Scenic Photography Locations in Philadelphia

Welcome back everyone!

I hope that you enjoyed my first blog post last week. While thinking about where to write about next for great outdoor photo locations I thought that some of the larger states have too many good locations to cover all in one post. I've decided to breakdown some of the states into more manageable segments that someone could actually cover all in a day or weekend vacation. I will still be covering all 50 states, but I will be breaking some down into two or three manageable sections. 

For this week's post I decided to head across the Delaware River from my home state and write about the great photo locations in Pennsylvania.Specifically, I will be focusing on the city of Philadelphia this week. Behind the hustle and bustle of the major city of Philadelphia are quite a few great outdoor, nature and scenic photography locations that few may think about.

Boathouse Row at Night

For starters, just outside of the Center City district lies "Boathouse Row."  Boathouse Row consists of a grouping of 15 Victorian styled boat houses along the east bank of the Schuylkill River. Many of these boathouses are over a century old and two of them were built before the Civil War. The boathouses still actively serve their purpose and the Schuylkill river is still the host of major rowing competitions and regattas. In 1979, adding to the architectural appeal of the boathouses, lights were added to all of the houses and have since been upgraded to multicolor LEDs. These lights are on every night and they will change colors to match the changes of  the seasons, holidays or support sports teams.

Boat House Row at 4th of July

The Falls at Boat House Row

If you stand on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, you can get great shots of the row of houses. From the west bank on West River Drive, the river will lay in the foreground with the trees of Lemon Hill in the background. If you set up on the east bank side, behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art, you can even get the waterfall over the damn in the picture as well. Also, on a calm weather day, the river will act like a mirror to give you a great reflection shot. If you are able to come out at night time you will have the chance to capture some great photos of the boathouse lights. I highly recommend using a DSLR camera with a panoramic lens to capture the full essence of the scene.

Amur Tigers
(Photo Courtesy of Philadelphia Zoo)

Now changing locations, across from Boathouse Row on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, is the Philadelphia Zoo. The Philadelphia Zoo was the first zoo to open in the United States in 1874. Today it is home to over 1,300 different animals (many of them rare and endagered) including: mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and birds. The Zoo has excellent exhibits that make for "natural backgrounds" that it's a great place for animal photographers to get great shots of their favorite animals all in one location without having to travel the world, while still appearing to be in the wild. 

Baby Orangutan
(Photo Courtesy of Philadelphia Zoo) 

Peacock with full plumage
(Photo Courtesy of Philadelphia Zoo)

It is also a great place to take your family and have your children learn and see all the different animals. I remember my mother taking me here when I was about 7 years old. It was my first time seeing these wild animals. I loved seeing the big cats, the polar bears, and all the birds. If you have children I highly suggest taking them here for a great family outing, and you can also get great pictures in as well.


I hope you have enjoyed this installment to my on going series of posts. Next week I will cover locations in the Pocono Mountains region of Eastern Pennsylvania. Have a good week and happy photo hunting.