Photos of Philadelphia Museum of Art
About Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art sits in surrounded by greenspace looking straight down the beginning of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It was finished in 1928, and it's essentially a Greek temple that's been enlarged to city sized. Three wings sit around a central courtyard, all of it built from a golden Minnesota limestone called Kasota. That stone turns honey coloured in low sun, making it even more photogenic. The east front is the side everyone knows, with seventy two steps running down to the Parkway and the bronze Rocky statue at the bottom. That entrance faces southeast, so morning sun hits it square on and lights the avenue behind you at the same time. Shoot up the steps in that early morning light, then turn at the top and shoot back down the Parkway to the Center City towers and the City Hall tower. The view from the center of the main square with the Philip's Fountain right in the middle creates amazing symmetry. Plus the soaring columns are fun to experiment with close up. Don't forget to walk around to the river side, where the ground drops down to the shoreline and the same stone glows in the evening light with far fewer people in your frame. The steps, exterior and surrounding park are open at any hour, admission and set hours only apply once you head inside. Get there at first light on a weekday and you should have most of the exterior to yourself. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)
