I was in Atlanta 2 weeks ago and spent time scouting for decay to shoot. When I saw this structure I knew I had found what I wanted. When I returned later at night with a couple of friends, it was immediately clear that this shot was going to require some acrobatics. The inside of the overhead structure was pitch black, and to get the shot I wanted I needed to get lighting inside. A big problem was that the street was busy with cars. I didn’t want to be mistaken for a terrorist, so I had my friends look for a break in the traffic, at which point I climbed up as fast as I could, with a flash and some yellow gels jammed into my coat pocket. After doing my lighting, I waited again for a break in traffic to climb down quickly. It worked out perfectly! So I did it a second time! The breaks in the star streaks are from needing to cover the lens with black velvet every time a car drove by, to avoid several lighting problems.
Here's the test polaroid I shot.
Alley no. 132, Cornucopia (2010, Atlanta, GA, 11pm)
