climbing anything. :lol:

Welcome back Kristine! Where did you go on vacation?

[jlacoy82]

Jeez, I gotta get in on this next time. ;)

[damansidhu]

Great to see the thread picking up again. Im all for climbing the tower :) Maybe plan the next one in April sometime??

[Hiro]

Is it time to go shooting yet? My shutter finger is trigger happy and itchin for another outing! Spring Fever is here! :) I just checked the service schedule for the ferry to P-Town and it looks like it doesn't start until May 19 if I'm reading the schedule correctly :( So, in the meantime, maybe we can do something else in April to get out of this winter hibernation mode?

[kpiela]

Has anyone checked out that California POTN thread??? There are 65 pages!! Wow!

How about April or May in the Gloucester/Ipswich area? I know that was mentioned before. Just a thought.

[20DNewbie]

How about an impromptu gathering this weekend, I heard it's going to be in the 50's, wahoooo.

Maybe my bird flu or mad cow will be acting up again, cough, cough...

[Scottes]

Hmmm.... Where & what to shoot? I wouldn't mind getting out of the house - I haven't been shooting since the Boston meet.

[20DNewbie]

Anything.

Anywhere.

So long as I'm outside it really doesn't matter to me.

[20DNewbie]

:lol: hey Scottes, if we keep this up we'll catch up to those Cali POTN'ers page count in no time!

[Hiro]

Has anyone checked out that California POTN thread??? There are 65 pages!! Wow!

How about April or May in the Gloucester/Ipswich area? I know that was mentioned before. Just a thought.

65 pages? Well, time to catch up to them! :D I think Gloucester/Ipswich would be cool...maybe on up to Rockport also, which of course is home to the most photographed shack in NewEngland or whatnot :)

[Hiro]

How about an impromptu gathering this weekend, I heard it's going to be in the 50's, wahoooo.

Maybe my bird flu or mad cow will be acting up again, cough, cough...

It is indeed supposed to be gorgeous this weekend! My arm might be able to be twisted to go shoot this weekend...I guess the question is how many others would be in on such an impromptu shoot? Let the responses roll in and help us catch-up to that 65 page California thread ;)

[kpiela]

Possibly a Sunday venture? I have not yet checked with my family to see if I am available, but I know Sundays are always more open for us. Just my 2 cents. :)

[CyberDyneSystems]

Have fun if you all go this weekend..

I'm stuck at work..
It has it's perks though.. tonight is Yoyo Ma.. and I'm hoping to get him to pose with my Dogs.. ;)

[Scottes]

and I'm hoping to get him to pose with my Dogs.
And the photo would, of course, be titled "Bumpus Yo Yo Ma Roo"

That's kinda hysterical. :-)

[20DNewbie]

It is indeed supposed to be gorgeous this weekend! My arm might be able to be twisted to go shoot this weekend...I guess the question is how many others would be in on such an impromptu shoot? Let the responses roll in and help us catch-up to that 65 page California thread ;)
Twist, twist.:lol:

I'm with Kristine on this, Sundays always seem to work out better for everyone.

Now all we need is somebody with a map of Mass., and a dart.:lol::lol::lol:

[Hiro]

Twist, twist, eh? My arm is feeling the pain! ;-) Seriously though, I guess we need to feel out if there is enough of a quorum to go forth? Sunday seems to be the day of choice if we go...so, who else is in for an impromptu Sunday gathering? I guess everyone is still ultimately checking their schedules, but so far, looks like those willing to try and have their arms twisted are:

1 Hiro
2 20DNewbie
3 kpiela
4 Scottes

Anyone else?

As for where, I personally don't have any preference...what do folks wanna shoot? I'll just throw out some ideas: If folks wanna do Boston again, there are plenty of different places we didn't hit last time...like along the Charles River for park/skyline shots...or over to Cambridge for funky university architecture and people shots (there should be plenty of people outside with the gorgeous weather). If folks are more into nature, maybe we can hit a park/area outside the city? I've never been, but I hear the Arboretum in Jamaica Plain is nice (don't know how big it is)...or Walden Pond near Lexington/Concord? I just don't know how many photo opps those areas would generate since I've never been...

Anyone else? Ideas? Prefs?

[damansidhu]

Twist, twist, eh? My arm is feeling the pain! ;-) Seriously though, I guess we need to feel out if there is enough of a quorum to go forth? Sunday seems to be the day of choice if we go...so, who else is in for an impromptu Sunday gathering? I guess everyone is still ultimately checking their schedules, but so far, looks like those willing to try and have their arms twisted are:

1 Hiro
2 20DNewbie
3 kpiela
4 Scottes

Anyone else?

As for where, I personally don't have any preference...what do folks wanna shoot? I'll just throw out some ideas: If folks wanna do Boston again, there are plenty of different places we didn't hit last time...like along the Charles River for park/skyline shots...or over to Cambridge for funky university architecture and people shots (there should be plenty of people outside with the gorgeous weather). If folks are more into nature, maybe we can hit a park/area outside the city? I've never been, but I hear the Arboretum in Jamaica Plain is nice (don't know how big it is)...or Walden Pond near Lexington/Concord? I just don't know how many photo opps those areas would generate since I've never been...

Anyone else? Ideas? Prefs?

Hiro,
I might be able to make it as well, maybe for the first half of the day. Sunday might give me a chance to get my bike out too :) Im also thinking some others might not have revisited this thread in a while so maybe we should pm them and let them know.

I'm game for visiting Cambridge/Charles but would prefer if we do something outdoors instead, more nature shots this time maybe? Waiting to hear back.

[Scottes]

There's nothing in Concord this time of year, IMHO. I work here and have scoured the place. Arnold Arboretum is very nice, but I'd be leery of this time of year - lots of shots of evergreens... And it's big. It's gorgeous in the spring though, simply gorgeous.

For nature we're stuck with either evergreens or sea gull & ducks. Otherwise we have the Franklin Park Zoo - which is worthwhile, I think, and almost a full day. But it is a smallish zoo, and not always very easy to get shots free of the hand of man, so it's on the edge of worthwhile. You'd have to like zoos for it to be worthwhile. Another nature option is the Magic Wings butterfly house way out in South Deerfield, which is fantastic but 2 hours tops. If people like the idea of butterflies then we should wait until The Butterfly Place (in Westford) opens for the season. Smaller than Magic Wings, but we can rent the place, all to ourselves, for a couple hours on a weekend morning. $15 a head, basically, for 2 hours.

I could do another Boston/Cambridge trip but given the distances for the places left it would be best done by car (or minivan is more show up). Another volunteer to drive the rest of us around? (You probably don't want to drive in my car....)

[arthurgoh]

Hello everyone, I'm new here. Student at BC. Shutter finger twitching. Include me in!

[damansidhu]

I could do another Boston/Cambridge trip but given the distances for the places left it would be best done by car (or minivan is more show up). Another volunteer to drive the rest of us around? (You probably don't want to drive in my car....) I can bring my SUV if we finalize this Scott, seats 8.

[arthurgoh]

I have wheels and am happy to be driver. Where is the destination again?

[Hiro]

For nature we're stuck with either evergreens or sea gull & ducks.

I could do another Boston/Cambridge trip but given the distances for the places left it would be best done by car (or minivan is more show up). Another volunteer to drive the rest of us around? (You probably don't want to drive in my car....)

Great point! I guess I forgot (or am in denial) that it's still winter and there isn't much in the way of vegetation or many creatures stirring about. We'll definitely have to hit one of these non-city locales when the weather gets nicer!

So, in the meantime, sounds like folks are leaning towards the city area again? Although it would be nice to have a chauffer, we might be able to make it a walking tour again like last time and save someone from having to drive? For what it's worth, one route idea that comes to my mind that would be a contiguous walking tour is:

> Meet up at Boston Common
> Walk through Beacon Hill (lots of classic, gaslight neighborhood shots)
> Walk over Storrow Drive to the riverfront esplanade along the Charles (can get park-like shots, shots of the Cambridge skyline, etc)
> Walk over one of the bridges over to the Cambridge side of the river (the one that carries the Red Line is very close)
> Shoot the Boston/BackBay skyline from the Cambridge side...Also, MIT is right there for MIT architectural shooting...
> Then if people want to continue onward to say Harvard campus to shoot the classic red brick and potentially 'interesting' student characters who might be out in full force, can just hop on the Red Line subway at MIT to Harvard. The subway of course could then take everyone back to the start point at Boston Common in the end.

Just a thought...Any other ideas?

[Hiro]

Here is the latest roster I have as folks continue to check their schedules:

1 Hiro
2 20DNewbie
3 kpiela
4 Scottes
5 damansidhu
6 arthurgoh (Welcome to the forum/group!)

Daman, I might be with you in that I may only go for first half of the day if the weather is supposed to be as nice as forecasted so that I can get some other things done under the great weather :) I guess that leads to the next question: Proposed time for the meet? Assuming others might want to get personal things done in the great weather in the afternoon, should we shoot for an earlier meet starting in the morning like last time? What time did we meet last time? Was it 9am? 10am? Would 9am be too early for folks? How about 10am?

[arthurgoh]

10am sounds good (is the light better at 9?)

[20DNewbie]

Gonna need a bit of help with this one, it's been awhile.

Coming from the South Shore on the red line, what next? Green?

It's been a llloooooooonnnnnnggggggg time.

[flyfisher]

I haven't been to Rockport might be interested in that if it's a nice day.

[Hiro]

Gonna need a bit of help with this one, it's been awhile.

Coming from the South Shore on the red line, what next? Green?

It's been a llloooooooonnnnnnggggggg time.

Hey there Christian,

If folks go for the plan I laid out, you'd just take the Red Line in to Park St station and get off there - that puts you right out on the corner of the Boston Common. I'd propose we just meet at the Starbucks at the corner of Beacon and Charles St, which bisects the Common's two halves. That will put us right at the entrance into Beacon Hill territory.

I can give more specific directions if we go with this plan...just waiting to hear from others to see how they feel...

[arthurgoh]

The plan sounds good.

However, the weather pundits are revising their prognostication for Sunday. Saturday seems to be the pick of the week now...

arthur

[sageone]

I'm out...working on Sunday...have a HS Hockey Tournament to shoot.

[damansidhu]

Hiro, Im all game for the plan you chalked out. I was also thinking that we would be out shooting(as per the current plan) say from 10-1 or 2pm. The light isn't really all that flattering at that time of the day, especially for wide cityscapes.

Would it be possible to do this early morning/late evening? I know there probably wont be many takers.. but still wanted to throw the idea out. The sunrise is at 6AM and sunset is at 5:45 pm or so on this weekend. Also just checked the weather forecast, Sunday seems to be rainy and at least would be boringly overcast like we met the last time. As Arthur said, saturday seems to be the better day, but i dont know how feasible it would be for everyone.

PS: Just got the new Tamron as a Gift today and cannot wait to test it out :D

[Hiro]

Hiro, Im all game for the plan you chalked out. I was also thinking that we would be out shooting(as per the current plan) say from 10-1 or 2pm. The light isn't really all that flattering at that time of the day, especially for wide cityscapes.

Would it be possible to do this early morning/late evening? I know there probably wont be many takers.. but still wanted to throw the idea out. The sunrise is at 6AM and sunset is at 5:45 pm or so on this weekend. Also just checked the weather forecast, Sunday seems to be rainy and at least would be boringly overcast like we met the last time. As Arthur said, saturday seems to be the better day, but i dont know how feasible it would be for everyone.

Ugh! I can't believe the forecast is changing for the worse! That figures...guess that's NewEngland for ya :(

I am in full agreement with taking advantage of morning light and all, but like you said, I don't know how many others would really be up for such an ultra-early morning shoot. I'm a bit crazy myself, so would certainly be game for it! So, let's see if anyone else is game for a 6am-ish shoot on say Saturday morning to take advantage of the light. Personally, I'd just have to duck out by 9am since I have an engagement that starts then...Obviously everyone else can continue onward shooting.

If it really is gonna rain on Sunday, I think I'd scrub that plan since shooting in the rain is not my idea of fun.

[Scottes]

I could do early morning...pre-dawn is even good for me.

But I may be tight this weekend, and may have to skip otherwise. My boss is talking about working this weekend, which would jam my schedule too much.

[damansidhu]

I think 6am on Saturday would be perfect because it wont mess with anyones schedules as well. I would also probably leave by 8:30-9AM then and we can all catch up to our schedules.

Scott, would you be able to make it on early Saturday morning then? If we can meet up at one place i can bring my ride(even to Boston commons) and we can all move around quickly and save sometime since there wont be much traffic during that time.

Would this odd time be fit for everyone else? I myself am a late riser esp on weekends but i figure i can go back home and catch up on my sleep after the shoot. Please post up.

EDIT: Sunrise is at 6:03 am so if we plan to meet early lets keep it at 5:30 so that we manage to catch the Sun coming up from Charles? I almost certain Scott would know the best vantage points to get the early morning light since hes done some fantastic boston skyline shots

[jamiewexler]

Just found this post and this forum. I always love a chance to meet some more enthusiasts. I'm definitely in for some early morning shooting...

[Scottes]

If we did a 6-10 shoot on Saturday I could most likely make it. The same on Sunday is possible but much less likely.

Any thoughts on starting on the edge of town to catch the entire city at first light? Airport Hyatt for catching the sunrise shining on the city or Memorial drive to catch sunrise with the city in silhouette?

[Hiro]

OK folks! With the weather gods and most everyone else chimed in, I think we can finally put this plan into stone and go for the ultra early morning shoot as our impromptu get-together this weekend! I like Daman's point on getting out and set-up before the actual sunrise.

So, let's meet up at 5:30am Saturday morning (I will probably regret this when my alarm goes off ;) ...We just need to finalize the meeting spot as Scottes just stated: Airport Hyatt or Memorial Drive on the Cambridge side (could meet at the boat house in front of MIT, between Mass Ave bridge and the other bridge that carries the redline who's name I can't recall).

Which one shall it be?

[damansidhu]

I think the boat house is a good idea Hiro, as there's a free 2 hour parking spot right there,which would be very convenient for people driving in. So shall we make it 5:30 at the boathouse then?

Im not sure how long is the drive from Charles to Hyatt..But if we can wrap up the backlight shots quickly would it be possible to drive over to Hyatt to catch the early morning light as well?

[damansidhu]

Just found this post and this forum. I always love a chance to meet some more enthusiasts. I'm definitely in for some early morning shooting... Welcome to the thread/group Jamie, hope to catch up on Saturday morning then.

[arthurgoh]

Game on!

Where's the boat house exactly? Is it before or after the beacon street bridge?

And if there's anyone of you in the vicinity of Comm Av, Chestnut Hill, Western Av who wants a ride, let me know.

Oh, and if a friend of mine (who's a Nikonian) wants to join in, is it OK? I don't want to breach protocol and be excommunicated on my first outing! : )

[damansidhu]

Arthur, I dont know about beacon st bridge, but if you are coming from Cambridge towards Boston on Mass Ave, take a left onto Memorial drive. Then MIT is on your left and Charles on your right. The boat house is on the right side- across from MIT, once you get on memorial it would be quite hard to miss. So this section is between Mass ave and Main street(which is the road where Red line plys) on Memorial.

[damansidhu]

Here you go: The exact aerial view of the spot(google Rocks!), you can zoom out and in to get an idea.

Aerial View- Boat house (http://local.google.com/local?f=q&hl=en&q=MIT+Cambridge+MA&t=h&safe=active&ll=42.358782,-71.087084&spn=0.002846,0.004989&t=h)

[Hiro]

Here you go: The exact aerial view of the spot(google Rocks!), you can zoom out and in to get an idea.

Aerial View- Boat house (http://local.google.com/local?f=q&hl=en&q=MIT+Cambridge+MA&t=h&safe=active&ll=42.358782,-71.087084&spn=0.002846,0.004989&t=h)

Daman, thanks for the aerial view - very cool! As you look at this, I think we want the boathouse on the left in the image...so, as one is driving east on Memorial past the Mass Ave bridge, it'll be the first boathouse you come to on the right... As you said, you can just pull to the right and park since there is parking right there on the street.

OK, so 5:30am Saturday at the boathouse...Just look for the crazy people with tripods against the railing for those who come a little late ;) I look forward to a great sunrise shot over the city! :)

[kpiela]

Crazy photographers.... 5:30am.... do you people sleep??! :)
I get to stay in bed until 7am only once or twice a week, so I'm going to pass up this trip! I'm not very resilient. Have fun and I hope you get some great shots. I'm still looking forward to the Spring outing.

[damansidhu]

Sorry you cant make it Kristine, hopefully we all would be able to catch up in the Spring session.

Guys, i searched for some pre dawn images of Boston and came across these. any idea where these might have been taken from?

http://www.ktphoto.com/stock/photos/11.jpg

http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/DGV/DGV308/372002.jpg

[Hiro]

Guys, i searched for some pre dawn images of Boston and came across these. any idea where these might have been taken from?

http://www.ktphoto.com/stock/photos/11.jpg

http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/DGV/DGV308/372002.jpg

I'd say that's shot right by where we'll be! I'm certain that's the Charles in the foreground since the Hancock is to the right of the building with the weather beacon (can't remember the name of that building).

[Airedale1]

Sorry you cant make it Kristine, hopefully we all would be able to catch up in the Spring session.

Guys, i searched for some pre dawn images of Boston and came across these. any idea where these might have been taken from?



http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/DGV/DGV308/372002.jpg

This image was taken from East Boston, which is where I grew up. East Boston will yield the best skyline shots.

[damansidhu]

This image was taken from East Boston, which is where I grew up. East Boston will yield the best skyline shots.
Paul,are you planning to join us(i know you are a bit away) :) I'm not familiar with East Boston, so wanted to ask if there's any particular point on East Boston where this could have been taken from?

[karl_burns]

Would love to tag along. Just found this forum. I live in Medford! I've been dieing to get a great skyline shot too!
Karl

[Hiro]

Crazy photographers.... 5:30am.... do you people sleep??! :)
I get to stay in bed until 7am only once or twice a week, so I'm going to pass up this trip! I'm not very resilient. Have fun and I hope you get some great shots. I'm still looking forward to the Spring outing.

Sorry you can't make it Kristine - See you in the Spring!

OK, here is the latest roster as I understand it for our 5:30am Boathouse rendezvous:

1 Hiro
2 20DNewbie
3 jamiewexler (Welcome to the forum/group!)
4 Scottes
5 damansidhu
6 arthurgoh (Welcome to the forum/group!)
7 karl_burns (Welcome to the forum/group!)

Any other crazies out there? :)

[Hiro]

Gonna need a bit of help with this one, it's been awhile.
Coming from the South Shore on the red line, what next? Green?
It's been a llloooooooonnnnnnggggggg time.

Hey Christian, are you still planning on joining us? I don't think the subway runs that early in the morning to get you into town by 5:30am, so hopefully you can drive in and join us?

[damansidhu]

Sorry you can't make it Kristine - See you in the Spring!

OK, here is the latest roster as I understand it for our 5:30am Boathouse rendezvous:

1 Hiro
2 20DNewbie
3 jamiewexler (Welcome to the forum/group!)
4 Scottes
5 damansidhu
6 arthurgoh (Welcome to the forum/group!)
7 karl_burns (Welcome to the forum/group!)

Any other crazies out there? :)
I must add here Hiro, great to see you taking the initiative and getting everything organized quickly and chalk up the meet point/route. My vote for you to be the official tour guide this Saturday :)

[Scottes]

OK, sounds good to me. 5:30 on Saturday, Memorial Drive. I know there's a pull-out between those bridges with parking for a few cars , right in front of some kind of boat house with lots of little training sailboats. Is that the one?

If not I'll just keep my eye out on Memorial looking for a maniac or two with a tripod...

[Scottes]

OK, I read the rest of the posts... I know the spot.

I can't imagine getting a sunrise like that photo from East Boston. Sunset maybe...??

That boat house is about our best bet for a sunrise along Memorial I believe. I think - for this time of year - the sun will rise to the right of the financial district and to the left of the Hancock Tower. Late summer might yield a great sun-rises-over-the-buldings shot, but the chosen boathouse is probably the best choice for Saturday. (I think)

[damansidhu]

OK, sounds good to me. 5:30 on Saturday, Memorial Drive. I know there's a pull-out between those bridges with parking for a few cars , right in front of some kind of boat house with lots of little training sailboats. Is that the one? Thats the one Scottes.. spot on,

[BeccaNH]

I wish I could join you folks for this outing, but as I just got back into town I have a lot of catch-up stuff to do (i.e. laundry, unpacking, etc). I hope you have a great time and I look forward to seeing the results! Have fun!

[jlacoy82]

Someone get something going in southern NH, I'm in Manchester every weeekend visiting my g/f, shes a photog as well! ;)

[karl_burns]

I totall agree that from Memorial Drive will have the sunrise to our 9:00 left side.....
BUT, there could be some great shots with the windows on the skyscrapers painted in gold/orange/red, but the sky in the distant background deep, nighttime blue....
I dirve a big ol' Explorer with Texas plates. Believe me, it stands out.
Karl

[Airedale1]

Paul,are you planning to join us(i know you are a bit away) :) I'm not familiar with East Boston, so wanted to ask if there's any particular point on East Boston where this could have been taken from?

I would have loved to have gone but i have to work Saturday. It looks like you will have nice weather too. Here are some tips on Boston that I had posted in another thread to Fer. I hope they help. Also, a couple of images that I took with my G1 from the East Boston side.

"They were take from the park that on Marginal Street in East Boston. The park on Maverick Street in East Boston actually gets you even closer.

BTW, if you do come to Boston via Logan Airport, you will already be in East Boston. East Boston has some fantastic places to eat and without the price gouging that you will find in downtown Boston or the North End. For Italian food, I would suggest Jeveli's. It's the oldest Italian eatery in Boston, still operated by the original family since the early 20's. For pizza, Santarpio's is a "new comer," it's only been there since the early 50's.http://photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif It's the best pizza in Boston.

Also, just 10 minutes to the north is the city of Revere and a trip to Kelly's Roast Beef at Revere Beach, will not only provide you with the best roast beef sandwiches anywhere, it will give you a chance to get some great pictures of sea gulls in flight. They will eat right out of your hand there.

The park I am refering to is on the East Boston side. The park most commonly seen by tourists would be Christopher Columbus Park in the North End section of Boston on Atlantic Avenue by the Marriott Boston Long Wharf which will only give you views of East Boston. Again, any taxi driver can take you to the ones I have mentioned."

[20DNewbie]

Hey Christian, are you still planning on joining us? I don't think the subway runs that early in the morning to get you into town by 5:30am, so hopefully you can drive in and join us?
:( Not sure, I work nights and don't get home till about 12:45/1:00 a.m., I'll see what I can do about it though.

If you all see a ol' beat up red Isuzu Rodeo going by :confused: , could some of you pop off some of your flashes, otherwise I'll end up where I always end up. At that hospital with the walkway over the street. I have no idea, but for some reason I ALWAYS end up there.:lol:

[damansidhu]

Thanks for that bit of info Paul,it surely would come very handy to me :) both the shooting location and the eating joints you mentioned. Would check them out.

[Scottes]

Crap! It's really looking like I'm going to miss this entirely. Work is well on it's way to exploding at this moment. I've spent 5 hours in 3 emergency meetings today - one with people that I didn't even know, working on a project I've barely heard about, yet I somehow managed to be the person who could solve their current emergency.

[damansidhu]

Crap! It's really looking like I'm going to miss this entirely. Work is well on it's way to exploding at this moment. I've spent 5 hours in 3 emergency meetings today - one with people that I didn't even know, working on a project I've barely heard about, yet I somehow managed to be the person who could solve their current emergency. Still hoping you can make it, you never know :)

[Hiro]

Scottes - Hope you end up making it!

See all you crazies in a few hours - I'm off to TRY and get to bed! :)

[Scottes]

Count me out folks. 10:15 and I just got in...
:-(

[20DNewbie]

http://www.helpbytes.co.uk/images/smileys/17.gif It's 4 a.m. and I'm fading fast, guess I'll have to wait for the next one.:cry:

[damansidhu]

Great meet guys, im still transferring photos after i caught up on my sleep. We should start a new thread in the Urban section for sharing the photos and drop a link to it here. Looking forward to seeing what everyone got.
Cheers

[karl_burns]

Absolutely! Found this forum Thursday, and met people this morning! Great group! Can't wait to share the pics!
Karl

[arthurgoh]

We had a great morning yesterday!

Here is the evidence:

http://www.pbase.com/hougangman/potnmeetngreet

lets meet up again soon. Cheers!

arthur

[damansidhu]

We had a great morning yesterday!

Here is the evidence:

http://www.pbase.com/hougangman/potnmeetngreet

lets meet up again soon. Cheers!

arthur
Great pictures Arthur, especially liked the tree one and the shot of the railing. Looking forward to the next meet and the warmer weather.

[jamiewexler]

Nice shots Aurthur, that pano of the tree is awesome!

Great to meet everyone! Here's the motley crew now:

http://static.flickr.com/34/111286620_a9048f79bf.jpg?v=0


And the rest of my humble captures from the morning:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamiewexler/sets/72057594080286159/




.

[damansidhu]

Hey great shot Jamie, was looking forward to seeing this one, came out nice!

[kpiela]

Great shots guys! Looks like you had a productive morning. :)

[Scottes]

Work sucks. :-(

I promise not to miss the "warm & green" photo shoot, whenever we have that....

[kpiela]

Why not pick a Sunday in May/early June now so we can all get it in our calendars? How about May 21st? Any objections? Too early/late in the month, etc?

[Scottes]

May 21 is excellent for me. The next 3 weekends are all tentative since I may be making a weekend trip sometime around then.

[arthurgoh]

Hey Jamie, the Peleng shot is cool!

How about a bigger expedition for spring/summer: Acadia National Park!

[damansidhu]

Im all for the next meet in May end, but maybe we can plan something in April as well before that. Sharing a few of mine, and the rest can be found Here (http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2108405190&code=21105419&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite)

[jamiewexler]

Daman, that first shot is extraordinary. Makes me wish I'd actually set up my tripod!

[kpiela]

Daman, nice shots. You have a very artistic flare with your camera and your pp work. Very nice. :)

[damansidhu]

Daman, that first shot is extraordinary. Makes me wish I'd actually set up my tripod! Thanks so much Jamie.I wanted a shot like this from a long time ago when i saw a very similar shot,and got lucky this time. I also need to get a fish eye next after seeing the shot you got :)

[damansidhu]

Daman, nice shots. You have a very artistic flare with your camera and your pp work. Very nice. :) Thanks a lot for your kind words Kristine :) looking forward to meeting again at the next outing.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Daman,. the tree is wonderfull!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[karl_burns]

That tree shot is incredible. This was my first time doing skyline / sunrise type of shots. Boy,I thought I knew about photography... :)
Here's one of my favorites from yesterday morning.
Karl
http://photobucket.com/albums/a71/karl_burns/?action=view&current=skylinesilhouette.jpg

[BeccaNH]

Great shots, everyone!

Daman, I love the tree! That's incredible. Nice job!

I hope I can join you all next time. May 21 is clear on my calendar for now so add me to the list!

[damansidhu]

Daman,. the tree is wonderfull!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks a lot CDS :) Here are 2 more takes on the same shot. Im not sure which one i like more.. maybe you guys can help me decide..

[damansidhu]

That tree shot is incredible. This was my first time doing skyline / sunrise type of shots. Boy,I thought I knew about photography... :)
Here's one of my favorites from yesterday morning.
Karl
http://photobucket.com/albums/a71/karl_burns/?action=view&current=skylinesilhouette.jpg Karl, Great silhoutte shot. How about sharing the rest of the pictures? Still waiting for Hiro's pictures as well.

[BeccaNH]

Thanks a lot CDS :) Here are 2 more takes on the same shot. Im not sure which one i like more.. maybe you guys can help me decide..

They're both nice, but I LOVE the first one! Great job Daman!

[Scottes]

Awesome shots. I, too, have to pick the first one. That is a way-cool tree, and you guys did a great job with it. (I'm not forgetting your shot Arthur - I love the pano of it!)

[arthurgoh]

thanks for the compliment, it was a 5-shot-stitchie

Hey, I saw an announcement for the New England Spring Flower Show, how's that for a photo op? 20 bucks a pop though...

[damansidhu]

Awesome shots. I, too, have to pick the first one. That is a way-cool tree, and you guys did a great job with it. (I'm not forgetting your shot Arthur - I love the pano of it!)

They're both nice, but I LOVE the first one! Great job Daman!

Hmm.. seems then the original one is the best :) Ill chuck these other versions and stick with it then.

[Hiro]

Hi gang!

Sorry for the delayed response - I've been running around non-stop since I left our photo shoot! It was great seeing everyone at the crack of dawn! Thanks to all who came out so early - I had a blast as always and look forward to the next meet! :)

I quickly had a chance to glance at some of the shots I took...here are some of my highlights...I'll see if I have any more worth sharing as I get more time to review.

[Hiro]

A couple more...

[Hiro]

We had a great morning yesterday!
Here is the evidence:
http://www.pbase.com/hougangman/potnmeetngreet
lets meet up again soon. Cheers!
arthur

Great pictures Arthur! Look forward to seeing you at the next meet!

[Hiro]

Great to meet everyone! Here's the motley crew now:
http://static.flickr.com/34/111286620_a9048f79bf.jpg?v=0
And the rest of my humble captures from the morning:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamiewexler/sets/72057594080286159/
.

Great pix Jamie! I dunno about those ones of me though ;) Ha! Seriously though, nice shots! :)

[Hiro]

Daman, I echo everyone else's comments about your photos! Your post-processing work is always amazing and certainly the area where I need improvement! Becoming more proficient in Photoshop is definitely one of my hard core TO-DOs this year! Your pictures always reinforce how much artistic flare can be added with a skillful hand and eye in photoshop! :)

[Scottes]

Hiro, I love the tree/fence shot. That looks great in the early morning light.

[arthurgoh]

It's so great to see other photographers' perspectives from the same shoot! I learn from your photos. Daman, you make me want to invest more time in pp study!

School's out by 1st week of Apr. Let me know when the next meet is!

[karl_burns]

Here are my favs. This was my first time shooting landscapes, so C and C are very welcome. I have to say I learned a TON from seeing everyone's pictures on this thread! I went for mostly a silhouette style, but now I have something to shoot for (read: Daman).
Karl Burns
http://photobucket.com/albums/a71/karl_burns/Boston/

[karl_burns]

BTW, I just saw Hiro's pics. Obviously, I was standing to his left! :)
Karl

[damansidhu]

Daman, I echo everyone else's comments about your photos! Your post-processing work is always amazing and certainly the area where I need improvement! Becoming more proficient in Photoshop is definitely one of my hard core TO-DOs this year! Your pictures always reinforce how much artistic flare can be added with a skillful hand and eye in photoshop! :)

Thankyou for such flattery Hiro :) I just logged on and saw your pictures, lovely colors on the first one and also like the one with the 3 trees.I wanted to shoot them as well but couldnt think up a good composition, so I really like your shot.

Karl, thanks for sharing the rest of the pictures as well. Great silhoutte shots! Looking forward eagerly to the next meeting now.
Cheers

[damansidhu]

Ah and btw this is the final version of the tree i settled on, more neutral image with very little PP apart from a grad mask and de colorization.

[arthurgoh]

To encourage enthusiasm for our next expedition, let me post this photo:



See how happy everyone is!

Taking photos brings joy to the world...

In order from left to right: Hiro, Karl, Kenneth, Vera, meself, Jamie and, opting for closer fellowship with the ground, Daman

[damansidhu]

That is a great picture Arthur, mine didnt come out half as well(flash goofed up somehow), i hope you dont mind me saving a copy for myself.

[arthurgoh]

That is a great picture Arthur, mine didnt come out half as well(flash goofed up somehow), i hope you dont mind me saving a copy for myself.

No problem. Let me know if you want a bigger file.

[holland_patrick]

Man I missed out which is too bad I stil have to make my first meet. ...
A weekend trip to maine sound nice.... I'll even bring the Kayak..i can wait to get out in that either...

[corterlifecrisis]

i'm deffinately going to be at the next meeting, i can't believe i missed this one!!! you all took some great shots, looks like you had a ton of fun and really got around town.

[mysubaruimp]

Been busy lately, havent been online. Too bad I missed this one. I will pay more attention for the next meet though.

[damansidhu]

Just thought ill share with my photo friends from Boston, me and wifey became proud parents of a little one last week. Exciting times ahead as this one is our first one :) Here's a link to his pictures i posted on the people forum.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=149425

[BeccaNH]

I don't know if anyone would be interested, but there Outdoor Photographer magazine is holding a 1-2 day seminar in Boston in October. The information is here:

http://www.opseminar.com/

Might be worth looking in on?

[damansidhu]

Becca, the October seminar seems to be interesting but im not sure if i can commit anything on it right now. Maybe we should discuss this at the next meet.

Coming to that, when are we meeting next? Im thinking mid april would be a good time to meet up, the days are getting fantastically warmer :)

[BeccaNH]

Hi Daman,

I'm not sure I'm going to go either, but I thought I would post it in case anyone else might be interested.

How's that new baby?

[damansidhu]

Keeping us very busy Becca :) but we are enjoying the new experience. Still waiting to hear from others about organizing the next meet.

[mysubaruimp]

Im up for any day you guys pick.

[Scottes]

I **actually** think I'll manage to go shooting tomorrow, the first time since we all met up in Boston.

I think I remember where the shutter button is...

I'm heading out for birds. I'm on a mission to get a shot of a duck to break in the new 500mm. Once I get the duck, everything that flies is fair game...

Hmm. One of these days I'll have to break in the new pano head I got several months ago. Actually I have quite a few new toys I have yet to attach to the camera. Grip, second flash, some flash doodads, pano head, 500mm f/4...

I hate winter sometimes, but now that it's over I plan on hating the 5-day work week. At least until the end of October when I can start hating winter again.

[BeccaNH]

I hate winter sometimes, but now that it's over I plan on hating the 5-day work week. At least until the end of October when I can start hating winter again.

LOL :lol:

I know exactly how you feel! I finally got outside today. It was gorgeous! Not that I got much of anything very good, but it was nice to be outside again.

[arthurgoh]

Plenty of ducks and geese over here at Chestnut Hill reservoir. Often you'll see the pack (or whatever you call a group of 'em) of swans who visit regularly from nearby Chandler Pond.



With the warmer weather there've been hawks and eagles. I was told that there are a couple of owl families nesting nearby but haven't been able to spot any yet.

Talk about target rich environment eh? ;)

[sqjaw]

please count me in live in everett,but work down town boston, govt ctr:)

[Airedale1]

I don't know if anyone would be interested, but there Outdoor Photographer magazine is holding a 1-2 day seminar in Boston in October. The information is here:

http://www.opseminar.com/ Might be worth looking in on?

Well sure that figures. It's being held on Oct. 14th, which will be my wedding day. Hmmmmm......maybe I can work it in somehow.:rolleyes:

[BeccaNH]

Well sure that figures. It's being held on Oct. 14th, which will be my wedding day. Hmmmmm......maybe I can work it in somehow.:rolleyes:

:shock: Well, if you did that you'd probably be available for all future seminars.... since you wouldn't have a wife!

Congrats on your upcoming wedding, Paul!

[damansidhu]

So...... When are we guys meeting next? Its coming to April end and the weathers much warmer now. How does the weekend of 29th-30th sound to everyone? Spring has brought out lots of bloom all around, maybe we can look at capturing those before summer arrives? Please post your thoughts.

[kpiela]

Starting on page 16 of this thread we talked about getting together on 5/21. I could probably swing 4/30, but not 5/21 after all. Whatever date is decided, I'd be happy to PM everyone in the thread as I am sure there are some people who are interested but don't follow the thread any more.

[Scottes]

Sounds good to me. What's the plan?

Do we want flows and plants? Arnold Arboretum? That can be a whole day, though, so what The Fen (I've heard it's flowery but have never been there) followed by hitting the Charles on the park side, then scooting over to Memorial Drive to catch Boston in the background? The Common & Public Garden should look a lot better this time of year... There's also the Charles Riverboat line (or something like that) that does turist cruises up and down the Charles and harbor.

Or any other ideas?

[Scottes]

5/21 is tough for me.

[damansidhu]

Since 5/21 seems tough for both of you, could we try for 4/30 then? Pm'ing the rest of the people in the group sounds like a good idea Kristine. I guess if we get everyones availability we can finalize on a date. Also what about meeting on Saturday of 4/29th than sunday of 4/30th? Would that work for everyone?

[BeccaNH]

Well, darn! I'm going to have to miss this one too. I have to be out of town that weekend. Have a great time and I hope I can catch up with you all for the next one!

[kpiela]

30th is good for me. I'd like to hear from a few others to make sure this is okay before I PM folks. I'll PM a few to see what the concensus is.

[damansidhu]

Im ok with 30th Kristine, i can pm Hiro and the new guys who had joined us in the last outing to see if they can make it.

[arthurgoh]

I'd love to join in! BUT

It'll be academic deadline week then and I have several papers to conjure up and turn in, so I'll be up to my eyeballs!

I suppose it's payback for my adrenalin reliant work ethic.

Get the meet going Daman, I'll let the little angel and devil on my shoulder battle it out to determine if I show up!

[jacobsen1]

I'll see what the wife wants to do that weekend. 5/21 is out for sure for me though. She just ran the Boston Marathon Monday though so who knows if we'll want to go to boston again so soon...

Ben

[damansidhu]

Hey Arthur, i sure hope the Devil in you wins and you turn up :)

The meet has still not been finalized though and we are all waiting to hear from fellow Potn'ers their availability.

[mysubaruimp]

4/30 is good for me, just make sure I dont forget.

[kpiela]

Hey all. Seems like 4/30 is good for enough of us to actually schedule the date. I, personally, cannot make it after all! Get the word out there if chatting with friends at POTN. Enjoy and I hope to join a later outing. :)

[holland_patrick]

I know this is short notice but i was thinking of doing the butterfly thing tomorrow with the litle one, figuring that the rain will not bothing me inside.. anyone else up for it??

[Scottes]

I know this is short notice but i was thinking of doing the butterfly thing tomorrow with the litle one, figuring that the rain will not bothing me inside.. anyone else up for it??
Bummer. I have plans for tomorrow even with all the rain. I've been meaning to get back to one of the butterfly houses.

If you were thinking about doing Magic Wings, I've found that it's not so great on a rainy day. Most of the light is through the greenhouse glass, and there's so little on a rainy day that you either need flash or ISO 1600. A bright, mildly overcast day is awesome there.

[holland_patrick]

Ya that is where i figured on going.. Bummer... she has been talking a lot about butterflies... so i figured it would be a good stop.. unless there is another one out there

[Scottes]

Ya that is where i figured on going.. Bummer... she has been talking a lot about butterflies... so i figured it would be a good stop.. unless there is another one out there
It's *still* a beautiful place. It's worth a visit without a camera, and how often do you hear a photo-nut say something like that?

But I'd bring a camera anyway... :-) ISO 1600 is still great practice even if the pics come out noisy.

PS: I don't know of any other BF places closer to you. Westford, MA, in Boston at the Franklin Zoo, a little one in Newport, RI. And Magic Wings is - by far - the best of them, and the only one open year-round.


If anyone ever gets the urge to travel up to Westford, MA (darn close to the NH border) we can rent out The Butterfly Place for 2 hours @ $15 a person (or somewhere around there). I've done this before with another group of photogs and it is awesome. They open early, turn down the heat and turn off the fans. The BFs move at half-speed so are a lot easier to capture. And since it's all photogs you can bring tripods and big flash setups.

They're seasonal, but have opened already - they opened on Valentine's Day. It's not a large place - a dozen photographers would be quite full. But you get in a full day's worth of shooting by 10:00 AM. If anyone's interested in this please let me know and I can get some better info and possibly pick a date.

http://www.butterflyplace-ma.com

[BeccaNH]

If anyone's interested in this please let me know and I can get some better info and possibly pick a date.

http://www.butterflyplace-ma.com

I would love to do something like this. Actually, I was thinking about going over there tomorrow, but if we can work out a date to go as a group I'd love to do that too. Do you have to rent it out during the week, or can you get it on the weekends?

[Scottes]

Last time I did it I got it on a Sunday from 8:00 - 10:00. Saturday was possible, too.

It's worth a visit, but can't be compared to Magic Wings - which is another 2 hours of driving for you... The Butterfly Place is about 15 minutes from me, so it's convenient for a lousy-weather day.