Photographing the Charleston, WV, Capitol Bldg: Does anyone have knowledge of how to access a vantage point for photographing the Charleston, WV, Capitol Building from across the...

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

Does anyone have knowledge of how to access a vantage point for photographing the Charleston, WV, Capitol Building from across the river? My photo friend and I will only be in that area for one night, so have very limited time to scout out locations. Just getting through traffic and finding unfamiliar roads can really eat up a lot of time. We'd be coming from Summersville and staying in Cross Lanes. Any help would be very much appreciated!

Collhar Loc: New York City.

dmeyer wrote:

Does anyone have knowledge of how to access a vantage point for photographing the Charleston, WV, Capitol Building from across the river? My photo friend and I will only be in that area for one night, so have very limited time to scout out locations. Just getting through traffic and finding unfamiliar roads can really eat up a lot of time. We'd be coming from Summersville and staying in Cross Lanes. Any help would be very much appreciated!

Try Google Maps.

newriverpaddler Loc: West Virginia

Best vantage point may be across the Kanawha River at the University of Charleston, as I remember, you should get a good view of the Capitol Building from there. That being said, I believe that the building is under some repairs and there may be scaffolding and construction equipment around the dome at this time.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Yes, passed by a couple weeks ago and the entire dome is covered for construction...

newriverpaddler wrote:

Best vantage point may be across the Kanawha River at the University of Charleston, as I remember, you should get a good view of the Capitol Building from there. That being said, I believe that the building is under some repairs and there may be scaffolding and construction equipment around the dome at this time.

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

Collhar wrote:

Try Google Maps.

That's a given. But an aerial map isn't the same as eyes on the subject or identifying parking access. Ever try using a map to locate a view from a curve in the road along the Million Dollar Hwy. in Colorado where there are no shoulders on the roadside? LOL!

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

newriverpaddler wrote:

Best vantage point may be across the Kanawha River at the University of Charleston, as I remember, you should get a good view of the Capitol Building from there. That being said, I believe that the building is under some repairs and there may be scaffolding and construction equipment around the dome at this time.

Bummer! Thanks, newriverpaddler, for the heads up--as confirmed by Notorious right after your post.

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

Notorious T.O.D. wrote:

Yes, passed by a couple weeks ago and the entire dome is covered for construction...

Thanks so much, Notorious T.O.D. You and newriverpaddler just saved me a lot of time and disappointment with the heads up about the construction work. Guess we'll just focus on the countryside instead...though, I sure love night-time reflections of lights on water.

Jay Pat Loc: Round Rock, Texas, USA

dmeyer wrote:

Does anyone have knowledge of how to access a vantage point for photographing the Charleston, WV, Capitol Building from across the river? My photo friend and I will only be in that area for one night, so have very limited time to scout out locations. Just getting through traffic and finding unfamiliar roads can really eat up a lot of time. We'd be coming from Summersville and staying in Cross Lanes. Any help would be very much appreciated!

When taking state capitol images, I used google maps to look for the the flag poles to determine the front (zoomed in to see).
For this one, I don't remember which side we were on.
I think we stopped for a quick shot as we were pulling the rv.
We have scaffolding in several capitol images......Stinks.
Pat

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

Jay Pat wrote:

When taking state capitol images, I used google maps to look for the the flag poles to determine the front (zoomed in to see).
For this one, I don't remember which side we were on.
I think we stopped for a quick shot as we were pulling the rv.
We have scaffolding in several capitol images......Stinks.
Pat

Thanks for the tip, Pat. It will have been a long year of new construction and moving into a new house since my last photo trip and I am sooo ready for this trip to WV! I plan to make the most of it.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

dmeyer wrote:

Does anyone have knowledge of how to access a vantage point for photographing the Charleston, WV, Capitol Building from across the river? My photo friend and I will only be in that area for one night, so have very limited time to scout out locations. Just getting through traffic and finding unfamiliar roads can really eat up a lot of time. We'd be coming from Summersville and staying in Cross Lanes. Any help would be very much appreciated!

Multiple shots at dusk. They light that sucker up and that gold dome shines. They were working on it last fall, I am sure they are done with it by now.

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

billnikon wrote:

Multiple shots at dusk. They light that sucker up and that gold dome shines. They were working on it last fall, I am sure they are done with it by now.

Having been given the heads up about the repair work, I did my research and learned that completion of the project isn't expected until late 2020. The entire dome is now under a canopy to protect the work in progress. It was so disappointing to learn of the repair work after getting stoked about photographing the capitol from across the river. You're the lucky one if you captured images before the work began.