Photography Courses Boston
If you’re looking to study photography in Boston – we think we can probably help. We have all manner of online photography courses at MyPhotoSchool, to suit you - wherever you’re located in New England. Of the photography courses in New England, we have chosen a few we’d recommend, and also below please see a few choice places around Boston that we think are good for a photoshoot.
At MyPhotoSchool we have a full range of online photography courses, all which can be undertaken from the comfort of your own home. Whether you’re an enthusiastic amateur, or aspiring professional – we have photography courses for all levels, in subjects ranging from City Photography, to Low Light Photography, Photographing Your Children, to How to Take Landscape Photographs. All are taught by some of the best photographic authors in the world.
Whilst we have give a list of good tourist destinations to photograph on location in Boston, remember you don’t necessarily need distinctive landmarks to make beautiful photographs. Our low light photography course tutor, Tony Worobiec, has taken many of the photos on this page, and as you can see – there is art to be found in every day places too.
Great Locations to Take Photographs in Boston
Good Architectural Spots in Boston
There are two fabulous spots in Boston to photograph architecture (old architecture and Victorian ironwork): Back Bay and Beacon Hill. Commonwealth Avenue along the Back Bay is especially beautiful because it has a tree lined avenue. If you want chic trendy dressers in the foreground and a lively commercial air, visit Newbury Street. On Beacon Hill, you'll want to focus on Louisburg Square, off Mt. Vernon Street. This is a small square lined with $1 million townhouses, best on overcast days so that you can get detail in the buildings.
A good mix of new and old to photograph in Boston is The John Hancock Tower on Boylston Street. This was designed by I.M. Pei and built in the 1970s with vast expanses of green mirrored glass. Many of the glass panels fell out of this 60-story building and killed pedestrians on the street below, but the remaining panels attractively reflect the old Hancock Tower, an old church, and the sky.
Parks
Downtown Boston includes two big parks. The Common is an undistinguished piece of grass formerly used for grazing livestock. The Garden, made famous by the book Make Way for Ducklings is filled with beautiful flower beds. Good for tourist spotting. During my first trip to Boston I was amazed by these strange ‘Duck Tours’ which make for interesting subjects – they are amphibious boat-tanks full of tourists
City at Sunset
The best place to get a good photo of the city at sunset is from the Harvard Bridge. This carries Massachusetts Avenue from Boston to Cambridge and is right next to MIT.
Boston the Maritime City
There are a lot of cruises around Boston Harbor that will afford dramatic views of the city from the water. This is really the only good way to get photos of the downtown financial district. The light of course is best in the early morning or at dusk
Bunker Hill and the U.S.S. Constitution
If you want to photograph the U.S.S. Constitution with the Bunker Hill Monument in the background, you can take a harbor cruise or go to Commercial Avenue in the North End. Just to the left of the Coast Guard station there is a good architectural concrete walkway out to the water. You can set up a tripod and maybe a 200mm lens for a good photo of Charlestown, the Constitution, and the Bunker Hill Monument.
Harvard
Harvard has about $8 billion in the bank. When you have $8 billion, you can have yourself some pretty nice buildings and grounds. Many portions of Harvard Yard are lovely. Don't overlook the Science Center on Oxford Street. It was donated by Edwin Land (1909-1991), a Harvard drop-out and founder of Polaroid Corporation. It is in the shape of an old folding Polaroid camera.
MIT
MIT has four buildings by I.M. Pei, a good collection of modern sculpture, an interesting chapel, and the best views of Boston across the Charles River Basin. A good place for the modern look is the courtyard around the Media Lab (I.M. Pei, 1984). The main courtyards of the old buildings (1916; donated by George Eastman) are impressive in a concrete awe-the-peasants sort of way.
Cape Ann
If you want to see "real maritime New England", but don't want to fight the traffic to Cape Cod, just head 45 minutes northeast to Cape Ann. Gloucester, Rockport, and Annisquam have virtually all the subject matter that you'd find on the Cape. Make sure to stop at the Roy Moore Lobster Company on the Bearskin Neck tourist trap pier in Rockport.
Some Photography Courses & Schools We Like in Boston
If you’re in Boston for more than a visit, or are the type that doesn’t mind commuting to a classroom to study – we recommend these photography courses in Boston
Digital Photo Academy The DPA hold onsite workshops in Boston. Classes take place at the Griffin Museum of Photography, which was founded by one of New England’s first photojournalists, Arthur Griffin (1903-2001). The Griffin's exhibitions have included such masters as Edward Weston, Sebastiao Salgado and Edward Curtis. The Digital Photo Academy is certainly on of the optimal places in the Boston area to lend teaching space for the Digital Photo Academy. The students under DPA instructors Steve Dunwell, Frank Siteman and Kathy Tarantola get a master class in photography, and to study in a place where they are surrounded by some of the most inspiring photographs ever take
New England School of Photography The New England School of Photography is a Highly Regarded Photography School. NESOP is accredited by ACCSCT and licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Education. Accreditation is voluntary, and means that the school is held to high standards of academic excellence and ethical practices.