I have lived in the Pittsburgh area for my entire life and have been photographing it for the past several years. It has some of the most unique vantage points of any city in the United States. The city is surrounded by three rivers: the Allegheny, Monongahela, and the Ohio. The rivers always seem to offer something to add to any composition — whether it be reflections, fog, boats, or ice if it’s cold enough. Here are my favorite photo spots around Pittsburgh to capture the beauty and uniqueness of the city.
The best part about photographing Pittsburgh is that we get all four seasons. In the winter, I always hope for frigid weather as it causes the rivers to freeze over. I always go looking for the redbud trees with beautiful pink blossoms in the spring. In the summer, I love capturing thunderstorms passing through the city. In the fall, Point State Park — which sits at the confluence of the Allegheny River and Monongahela River — always has some of the best fall foliage.
Duquesne Incline Overlook
The most iconic view of Pittsburgh is from the Duquesne Incline overlook. The Duquesne Incline first opened in 1854 and is still operating today. From this area, you can see all three rivers, PNC Park, Heinz Field, and all of Downtown Pittsburgh. Capturing one of the bright red incline cars always adds a nice element of interest to a photo. My favorite time to shoot photos from Mt. Washington are in the summer because the sun rises from behind the city.
Grandview Ave Overlooks on Mt. Washington
On the southern side of the city, there is Mt. Washington. This is a steep hillside over 300 feet tall that runs the length of the entire Downtown Pittsburgh area. Mt. Washington has several overlooks on Grandview Ave to view and capture the city. My favorite time to shoot from these overlooks is when the city gets low-lying fog. The fog tends to surround the city and the views are absolutely breathtaking.
Remember — Taking photos in a foggy area can negatively impact your gear. Make sure avoid a foggy camera and lens.
The North Shore
The North Shore is my favorite place to shoot photos of Pittsburgh. Its riverwalk will take you near the Clemente, Warhol, and Carson bridges — also known as the three sister bridges. Sometimes the Allegheny River is calm enough in the morning that it makes for some clear reflections of the city in the water. This location is great for photos any time of the year but my favorite is in the winter when ice sometimes forms on the river.
West End Overlook Park
The West End Overlook is another location that offers an iconic view of the city. From this location, you’re looking straight down the Ohio River towards Downtown Pittsburgh. There are a few trees in this small park that work great for framing the city. My favorite time to shoot photos from this location is during the fall. From this spot, the sun rises directly behind the city and backlights the colorful leaves.
Pittview Ave
This location is probably the most obscure out of the ones I’ve mentioned so far. There is a small spot that offers a clear view of the city with the neighborhood of Troy Hill in the foreground. The streets in Troy Hill act as great leading lines that run toward the city. My favorite time of year to shoot this scene is in the winter for some snow photography. The glow of the lights and snow turns this scene into a winter wonderland.
All of these Pittsburgh photo spots were shot with a Sony a7R III. The lens I use most frequently is the Sony 24-105mm f4. I love its wide range of focal lengths. Some other lenses that I use are the Sony 12-24mm f2.8, Sony 14mm f1.8, Sony 100-400mm f4.5-5.6, and the Sony 200-600mm f5.6-6.3.
These are just a handful of many photo spots in the city of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh’s unique topography with steep hills lends itself to a ton of vantage points. Just by driving around some of the city’s neighborhoods, you’ll find many places worthy of a photo.
