A Night in Boston: Capturing the City Skyline Through Photography
Boston is one of the most iconic cities in New England. As the largest city in the region and one of the oldest in the country, it has a charm that can’t be missed. Located right on Boston Harbor, the views at night are simply breathtaking. Boston night photography tips helped me finally capture the city skyline last night, an experience I’d been planning for years.
Planning Your Night Photography in Boston
Finding good spots for Boston skyline photography at night is easier than you might think. A quick look at Google Maps reveals plenty of public parks and waterfront areas with amazing views. I chose three locations to try:
- Hyatt Harborside at Logan Airport
- John Joseph Moakley Courthouse
- Lopresti Park
With a full tank of gas and destinations programmed into my GPS, I was ready for some urban long exposure photography in Boston.
Stay Safe and Respectful While Shooting
Photographing at night will attract attention. Police, security guards, business owners, and curious passersby may approach you.
A few tips:
- Be honest and respectful.
- Show a few shots on your camera if asked.
- Offer a business card if you have one.
Acting professionally often turns skeptics into helpers—they may suggest safe areas, better angles, or secret spots for nighttime cityscape photography in Boston.
The Challenge of Nighttime Photography
It was a beautiful evening—clear skies, mild temperatures—and I captured a lot of photographs. One of the biggest challenges in HDR night photography in Boston is the dramatic range from dark shadows to bright city lights. Cameras often struggle to capture it all in a single exposure.
Sometimes, I process multiple exposures into an HDR image to bring out the full dynamic range. Other times, a single exposure captures the mood more authentically.
Comparing HDR vs. Single Exposure
For this shoot, I processed the same scene two ways: as an HDR night photography Boston image and as a normal single exposure. Both have their strengths:
- HDR brings out detail in shadows and highlights.
- Single exposures often feel more natural and moody.
Which do you prefer? I’d love to hear your thoughts—leave a comment at the bottom of the page!
Additional Shots from the Night
Beyond the skyline comparison, I captured several other single exposure shots around Boston. Each frame tells a slightly different story, showing the beauty and energy of the city after dark.
Night photography in Boston is an adventure—with the right planning, gear, and respect for your surroundings, you can create dramatic, memorable images of the city that never sleeps.
Landscape Gallery
Wander Through Quiet Horizons
Seascape Gallery
Dive Into the Seascape Pool
Still Life Gallery
Bite Into the Beauty
Icons Life Gallery
Icons & Oddities
Night Gallery
Wander Around in the Dark
Your Journey Awaits
I’ve wandered the shorelines, captured the light, and yes—I drink way too much coffee. Let me help you create your story.
Peaceful, Poetic, Personal.
Turning moments into art that speaks to the soul.
Sal Capirchio
6 Jan 2013Mike-Superb. Love these. Ironically, both your HDR and single image shot look great. The buildings look more rich and vivid in the HDR shot, but I love the skies in the single image shots. From my experiences, I’ve noticed that its so hard to control skies in HDR shots. I’m by no means an expert in HDR, but I think that there isn’t enough “range” in the dark sky, so when the software blends it, it seems to blend it with a different look (and color) than what you actually saw.
Mike Dooley
6 Jan 2013Thanks Sal!
I agree on the skies. In the HDR image I was pretty unhappy with how the colors in the sky came out. For this image I decided not to use the HDR sky, and used Photoshop to put the underexposed sky back in over the HDR buildings and water. I think it *might* be a bit too dark. I am thinking that the sky might need to be just a bit lighter.
Matt Fike
6 Jan 2013Dude these are GREAT!!!
Mike Dooley
6 Jan 2013Thanks Matt!
Bryan Bzdula
6 Jan 2013Great shots Mike. I like the HDR, but I think the sky is a bit too dark. I generally do all my urban night stuff as single exposures, but seeing this has me rethinking brackets and HDR.
Mike Dooley
6 Jan 2013Thanks Bryan, I appreciate the feedback! I agree on the sky, it just seems a bit to dark. I still can’t decide which one I like better. I am really happy with the non HDR single exposure images.