AAA Photo Session: Northeast Landmarks

From the Statue of Liberty to Plymouth Rock, the Northeast is home to hundreds of landmarks of cultural and historical significance.

This Photo Session, we asked you to share photos of your favorite nearby landmarks. Whether as iconic as the Empire State Building, as elegant as the Newport mansions or as inspiring as Walden Pond, all are reminders of what makes our region such a fascinating place to live and visit.

Flip through the slideshow below to see all of the photos submitted and be sure to check our social media channels, where we will be sharing some of our favorites. Select photos may also be featured in an upcoming issue of Your AAA magazine.

How to Photograph Northeast Landmarks

Find Them

Local landmarks can help you learn more about the history of where you live and can make for some interesting photo ops, but first you need to find them. Fortunately, seeking them out is part of the fun. Travel apps and website make it easy to find Northeast landmarks and plan your day.

Download the AAA mobile app to help plan your trip, get directions and find the cheapest gas wherever you are.

Capture the Story

Whenever I photograph a local landmark, I always try to include a photo of a descriptive sign or plaque that may be next to it. Having the visual narrative of the landmark will help you to remember the story and history behind it. I like to create a diptych collage using the sign and a photo of the landmark.

Just Add People

Gather the family and pose them by the landmark. Not only does it help show the scale of the landmark, it’s also a wonderful way to document the time spent together and the places you visited. Make sure to get yourself in the frame!

Bonus tip: Revisit the same landmark and take the same family photo every year. This is a fun way to see how everyone changes over the years. When you’re done, you can make a collage or photo book.

Time Your Shots

Daytime shots will make colors come to life in your photos. If you are photographing a landmark like a mural that is very colorful, daylight is going to give you the best chance at making those colors pop.

If you want to have warm, soft light hitting your landmark, then shoot for the golden hours – an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset. This is also the best time to photograph people in front of your landmark. Harsh daytime light causes people to squint their eyes.

Check out past AAA Photo Sessions and stay tuned for the next one, coming soon. 

Beth Mancuso is a professional landscape and travel photographer.