577 - Boston Public Library
Today I had a little incident with the police. And by little, I mean my Prius was surrounded by 5+ police officers.
It all started at the Boston Public Library, so we’ll start with a little history lesson for all you nerds out there.
The library was constructed in the early 1890s, and was the masterpiece of architect Charles McKim. It was largely inspired by the architectural styles of France and Italy, and it was the first large-scale public library in the United States. However in 1972, the massive size still couldn’t account for Boston’s sky-rocketing population, so it was expanded.
Today, the older part of the library, now known as the “McKim Building,” is mainly used to accommodate curious tourists and annoying photographers.
That’s where I come in.
Since this library was known to get ridiculously crowded, I decided to arrive first thing in the morning… But I wasn’t the only one with that idea. About 30 other people were waiting at the entrance beside me.
As the seconds ticked by, my anticipation grew as I realized it was going to be a race for the shot.
Suddenly the doors opened, and I busted my ass across the library. It’s funny how no one was even there yet, but I still felt the need to run as quietly as possible.
When I finally arrived at the infamous McKim Building, I realized that no one was following me. Oh yeah, most people aren’t crazy ADHD photographers. They’re probably here for the actual books.
I felt silly, but I knew it was only a matter of time before people meandered their way over here. The first photo I snagged was this baby:
“Book Wormhole”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 2000 ~ 12mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/200s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
That’s perhaps the most famous room in the library- and it looks straight out of Harry Potter.
You can actually sit and work at those tables… but I don’t know why anyone would. Within an hour the whole room would be packed with tourists snapping iPhone pics like there’s no tomorrow.
I decided to pair my initial photo with a smaller scene:
“Judgement Day”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 2000 ~ 12mm ~ f/9 ~ 1/250s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
This book also looked like something out of Harry Potter. Wasn’t there a scene where Dumbledore had one of these things? I don’t know. I’m getting too old for this shit.
I kept walking, and finally decided to look up. The vaulted ceiling was remarkably beautiful, so I snagged a pic on the ole’ ultra wide:
“Yellow Pill”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 2000 ~ 12mm ~ f/9 ~ 1/80s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
…and that’s enough of that room.
There were several other small rooms I cruised around, but I wasn’t awe-stricken enough to shoot them. By now you’re probably wondering how the police came into this.
And to that I say "Curiosity is not a sin…. But we should exercise caution with our curiosity… yes, indeed." — Albus Dumbledore.
The final portion of the library I decided to shoot was the grand entrance foyer. It was made entirely out of marble, and struck my fancy like a Crunchwrap Supreme in the dead of the night.
Here’s the images I captured:
“Entrance Chandelier”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 4000 ~ 12mm ~ f/9 ~ 1/250s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
“Lion’s Gate”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 200 ~ 12mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/500s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
My obsession with perfect symmetry finally had an outlet. Taking an image like those could only be compared to a spectacular orgasm. Edging, aligning, edging, aligning… Then suddenly everything comes together, and BOOM. Ultimate perfection.
I kept walking.
It was time to explore the “newer” part of the library. The “chapter 2,” if you will… Which turned out to be fairly anti-climatic.
Turns out modern architecture doesn’t have anything on the classical Renaissance. But I snagged one pic to keep the mood light:
“America’s Library”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 1250 ~ 12mm ~ f/7.1 ~ 1/250s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
That was taken in the main hall, which like most of Boston, proudly repped America.
I decided to call it a day. Six shots of perfect symmetry felt like plenty- so I retired to my car to begin the editing process.
And before I knew it, darkness had fallen upon the land. I’d somehow ended up editing in Jamaica Plain, which is a suburb about 30 minutes south of downtown. I wish I could remember why I’d ventured that far South, but my mind fails to recall.
If I had to guess, it was probably because there was a Chipotle nearby.
Either way, I was editing in a random neighborhood when a police car suddenly pulled up in front of my Prius, with their headlights and brights on me.
I uneasily put my laptop to the side. Uhhh… what’s going on? Three or four minutes went by, and nothing happened. He just sat there. Was he gonna approach my vehicle? I didn’t want to get out, but I also didn’t want to stare at these bright lights any longer. I knew it was an intimidation tactic, but it was still working on me.
Finally, the officer got out and approached my car. I asked him how his evening was going, and I was met with a harsh “what are you doing here?” in the most stereotypical Boston accent imaginable.
Uh oh. This guy wasn’t playing good cop.
I handed him my license and registration, and tried not to stutter over my words as 4 more cop cars pulled up and surrounded my vehicle.
“I… uh… I’m a landscape photographer. I was shooting in Maine for fall colors, and decided to stop in Boston for a while. I live in my car and I’m editing photos right now.”
The officer looked at me like I was completely full of shit. “So you live in a Prius, you were just in Maine, and now you’re in Boston? Why are you on this street?”
I saw a light out of the corner of my eye, and noticed one of the officers shining a flashlight in my back windows.
“Honestly, I have no idea. It seemed like a good spot to edit.”
The officer laughed and looked at his colleagues. “You sure you don’t have something in the back? Show me your photos.”
I grabbed my laptop and showed him Charles McKim’s masterpiece. Disbelief rolled across his eyes as he realized I wasn’t making this up.
Suddenly his tone changed. “Kid… you’re in one of the worst neighborhoods in Boston. I reckon you get out of here as fast as you can. These streets are run by a gang, and sitting out with your headlights on puts a massive target on your back.”
“Oh…”
He and his buddies laughed. “Yeah… Oh…”
He handed me my information back, scratched his beard, and said “I can’t believe you live out of this thing. You Colorado mother-fuckers are crazy. Have a good night.”
My pulse was about to explode, but upon his departure it began to drop back to normal. I felt like I’d just pulled off the greatest heist in history even though I’d done nothing wrong.
I packed up my stuff and got out of there.
Now, before you go around calling me a dumbass for parking in a place like that, realize that this neighborhood looked like literally every other neighborhood in Boston. There was nothing sketchy about it. Nothing.
And believe me, I’ve seen sketchy. I spent six months driving through Central America, and three months living in California. I know a bad area when I see one.
This place was a cloak and dagger.
I guess my lesson of the day is to never judge a book by its cover. Which isn’t a bad point seeing as I spent the day in a library.
Stay tuned. In the next episode I venture down to see whatever the fuck Delaware has to offer.
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