Best Locations For Sunset Photography In Philadelphia

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Capturing the incredible and elusive beauty of the passing sunset is an art form in itself, whether that’s over the ocean, across the desert or in amongst the striking backdrops of the Philly cityscape.

There is a certain magic in each sunset, as day passes into night, and managing to get that perfect shot, whether it’s for a photoblog, photo essay or an upcoming exhibition, is challenging but has such a universal appeal that makes it all worthwhile!

On top of the aesthetic beauty of the setting sun, it is also steeped in meaning, symbology and inferences that can be cleverly contrasted with the subject of the photograph. Sunset photography remains one of the most popular genres that speaks to people across cultural and individual boundaries; we’ve all had that moment when we look out across the sunset and it simply takes our breath away with its rich tones and fantastic natural beauty.

Sunset photography in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is an extremely photogenic city in many ways and there are a whole host of amazing spots where you can set up and wait for that perfect sunset photographic opportunity.

Top 6 Locations for Sunset Photography in Philadelphia.

• Center City Philadelphia is the thriving, beating heart of the city and with its impressive high rises, bustling streets and huge range of scenes and views, it’s one of the most interesting places in the city to capture the setting sun.

• The Rittenhouse Square Park is an oasis of greenery amongst the busy streets. With its large old trees and charming monuments through, the fantastic contrast of the tree’s branches stretching up into the sky against the city scenery behind can be the inspiration for some very interesting photography, especially when draped with the lovely tones of the setting sun.

• Fairmount Park, also known as the ‘Plateau’ to Philly regulars, is a famous and stunning open space that makes a great place to photograph the setting sun if you want to express the feelings of the wide open sky with the city’s towers peaking over the back of the darkening woodline.

• Schuylkill River Bank looking out towards the downtown city skyline makes for a superb sunset photography location. The amazing interplay of the setting sun’s deep tones with the water and the city’s emerging lights creates a powerful palette to really immerse yourself in the scenery while recording the views for your audience.

• Kelly Drive looking out towards the Art Museum and the Historic Boat House is a superb place to create amazing sunset photography. With the Boat House lit up and the reddening sky behind it, the light reflecting across the water and the natural depths of the woods in the backdrop, it’s a natural candidate for our top sites in Philly for sunset photography.

• The RL2 Restaurant, to be found on the 37th floor of the famous Liberty Place Mall, offers you the chance to photograph the amazing panorama of the city from over 500 feet in the air! As the sun goes down and you watch the city’s lights take over the sky line it’s a truly stunning location for photography. If you don’t want to spend the money, you can get great views from the One Liberty Observation Deck.

Top 3 Pro Tips for Sunset Photography.

Taking great photographs of the setting sun may take a little practice to get it just how you want it to be, but lucky the sun goes down every night so there’s plenty of chances to practice and learn from your previous work.

Here are a couple of good tips to keep in mind while you are creating your sunset photography.

• Select an interesting point of reference or subject in the foreground and focus on that instead of the sky. This can not only be used to define the overall ‘feeling’ of the photograph but it will help to add depth, character and meaning to the image.

• It’s often a great idea to underexpose the photograph. This will really help to bring out the colors of the sunset and can be used to increase the dramatic impact of your photography. You can underexpose your photography by increasing the shutter speed in manual mode. You can also use this technique to create strong silhouettes of trees, buildings and features in the foreground.

• When taking your photograph don’t feel you need to keep the horizon of the sky in the center of the image. As a general rule, to capture a classic looking scene the sky line should be approximately at the top of the bottom third of the photo. Although, don’t be too strict with yourself and allow your imagination to lead you, because as we know, in art and photography, rules are often made to be broken!

Sunset photography is one of the most enjoyable and memorable types of images you can create. As well as the bounty of possibilities that the city offers any photography, the great outdoors, such as the desert, the shore line and forests are also a wonderful place to take highly expressive and beautiful sunset photography.

What time during the day do you like to take photos? Provide your feedback using the comments below.

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