Candy Sky

There are pictures where the final result exceeds your own expectations by far. This sunset in Atlanta was just such an example. While the city and the sky offered a memorable play of colors even to the naked eye, the finished photo delivers its own unique aesthetic with a few simple post-processing steps.

Atlanta in September

There was a time, before Corona, when I had the great opportunity to fly to the United States twice a year on business. The meetings, which lasted about a week with a busy schedule, always offered some opportunities to visit many friends and family in the eastern US. In addition, there was usually time for the occasional photo excursion.

The (for the time being) last of these trips took me to Atlanta in September 2019. I only knew the city from passing through before, but this time I was there for five days. Since I wanted to use the free evenings for taking pictures, I had already looked for suitable photo locations on the Internet.

The Jackson Street Bridge (here on Google Maps) seemed to be the most attractive. On the one hand it was only about half an hour walk from the hotel. But more importantly, a look at “The Photographer’s Ephemeris” told me that the sun, seen from the bridge, sets in mid-September right behind the skyline of Atlanta. All that was needed was some luck with the weather.

More than pictures remain

About three quarters of an hour before sunset I reached the Jackson Street Bridge. It was a sunny day with only a few clouds, but high humidity, so it was slightly hazy. The early evening sky already promised to become colorful. At first, I was alone on the bridge, but soon more and more people arrived in search of beautiful photos.

Besides many people who simply made selfies with their cell phones in front of the colorful scenery, there were also some enthusiasts with their cameras and tripods. Quickly, nice conversations about taking pictures, equipment, camera settings and what else you do came up.

All in all, a very enjoyable evening, so that more memories remain from the bridge than just the beautiful pictures.

Sunset with Skyline

I had secured a photo point right in the middle of the bridge. From there, you have a nice view along the Interstate I-85, which leads to the skyline in the background. To capture the whole scene, I chose the Tokina 11-20 mm ƒ/2.8 lens, which has already proven itself in such situations.

And indeed, the sun set exactly in the middle of the high-rise buildings, exactly in the extension of the highway. Right when it disappeared behind the corner of a building, I was able to conjure up a sun star in the picture with the aperture closed down to ƒ/13.

Slowly it got darker and the first lights of the city came on. Time to screw the grey filter onto the lens to catch the light trails of the moving cars with long exposure times. I tried different camera settings in the constantly changing light until it was almost completely dark, and it was time to walk back to the hotel.

Candy Sky and Light Trails

Especially the photos in the twilight at the end of the golden hour showed an amazing effect; while the hazy evening air still glows orange in the last of the sunlight, the high-rise buildings cast dark blue shadows into the haze! Even moderate play with the sliders in Lightroom, particularly vibrance, saturation, and clarity, gave the image a dramatic play of color. This is of course exaggerated in the photo compared to reality – but it is also what makes this photo so special.

The second peculiarity in the shot are the light trails drawn by the cars. With the grey filter in front of the lens, I could expose for ten seconds at a time, so that the lights painted long stripes into the picture. It helped to match the green phase of the traffic lights on the other side of the bridge. In the finished picture, I ended up combining the light trails from four different photos in Photoshop to enhance the effect.

The Result