Goodharted Thoughts: Images of Boston

Boston is only a 40 minute trek away from me, so I don't know why I fail to visit more often. On the evening of Saturday, July 27, 2013, I drove up to Quincy and took the subway to Prudential Station. With my camera and tripod, I endeavored on an adventure of the soul.

French photographer Marc Riboud noted that "taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second." I find photography to be a spiritual activity, particularly when capturing images of urban and natural landscapes. It is a calming experience in which I can infinitely appreciate singular moments.

This particular writing is a journal of an evening in just a small part of Boston near the Prudential Center and the Christian Science Plaza. There is so much more of Boston to breathe in.

It was an hour before the sun would set. From Prudential Station, I took the elevator to the fiftieth floor of the Prudential Tower, where you can take in 360 degrees of views of the city of Boston from the Skywalk Observatory. There is an admission fee, although with a Massachusetts Teachers Association card, there is no charge. I sadly had to part temporarily with my tripod, as I was informed those are not permitted. The observatory is fully enclosed with glass, which adds the challenge of smudges, scratches, and reflections. Night photography is challenging enough without the glass.

I carried in a camera bag my Canon Digital Rebel, 18-55mm and 70-300mm lenses, a camera remote control, and a rubber lens hood. The camera remote enables you to release the shutter without touching the camera, thus avoiding camera shake. The rubber lens hood reduces the amount of glare and unwanted reflections getting into the picture. Without my tripod, it was more difficult to capture the images I wanted. Thankfully, my camera bag was sturdy enough to balance my camera, although positioning proved to be tricky.

The setting sun lit the western facades of buildings with a rich saturation of color that's very satisfying. Skyscrapers (i.e., 111 Huntington Avenue and the John Hancock Tower), Fenway Park, the classic Citgo sign, the Christian Science Center, and the red-bricked Bostonian buildings dotted the landscape. The brief time after sunset was my favorite, as city lights came on but a bit of sunlight remained. As night fell, it was more challenging to take good photographs through the glass.

That's why the Christian Science Plaza was a perfect location to visit afterwards. Clear skies, no glass interfering other than the camera lens itself, and gorgeous scenery! A long rectangular reflecting pool stands by the Christian Science Center. Serendipity stepped in as fireworks were set off for a few seconds at the tail end of a five-second photograph I was taking of the center. All in all, I spent just over three hours "savoring" life.

Here are a few of the photographs I took in Boston that evening:

My favorite photo of the evening: John Hancock Tower, and just to the right in the sky,
you can see the light trail of a plane taking off from Logan Airport