This is probably my favorite photo from my stay in Knoxville last fall. This was from my second adventure into downtown and my goal was to make it to the Sunsphere and the Worlds Fair Park. This is the railroad bridge that runs through the park and over Cumberland Avenue.
Among my many adventures in Knoxville, there were several walks along the Tennessee River. One of those happened to be well after dark and to retrieve the car for me to go pick up my fellow explorers. Unfortunately, it took me a few minutes more to make it to them than it could have. I made a stop at Volunteer Landing to get a few shots of the Baptist Hospital that overlooks the river. The hospital is no longer in use and reminds me of the set from a horror film. Not that they scare me, but it was good to have several hundred feet of water to get some good reflections.
I stopped for a quick shot while we were passing through the front entrance area to the Thompson-Boling arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee. I had just taken some shots of fireworks that I believe were the send off for the Vols to go play Alabama last year and we were walking to Neyland Stadium. Having never been inside the Thompson-Boling arena, I can only imagine what was in the space hovering above my head. Thankfully, it did not fall on me.
Another shot from my adventures in Knoxville. This was a challenging building to capture during the evening. It is all lit up and then everything around it is dark. Made for some fun time.
One of the paths at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens is a walkway that goes through the canopy of the trees. For the Garden Lights exhibit, they had wrapped many of the trees in Christmas lights. My wife and kids had gone ahead and I was trying to catch up to them. Unfortunately for them, it took me quite a while. There were a few good compositions up here.
Another adventure in light painting. I was not sure about doing this shot, but was pleased with the way it turned out. I was afraid the drops of burning steel would reach farther than they did. It was impressive seeing this just above my head.
One evening in Knoxville, I went exploring and had some company. We drove around for a little while before we found a parking garage beside Market Square and settled on starting there. As soon as we got out of the car and began walking, I found this shot. Initially, I was trying to get the sunset with the Sunsphere. After a few minutes the sunset colors began to fade and I was left with this captivating scene. I was explaining HDR and good situations to use it. This was perfect with the bright interior of the building and the comparatively dark streets.
When snowed in, what does a photographer, frozen lake and steel wool have in common? A nice setting for a little light painting. I was not sure how the ice would hold up when I started walking on the dock, but it held rather well. I only heard it crack a couple times. I guess the cold weather was good for something.
Along the front of the building at the Acworth Health Park, there was this small patio. It was late when I went by, so I was able to get a few shots minus the people. I did not stay long as it was one of the days Atlanta was colder than Anchorage, Alaska.
This was the very first steel wool light painting. I thought I had framed the shot perfectly, but could not imagine how large an area that would be needed to capture all the sparks. I thought it turned out acceptably well anyway. Hopefully, I will get another chance to do this again soon.
