Washington DC and NYC Photo shot list

[martin_glazer]

<p>Hello,<br>

I am going on a road trip, next week and I am putting together Shot list. I like city panoramas. I have, on my list Ellis <br>

Island, a view of Manhattan from Hamilton park in New Jersey and a view of Manhattan from The Empire state building. I was going to check images on Flicker for DC and NYC for any ideas. Roosevelt Island tram sounds interesting as well. I can always get some ideas by looking at picture postcards when I get there. Does any one else have any standout ideas? I am going to bring my Nikon D7k and a Nikon 24 - 70 f2.8 as well as my 70 - 200 f4. I could also bring my Nikon 50mm f1.8g. I was thinking of getting Nikon 14 - 24<br>

Thank you in advance</p>

<p>Martin</p>

[richard_]

<p>Some good views of Washington DC from the 'Arlington House' area at Arlington Memorial Cemetery. Also, in DC some good views from the outside balcony at the 'Newseum' on Pennsylvania ave.</p>

[tom_mann1]

<p>I don't want to come across as an old curmudgeon, and I know this is only a personal opinion, but if someone here recommends a great / famous view to you, you can be absolutely sure that there already are hundreds, possibly thousands of nearly identical photos taken from that exact spot on the web. For example, go to Google Images and enter {DC "from arlington house"}. Do you really want to add another virtually identical shot to that list? Is your shot really going to be better than what you can find on the web? different?</p>

<p>The way I get around this dilemma is to either:</p>

<p>a) photograph people and events at these locations that aren't likely to ever be exactly repeated (eg, your own family or do some street shooting in that area); or,</p>

<p>b) familiarize yourself with the results of such searches and try to avoid simply reproducing what's already out there by selecting different angles, small details likely to be overlooked by others; or,</p>

<p>c) take your shot under unusual weather or lighting conditions, with uncommon lenses, with a plan to eventually post-process whatever you take in your own style, etc.;</p>

<p>d) go to spots in DC or NYC that aren't iconic views overrun with tourists carrying every type of camera from cell phones to doctors sporting top of the line equipment that they rarely use. ;-)</p>

<p>Just my $0.02,</p>

<p>Tom</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>For Washington, go to <a href="http://www.fredmaroon.com">www.fredmaroon.com</a> <br />The late Fred Maroon was probably the best photographer to ever shoot the classic Washington scenes and you can get a lot of great ideas from looking at his work. Unfortunately, along the lines of what Tom says, Fred has already been there and done that and his work would be hard to match let alone improve on.<br /><br />You can also try <a href="http://www.phototourdc.com">www.phototourdc.com</a> They do photo tours of all the classic sites. Sort of stand here, shoot this.<br /><br />If you just want to get a collection of nice shots of Washington for yourself, that's easy. If you want to come up with something new and unique in a city that has been photographed as much as DC, that's a little tougher.</p>

[james_kirkikis]

<p>Here are some of my favorite sights for DC and NYC. As was mentioned before, these are the typical postcard shots that millions of photographers have taken. Look around see if there is an angle or foreground that has not been used too often and happy shooting!<br>

Lower Manhattan from Statue of Liberty Ferry, as the ferry rounds into the dock, you can catch the statue and Lower Manhattan in the same shot. Get on the first ferry as the statue faces east. Also, try the ferry from Liberty State Park in Jersey City, it is much less crowded. <br>

Lower Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge Park, this is between the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge. Good for an early morning or dusk shot. The New World Trade Center just removed the scaffold in the last month or two, so the shot will be quite "new." At night, the building still has the construction lights.<br>

Lower Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry - great in late afternoon. <br>

Midtown Manhattan from Gantry State Park in Queens, great shot of United Nations and Chrysler Building - good in morning or dusk. <br>

Manhattan from under the 59th Street Bridge. there is a park in Queens (forget the name),where you can set up a tripod to catch the 59th street Bridge (aka Queensboro Bridge) with Manhattan below it.<br>

Midtown from Hamilton Park in Weehawken, NJ - you mentioned this.<br>

Midtown from the Hoboken waterfront. Not photographed often, and less dramatic than Weehawken, but it is unique.<br>

Lower Manhattan from Jersey City - there is a waterfront park/walkway at the Jersey City business district for a great shot of lower Manhattan, more unique than the Brooklyn side.<br>

DC- sunrise at the Marine Memorial (Iwo Jima). Get the Memorial in the foreground with the city in the background. <br>

DC- from Lincoln memorial steps - the reflecting pool has been repaired and water is now able to reflect the Washington Monument.<br>

DC - Reminder, most government buildings and memorials are stark white. For a more dramatic shot, go just after sunrise, just before sunset for the golden light. or try dawn and dusk. Most of the floodlights remain on all night.</p>

 

[joe_willmore]

<p>I'm joining the dance late but here's my contributions on DC:<br>

Keep in mind that in DC proper, there are building height requirements so there is nothing like the NYC or Chicago skyline. Best skyline shots of a stereotypical city would be of Crystal City and Rosslyn (Virginia just across the Potomac). Also, it's tourist season now with many schools out of session so expect the Mall (where the Smithsonian and many monuments are located) to be a disaster...tons of buses, people wandering. Okay, those caveats noted:<br>

1. Arlington National Cemetery: rolling hills with uniform headstones and maybe the best panoramic view of DC from the steps of the Lee Mansion looking across Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial and DC.<br>

2. Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial plus the Cherry Trees (the older trees are more interesting...gnarly misshapen trunks).<br>

3. USAF Memorial (also in Virginia but a nice overlook of DC) also has a good vista and is a unique landmark.<br>

4. Go to the base of the Washington Monument. It's on higher ground than the rest of the Mall area, the circle of flags and the vista...nice view.<br>

5. National Cathedral is scenic and also in one of the higher areas of ground in DC (DC was basically built on a swamp).<br>

6. The Kennedy Center (outside on one of the plazas) has some nice panoramic views. Catch a free concert at the Millennium stage while you're there. <br>

7. Walk across Key Bridge in Georgetown and shoot down the Potomac River.<br>

8. One last idea: there is a big ferris wheel at National Harbor (in Maryland on the Potomac). I bet at the top of the wheel would provide a splendid vista.<br>

9. Shot ideas that are less about vistas/panoramas and just nice shots: Albert Einstein statute, Vietnam Veterans Memorial ("The Wall"), Korean War Memorial in fog or rainy weather or snow, the atrium at the National Portrait Gallery, Iwo Jima Memorial, US Institute of Peace, the rotunda of the Library of Congress main reading room, Tomb of the Unknowns and the changing of the guard, US Botanical Gardens, Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden (especially near sunrise or sunset so you get the shadows from the sculptures), shadow and light patterns inside the National Museum of the American Indian, the Newseum (anyone interested in photojournalism needs to go there plus multi-stories with a glass front and interesting stuff to shoot), Meridian Hill Park (considered by most DC photographers to be one of the best photo parks in the City).</p>