Survey Reveals Most Photogenic Cities in the United States

Boasting scenic views, diverse neighborhoods, rolling fog and many historical sites, San Francisco was named the Most Photogenic City in the United States in a survey commissioned by Fuji U.S.A. Results of the FinePix “Most Photogenic Cities” Survey were released today, kicking off the photo industry’s annual National Photography Month and signaling the beginning of peak picture-taking season.
The survey was conducted by Bert Sperling, who performs the data collection and analysis for Money magazine’s annual “Best Places to Live” feature. Rounding out the top 10-list, in order, are Boston, Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Honolulu, Seattle, New Orleans and Philadelphia. Sperling worked with a panel of professional photographers to set the criteria and create the scoring system to select the top cities. The survey’s key metrics are diversity of population, geography, historic sites and landmarks, cultural and civic events, proximity to parks and bodies of water, as well as climate. The professional panel included: Ira Gostin, a commercial photographer based in Reno, NV; Stephen Brown, a nature photographer whose work has been published in leading national publications such as National Geographic, Life and Smithsonian Magazine; and Kevin Gilbert, President of the White House News Photographers’ Association.

“There is a story behind every city that defines its character and drives people to take pictures. For this survey, we focused on the everyday beat that happens in a city – not the standard vacation spots that everyone immediately thinks of when you look at a city,” explained Sperling. “San Francisco’s top ranking is due to its diverse population, historic past and beautiful location on the water. Boston got high marks as home to the most historic landmarks in the United States, and Washington, DC came in third with its numerous monuments and parks as well as being the keeper of our nation's heritage.”

Consumers can log on to www.fujifilm.com/finepixtour and find out where their hometown ranks. Visitors to the site can also vote for the city they think is most photogenic.