8 Must See Scenic Places to Photograph in Philadelphia

Every now and then
this Suburban Girl ventures into the big city.
Here are a few of my favorite haunts:

Philadelphia City Hall
We have William Penn,
the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania
atop our City Hall.
See him waving to you?

Schuylkill Banks, Philadelphia

Looking back at the city
along the Schuylkill River  (skoo-kill)
is a new walk that connects to a multi use trail.

Ben Franklin Bridge, Philadelphia
Near Penn's Landing along the Delaware River
the Ben Franklin Bridge is illuminated at night.
and connects the city to Camden, New Jersey

Boathouse Row, Philadelphia

Boathouses line the Schuylkill River
where rowing clubs house their racing shells.
On warm weekends you might catch a regatta
on the river.

Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia
This college campus is beautiful
with the main structure resembling a castle.

Mt. Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia
Once abandoned and completely overgrown,
this historic cemetery is now undergoing restoration.

Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia
A lovely arboretum
with gardens, structures and art sculptures throughout.

and of course

Fairmount Park
The park (9200 acres)
is the largest urban green space in the country.  

Me vs The Camera

It was a cold, dark night:
my eyes watering
my fingers frozen
my feet numb
my teeth chattering
my mouth parched
(I refused to pay $3 for a bottle of water)
my iso cranked
my aperture wide open
my tripod on my back
(it was too cold to open it -
why did I even bring the thing?)
and this is what my camera saw...


Penn's Landing Waterfront 
Philadelphia, PA 

But that is not what my eyes saw...
THIS is what I saw.


My vision of Penn's Landing Waterfront 
Philadelphia, PA 

How can that be?
Because the camera didn't know about
watering
frozen
numb
chattering
parched
me.

So I edited the image to match my vision.
(If you are a photo purist, this post is not for you. Sorry.)


Ben Franklin Bridge 
Philadelphia, PA

When I see something my mind immediately starts playing with it.
(Yup, even if I sit in your living room
my mind will start rearranging your furniture
and decor into vignettes.
I. can't. help. it.
It just happens.)


My vision Ben Franklin Bridge I
Philadelphia, PA 
It looks colder here, doesn't it? 

When I see a subject
my mind does the same thing.
How would it look in black and white,
as a charcoal piece,
as a water color.
And that is how I see it in my mind.
So,
when I take a photo
I try to recreate the vision I had
through the editing process.


My vision Ben Franklin Bridge II
Philadelphia, PA

Yes, I believe in getting it right in camera,
yadda, yadda, yadda...
But when you are
watering
frozen
numb
chattering
parched
all that yadda, yadda, yadda
is just yadda, yadda, yadda.
You just click the stupid shutter and move on
to the warm fires a short walk away.

A Photo Purist I am not -
at least not all of the time.
For me, it is all about the vision.
 I got my vision
with a stupid click
and some editing in my warm house.


Photos are edited with  the new Topaz Glow and 
I'm still kind of playing with it. 
I love Topaz products. 
They offer 30 day trials. 
Here is a $10 off link 
you can use if you find something you like.

The Party's Here! Where I am linking these days.

            

 My blog posts to my facebook page:  

Penn's Landing, Philadelphia

I like the dangling 'O' 

on this city cruiser 

spotted on Broad Street. 

 

Penn's Landing is located along the 

Delaware River... 

...Across the river 

is Camden, NJ where the Battleship New Jersey resides
as a Museum and Memorial.

This ship was built in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and
was launched during World War II. 

The Moshulu, a tall ship launched in 1904,
now serves as a fine restaurant in the Penn's Landing harbor.

Nearby is the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, 

but we all just call him Ben...
The lights occasionally change color,
but most of the time they were this shade of purple. 

Click To View My Penn's Landing Photo Album

Ben Franklin Bridge, Philadelphia

Wednesday night I went to a photo seminar
near the Delaware River in Philadelphia, PA.
After the class I hopped over to Penn's Landing.
More Penn's Landing photos are here:
http://www.rebeccahaegelephotography.com/Travel/Philadelphia-PhotographerPenns/23154121_D5pzLk