Best location to shoot Sunset in Philadelphia

[manu_joseph1]

Can anyone suggest a location to shoot sunset in and around Philadelphia?

[elwood_dowd]

Anywhere looking west.

[jeffpolaski]

C'mon, Elwood...

 

Belmont Plateau is great for photos of the city skyline (especially with fireworks) but it's west of Center City. Can't come up with any comparable west-facing vistas off the top of my head, but there are other ways to visualize sunset in Philadelphia: reflections off the Center city buildings.

 

They have a lot of glass. Around the area of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, I have seen spectacular light combiing buildings and sky, when facing toward the East. Same thing from the city end of the West River Drive: you'd have tall office buildings in the back ground reflecting sunset light, and Boathouse Row and the Schuylkill River in the mid-to-fore-ground.

 

The problem facing west in Center City is the sky isn't visible at a low enough angle to get the concentrated horizon level colors. You could shoot from Camden. The below photo is shot from Center City itself.

 

For natural settings, Fairmount Park is huge. It's also hilly and forested, which presents the same problems presented by tall buildings. There are meadows in Northwest Philly, NE Philly, and ofcourse the playing fields in the central parts of the Park.

 

Of course the Kelley drive faces west, but then you are talking about park and river primarily. (Closer to the theme of a Nature Forum.) One possibility here is shooting right into the reflections off the water as they silhouette a rower on the river.

 

At dawn, the same BF Parkway aspect will catch sunrises behind the buildings and reflecting obliquely off the sides of the buildings.<div></div>

[sandra_schaffer]

Yes Steve.. I mean Elwood.. Edsel.. F Stop Fitzgerald.. whoever you are today..

Anywhere lookling west is a pretty unhelpful comment.

[dakotah_jackson]

You can see the sun in all that smog?

[joseph_passante]

Not sure if it runs in the evening but the Phila Zoo's balloon ride might give you a good

vantage point for a sunset. You might not be able to get a view of the downtown.

 

Another thought is the observation tower over city hall. You may have to make special

arrangements since tours don't run after 5 PM.

 

Belmont Plateau has a nice view of the sunrise over center city. Never been there after

dark.

 

If you find a good location please post.

[elwood_dowd]

Asking where to shoot,in my mind.Is almost as lame as asking "what" to shoot. You've got to have your own imagination or why bother? I apolgize if my comment seemed short or flip.

[nancy s.]

If you are shooting sunset looking East can work well too.. it can light up entire windowed buildings and make them look like flames if the red light shift is right and the angle low enough.

 

BTW Elwood, How is Harvey doing these days? Still invisible and advising you? Got to love those floppy ears ya know.