Where to take photo's.

[detzX]

I have a hard time finding place to take photos. I have a big field(sand pits) around my house but everything seems boring and bland. I look at some of the pictures on here and they are so colorful and great, I want these! Any suggestions on great places to look for photo opportunities?

[sblais]

Cinques Terres (Italy), Banff (Canada), the Swiss Alps are some of my yet to see places. I'm sure that you'll be able to take a few good shots there!

Seriously, if you want good pictures wherever you are, observe and exploit the light. Different lighting conditions make us go "wow!". A sunset, sunrise, moonlight, etc...

[agaupt]

Your location says Boston, Ma., there are a ton of places to take pictures. And withing 30 minutes of you there are a lot of towns, Gloucester/rockport to the north, Lexington and concord, to the west. Logan Airport

[detzX]

I work in Boston..I do take my camera to work sometimes but I always feel nervous doing that. There are great buildings around here but I mean "in general". I like to take my camera hiking too but never seem to find "that shot". :*(

Also, when I walk around town I feel weird, everyone stares at me since I use my big white lens.

[zacker]

lotsa places here in the Northeast... although you might have to drive a bit but Boston's got tons of stuff... i have seen alot of great boston shots posted here before!

[txduggan]

Sounds like you need to open your mind a bit...

I'm not being crude...but as far as I'm concerned, EVERYTHING is a photo-op to me...

Not discounting the other's suggestions, but instead of worrying about where to go, start working on how you "see" things....

To piggyback on another responder's post; it's all about the light....

Start looking at things differently....

Instead of looking at your kitchen/dining room table and saying, "Yep, that's a table alright..",
start looking at it in terms of how it is lit....

Find the interesting shapes the light is making with the table....

If it's a wood table, notice how the grains look at different times of the day....especially at sunrise and sunset (if in fact the light hits the table...but I hope you're getting my point)

When driving/walking/whatever, look at shapes...shadows....light....balance.....is what you're looking at cluttered? What would make the scene better? worse?

Then, apply that to your immediate surroundings at home and start experiemting....

Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz said at the end...you don't have to go looking for happiness any further than your own backyard...

Or something to that effect.....I'm middle-aged...and drowsy....with really bad dandruff....

Tom D

[S.Horton]

Ah, I lived there.

Go to Cape Cod, get up before sunrise, go to the rocks (beach) by a lighthouse or pier, then when the sun starts to come up, turn around, start shooting.

If you can get there, go to the cranberry bogs in spring.

Concord-Lexington bridge (the low angle, with the statue in the background)

And I'll bet something lives in those dunes.

[milleker]

It takes awhile - realize that you are used to your surroundings, we aren't. There has got to be something interesting to shoot.

And - failing that, theres always Macro subjects.

[PhotosGuy]

What to photograph? Am I the only one struggling?

[Glenn NK]

Boston - wow - spent a week there during the marathon two years ago and only had a P/S. What a major disappointment.

Now with a 30D, I wish I could go back - literally hundreds of photo ops. I could fill a few 2GB cards in a day, no sweat.

Partial list:

1. Beautiful historic buildings, particularly churches - look at them up close for the details in the architecture. Don't forget Harvard and MIT. We often look at the whole building (which is not bad), and miss the fabulous details.

2. The park - Boston Common - full of good stuff.

3. Along the river from both sides.

4. The subway - really interesting street photography of the musicians.

5. Scientology buildings - the detail on the original church building is fantastic - use ultra wide angle and telephoto lenses.

6. The Firehall - beautiful old brick building and the firemen are willing and obliging.

7. The Marathon itself - not just the runners, but the crowds - literally all sorts and types.

8. The stadium exterior with the green structural steel frames; the crowds outside during a baseball game.

9. Look carefully (already recommended) during the Golden Hours - one hour after sunrise, and one hour before sunset, but don't rule out before sunrise and after sunset.

Boston is shouting - look at me - take my picture.

I thought Boston was a very photogenic city, even apart from the history.