I recently finished up a commercial photography shoot for Sacramento Magazine in downtown Sacramento and the clouds were magnificent! Summertime in Northern California doesn’t always lend itself to lots of storm clouds, so I wanted to make the most of this opportunity. 

So, I rushed back to my car to stow my location kit and grab my tripod and Tiffen LE series Apex filter; it’s a 10 stop ND filter. 

I have been thinking a lot about doing cityscapes and going for a deserted feel. This was the first chance I had to try this idea out. I found a spot near Old Town Sacramento and shot for about 45 minutes. The empty freeway was achieved by a long exposure, because in reality, Interstate 5 was full of traffic. I liked the feeling of isolation and desolation of the empty freeway next to city buildings. It reminded me of a freeway scene in The Walking Dead before they get into Atlanta, which gave me the inspiration for the tones and look of the final image.