Savannah Waterfront Sunset

I joined some friends to photograph the Savannah waterfront at sunset a few days ago and found that my favorite shots actually came after sunset.  We arrived at the Hutchinson Island  location of the Westin Hotel and Savannah Convention Center shortly before sunset.  This location provides free parking across the river from the waterfront night life of Savannah, and it’s only a free ferry ride away from joining in on the festivities.  It also gives an unobstructed view of the entire waterfront area and the Talmadge Bridge upriver, and ships going to and from the Port of Savannah pass by in clear view.  The only negative, from a photographer’s point of view, might be the mosquitoes and other no-see-ums along the waterfront.  Bug spray is required!

Georgia Queen docking in Savannah

The Georgia Queen, a rear-wheel paddle boat based in Savannah, carries tourists on evening cruises down and then back up the Savannah River, perhaps serving food and drink along the way.  It departs before dark but returns fully lit after the twilight hour, providing a colorful display as it chugs along on its way to docking near the Hyatt Regency Hotel.  I couldn’t identify ridership from our vantage point, but it certainly looked inviting from across the river.

The sunset was spectacular, outlining the Talmadge Bridge in a colorful display, and the “blue hour” following the sunset provided a gorgeous backdrop for panoramic views of the waterfront night life area.

The fading twilight provided an opportunity to experiment with exposures of interesting subjects, enabling the generation of star effects for the lights on the bridge.  The effect is interesting in both color and in monochrome:

This was an altogether satisfying outing with photographer friends.  I look forward to other opportunities like this in the future.

Photographing the Waterfront Lights

About Tom

Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, Appalachian State University.
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1 Response to Savannah Waterfront Sunset

  1. Peter Rhyne says:

    Beautiful shots of a wonderful place!

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