Some sunsets change how you see a city forever — this was one of those nights.

I live right next to I-94 just north of downtown Minneapolis, and can see the skyline from my driveway. There have been many evenings when I have been driving on Eastbound I-94 towards downtown, and I have seen the sunset reflect of the skyline. 

It is always gorgeous.

Always.

Every single time I would tell myself that I would photograph it. Back in 2014, I made a photograph here that was nice, but not the one I felt. On a summer evening in 2022, I went back with more patience and the right gear, and there it was: dark thunderheads positioned over the skyline, light lingering just long enough to make the moment unforgettable.

This is that photograph I captured back in 2014. For some reason it was the only time I went there to capture the sunset reflecting off the buildings like this. As with most sunsets, the color and lights were always different, but I just never went back.

Late in the summer of 2022, I finally made it back, ready to again photograph how the sunset was reflecting off the Minneapolis skyline. As I arrived, I immedeately realized that I needed to expand my view. I had my long lens on my camera so that I could zoom in close enough to the city to get the same view as the photo I captured in 2014. 

It was a beautiful summer evening where I was standing, this storm was further east, but was in the perfect place as I now had the majority of the thunderhead in view right above the city. I quickly grabbed my camera bag from the back of my car, swapped lenses, and proceeded to capture a much wider view than I thought I would be photographing that evening. 

I don't always bring all of my gear with me, but I am sure glad I did on this day. Mother Nature put on a show that evening, and I was more than happy to have been in the right place at the right time to capture it. 

What I learned that night isn’t about technique, it’s that the best moments happen when you’re paying attention to the world already around you. And that’s what I chase with every photograph.

If this photograph stirred something in you, it belongs on your wall, not just on your screen. Explore the available print options for Sunset Storm Cloud and Skyline and see how this moment can live in your space.

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