I love taking photos and thought this would be a nice way to take some nice pics in my home town and possibly learn a few tips along the way. As a reference, I would say that my photography "skill level" is ~intermediate. I currently have a typical Nikon Cool Pics digital camera...nothing super fancy. (participants had a variety of cameras...most were more advanced than mine)
Easy to get to - Green Line to Arlington St. comes out very close to the meeting spot. The statue is located in the Public Gardens, a little bit into the main entrance of the park mid-way on Arlington St.
Our group was small...Saba, 5 others & myself. Saba was pleasant, and told us the history of all the sites, statues, etc. that we viewed. We stopped at a variety of sites, she spoke a bit about each site and then suggested views/angles for photos in that spot. At times I felt a bit rushed because everyone had to "line up", (in a sense), to takes turns standing in the same spot taking photos of the same object. (without getting in each others' way) So, I didn't feel as though I could stay in the spot long enough to try out a few different angles (as others were waiting). I found that I kept lingering on at a spot when everyone finished so that I could take a few extra shots. Therefore, it seemed that I was rushing to catch up with the crowd most of the time. (story of my life when I go anywhere with a camera!!)
The locations we covered were very good and provided a variety of photo ops. We went thru the Public Gardens, the Common and then down to the Esplanade. Saba always suggested shots, but we were always free to take our own shots also.
Overall, I enjoyed the tour. I can't say that I learned many new techniques, but the tour did make me realize that slowing down and thinking about a shot proior to taking it produces a better photo. May sound simple, but I've always rushed taking pictures when I go places mainly because I'm usually the one that's holding up the group by taking pictures!
I would say that this tour is suitable for those who have little to intermediate photography skills. My GUESS would be that it would not be educational/challenging enough for those who are advanced, but that's just my guess. I will say that the scenery is beautiful, esp when the flowers are in bloom in the Gardens. A nice tour for tourists visiting Boston who would like some pretty keepsake photos.
(***tickets are often offered at a discount on Goldstar!***)
