Boston photos with GX1, C&C please!

sansbury wrote:

Hey! That's my town Looks like you got around a little bit.

My thoughts:

- The tree in the Public Gardens has an interesting atmosphere to it, maybe it's the mix of the green leaves with the yellow ones on the ground. It's not quite there for me, but it's also more than a picture of a tree. It might need different lighting, maybe a different angle, but it's not bad.

- Some of your shots have some confusing elements in the foreground, like the lamppost in front of the old State House. Urban settings are tough because there's a lot going on, but if you keep walking around, you'll often find an angle that works. Your shoes are more important than your lens.

- The Arlington Street Church (IIRC, the one with the yellow tree in the upper LH corner) has some nice light, but I find the tree distracting. I'd either exclude it, or back out and get more of the tree in the frame to make it more part of the composition.

- The Old South Church is nice, especially the light. That period between day and night is my favorite hour in the city.The effect you get with the traffic ghosting out is really nice. I'd actually try to build that in more. It's a neat contrast with this sort of ancient church standing still while the modern world swirls around it.

- The skylines mostly leave me flat, because of the perspective distortion you get from a wide-angle lens--it flattens things out. I do like the one from the dock by the airport. The one thing I'd try to get different is you have that set of pilings right in the middle which kind of interferes, I'd try to move around and get that off center. I like having it for adding depth, though.

- The Storrow Drive overpass one is great. The Mass Ave Bridge would be another spot to go for some similar shots. You can also cross over to the Cambridge side, and get some shots looking across the river, then walk back over the bridge to Beacon Hill.

Also, if you're looking for Lobster, look up Yankee Lobster or the Barking Crab. I'd avoid Ye Olde Union Tourist Trap though it's not bad. Locals go to Neptune Oyster, B&G, or Island Creek Oyster Bar, though ICOB you probably need to make a res in advance as it's ultra-popular for good reason. There's also a hole-in-the-wall called the Marliave which does dollar oysters from 4-6 and 9-10pm and they've always been good when I've had them. Legal Harborside over at Liberty Wharf is a total zoo but it's also kind of spectacular. Oh, and Jacob Wirth in the theater district, especially on Friday nights.