To get this photo, we need to go back a week. So I researched online to find the pictures I liked of the skyline. After digging a little, I found that the best place for skyline shots is 185 W. Trendley Ave., East St. Louis, IL 62201.

I knew I wanted to shoot the photo about 20 minutes after sunset. So I shot this top photo at 8:56 pm. Sunset was at 8:26 pm tonight.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, ƒ/13, 1/250

This photo I took earlier in the day at 3:58 pm, which for me, was pretty flat and uninteresting. I came to scout the location. I noticed the powerlines and how flat the light was at this time of day.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, ƒ/13, 1/320

We came back and started to shoot at 8:11 pm. Here I noticed we were getting a very orange skyline shot.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, ƒ/10, 1/2

Notice that even at 8:11 pm, the light is much better than at 3:58 pm.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 1100, ƒ/8, 1/100

The sky was gorgeous, but I felt like the atmosphere overpowered the skyline of St. Louis.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 125, ƒ/2.8, 1/100

I also liked this photo, where I captured more about the Mississippi River than just the St. Louis skyline.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, ƒ/10, 2 sec

We are moving from the ramp to see over the levee. Walking across the rain tracks up to the levee gave us the best view.

I was using a tripod to keep the camera still. With the Nikon D750, I used the Nikon ML-L3 Wireless Remote Control Infrared to trigger the camera. The best thing is to use the 2-second delay to minimize all the motion.

Tips:

• Go online and research where you are going. You will find a lot of photos that are signatures for a city.
• Find the locations where many of the photographers are shooting these photos.
• Go during the daylight to be sure you can see all the landscape and see if there are some things like the powerlines that you need to work around.
• Find the time for sunrise or sunset
• Arrive 20 to 30 minutes before sunrise or sunset
• Stay at least 20 to 30 minutes after sunrise or sunset.