I’m heading up to Minneapolis Tuesday on a quick trip for work (the job that pays the bills).  In 2009 when I visited Minneapolis in September I stayed for seven days resulting in a little more time to capture photographs between the busy work schedule. During that extended stay, I was able to capture this amazing shot of Downtown Minneapolis and I-35W Bridge.

Late afternoon on the weekend I ventured downtown with the hopes to find an interesting view of the skyline against the setting sun. I meandered around the University of Minnesota campus (just north of downtown) and happened on an old railroad bridge over the Mississippi River. The bridge was converted to a walk/run/bike bridge and named the Dinkytown Trail Bridge and connects the campus to downtown.

Setting Up the Shot

I set up my camera and tripod and waited for the sun to set and for the city lights to come on. (Tip: Monday-Friday are better days for building lights – people are actually working!) I continued taking pictures for about 45 minutes. One of the resulting images is this beauty of the downtown Minneapolis skyline with the new I-35W bridge lit in teal blue. You may recall that I-35W is the bridge that fell into the river back in 2007. If you look closely you’ll see that in the foreground is the 10th Avenue Bridge, silhouetted in black, and the teal I-35W bridge shows through its side rails.

The Result

Although the skyline and bridge are a focal point, its the beautiful reflections in the river that really make this photo pop. Its one of my personal favorites and I have been successful in selling it commercially and in prints. This photo is also in my top ten, most-viewed photos on Flickr.