Driving around town the past week or so I had been scouting for locations where I could get good shots of traffic trails. I wanted to avoid the Overbrook Overpass, where it seems everyone takes a photo, so something different was needed.
Since I’d had dinner at The Clock, I decided to look for some spots in the Wade Hampton/Pleasantburg area. I was hoping to take advantage of the “blue hour” – that time right after sunset when long exposure shots bring out a beautiful deep blue shade to the sky. Of course, skies were overcast, so I had to be content with the trails themselves.
My first target had long caught my eye. Over Pleasantburg Drive Bob Jones University has constructed a pedestrian walkway for its students. Because it’s such an imposing steel structure, and given BJU’s historic reputation (whether accurate or not), we had nicknamed it “Stalag Bob Jones”. Both ends of the structure are on publicly accessible sidewalks, so it looked like a great spot for a shot down the center of the road.
As you can see, the opportunities for traffic trails in both directions was excellent, but a chain link fence obscures the view. I was able to get unobstructed shots from the top landing of the staircase – off to the side, but still acceptable.
From here I drove back around the corner to The Clock. More specifically, I drove into Woodland Memorial Park Cemetery. The cemetery level is about ten feet above the street level, so there are good views of the intersection of Wade Hampton Blvd and Pleasantburg Drive. Since this is right across from The Clock, I tried to included it in the shots.
It was time to check out a couple of the interstate locations I had wanted to shoot. I drove around to Pelham Road, then took Villa Road, which runs right next to I-385. At one point the road widens where a lot is cleared for construction. This location had views of the downtown buildings in the distance as well as the Interstate. It worked OK, but there was more traffic on Villa Road than I had anticipated.
Those were the only places I actually took photos. On Independence Blvd near Roper Mountain there are some parking lots that might have views of I-385 and I-85. The Roper Mountain Road overpass provides some views of I-85, but none of these really caught my eye. Still, I think I found some good locations. Next time, I think I’ll try to find some spots downtown.
Those photos are beautiful!! Good eye…