I have been eyeing this spot for over a year--it's the MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) rail station for our city. The only problem has been that in order to get this shot, I have to stop on the side of a highway overpass and exit the car to take it. It's a very busy place with multiple lanes and it's right before anyone going southbound hits the city of Atlanta.
I've wanted a night shot of this spot, and I'm coming to the realization that even with a tripod, the traffic whizzing by at about 60+ miles would be unsafe, and it would never allow a slow exposure.
Because I'm doing ONS8, and today is transportation, I decided to see if Saturday traffic might be better for the shot. I also had two lenses in mind (my wide-angle 14mm) or my 35mm (which acts as a nifty-fifty on my crop sensor). Once I stopped as far to the right as I could near the rail, I tested my settings while I was IN the car looking out the window--I did not want to use up time in this situation after I exited the car.
I used the wide-angle first, but I was too far away, and it became apparent I was going to have to clone away if I kept those shots, so I got back in the car, loaded the 50mm and adjusted settings. Back out, and then this was the best shot (which I did crop some for symmetry and to cut out a hedge of bushes at the front. The weather was still in flux, so I did not have rain, and luckily, the sun tried to peep through for a minute, so I could get a low ISO with all the haze and have a nice tight aperture.
For processing, I used graduated filter on top (two of them) and then below I used a radial filter to improve clarity. I upped the saturation on this one as well. I have done a color-processed photo, which you can find here: http://365project.org/darylo/365/2014-07-19 I like both! Pretty happy I could achieve this long-awaited shot! Not planning on getting in this location again for awhile. It's very anxiety producing. But aren't all one night stands in some way or another? ;)
Thanks for all the info. I really need to learn some of your LR skills. I am not good with either of those tools. Glad you are safe. Absolutely great shot. I prefer the b&w.
