While visiting Montgomery, Alabama, I hoped to capture an image of the skyline. I thought that the Alabama River would make an interesting foreground. My challenge was finding the right vantage point. This challenge is typical for me when arriving in a new city.

The middle of the day isn't usually the best time for photography. While in Montgomery, I used some of this time to try to find a location for my cityscape shot later that night. Google Maps is a powerful tool for locating good vantage points. Several locations looked promising. However, none of the initial locations that I identified panned out. I've marked two of these locations on the map below (#1 and #2).

After failing to find a suitable location on my own, I stopped by the Montgomery Visitor Center. The woman at the information desk was very helpful and gave me a few more ideas. She thought that the Capitol Oyster Bar (#3) might provide the perspective I was looking for. She mentioned that there was also an abandoned tower a little further down the river that might be good.

So, I went to the Oyster Bar. That location didn't work either. The vantage point was too low. I had a great view of the river, but the downtown area wasn't visible enough.

I noticed an overpass behind me. I drove back and forth on that highway over the bridge. The vantage point looked good (#4). But, there was no place to park the car. The highway was busy and traffic was moving fast.

I noticed that there was a very small church located just off the exit ramp (on Lenora Street). My next task was to determine if it was safe to access the bridge. I did a dry run of the walk up the exit ramp and to the middle of the overpass. The shoulder was wide enough for me to feel reasonably safe--but I also knew that I didn't want to be on the bridge for long. The other task was to determine if the area was safe enough. The area around the church was rundown. In the end, I determined that the area was mostly industrial and that the place area would be vacant during my short stay.

I left downtown Montgomery about 20 minutes before sunset to drive to the church. I parked and quickly walked to the spot on the overpass that I scouted hours earlier. I captured three or four frames (timed between bridge vibrations from traffic) and then quickly walked back to the car.

Here is the image:

Downtown MontgomeryDowntown Montgomery and the Alabama River at dusk from the North Boulevard (Highway 152) Bridge in Montgomery, Alabama on December 4, 2014

Was it worth it? I thought so. At least it's not a photograph that every photographer who visits Montgomery will have!