Shea's in the Rain Aurora Theatre Colors This and the previous posts (Aurora Theatre Colors, on the left) are not chronological. Following up on the Shea's in the Rain photograph (on the right) with a moving train I really wanted to re-shoot the location during blue hour to capture it with a different mood. Another reason to go back was the fact that Main Street had been changed compliments of the project to bring traffic back there. And the section in front of Shea's had been completed with the construction moving down south to the Fountain Plaza.

I arrived with little time to spare and the blue hour slowly fading into night. One thing I noticed immediately was the abundance of traffic signs. I guess since the traffic is now shared by the train and by cars they wanted to make sure signage is clear. While that may benefit the traffic it posed a challenge for me in looking for a vantage point without  all of that metal ugliness getting in the way. I bounced between the two sides of Main Street a few times and tried the middle too, eventually ending back across the street from Shea's.

Blue Hour Shea'sShea's Performing Arts Center The next fun challenge was working it all in. There was a beautiful crescent moon that I really wanted to keep in the photo and had to maneuver so that it would not escape the frame to the left or hide behind the roof of the theater. And ideally, I wanted to get some foreground in. The benches were in a spot that allowed for an angle unobstructed by road signs.

And finally, the marquee enclosed screen was another piece to keep an eye on. With extended exposures, its regular and rather frequent changes is something one has to keep an eye on. Expose for too long and the ads will switch and result in an unreadable composite of two different images. It has to be just right and kicked off at the right time. Oh, and of course, you get to choose what ad to keep in. Well, sort of. I did not count but there were probably around eight to twelve different ads, at about five seconds each. While waiting one minute may not seem like a big deal if you miss your show believe me, with timing the blue hour, miss it couple times and you might as well pack it up and come back next time. The natural light does not stay balanced with the leftover of light for long!

I captured several horizontal and vertical compositions and liked this one the most. While I was not too sure about the Buffalo sign down the middle, it allowed me to fit the crescent on the left side and the full theatre marquee. To get in the foreground bench in full the vertical position was needed.

A few more cycles of the screen and the blue in the sky was gone. Time to head back and think of the next photo op.

Have fun!

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