Back in mid-January, I had a once in a lifetime photography experience in capturing nine straight sunsets that ranged from good to great in color and cloud coverage. It was after the fifth sunset that I realized the ‘streak’ and would then wake up each day after looking forward to going out after work.

My day job keeps me in front of my computer until 5 p.m. on most days and getting to these spots usually required rushing out the door and/or making last minute decisions on locations since the sun was setting right around the same time. I currently live about 10-15 minutes from where most of these photos were taken in Downtown Sacramento – an underrated place to shoot with a great photo community.

Andrew Eggers of the Alpha Collective had a rare opportunity when he caught nine perfect sunsets in a row. See how he made the most of it with his Alpha 1. 

I’ll never forget the ‘chase’ to shoot these nine sunsets as checking weather reports was almost an hourly thing and the sense of satisfaction after each one inspired me to keep going. Sunset no. 10 was in fact a dud with mostly clear skies, but I did go out just in case the clouds showed up.

Sunset No. 1 (Tuesday, Jan. 11th)

My wife and I took our 5-year-old son to Old Sacramento right after work because it’s a family friendly spot with a great view looking southwest back towards Tower Bridge and the Delta King. We parked and made out way to a viewing platform that protrudes maybe 20 feet over the Sacramento River, when we were greeted with this colorful sunset.

Photo by Andrew Eggers. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/125-sec., f/4.5, ISO 640

Sunset No. 2 (Wednesday, Jan. 12th)

It was another workday, so that meant dashing out to make sunset in time at the Sutter Community Garage, which is only about 10 minutes from my house. I remember a well-dressed man coming out of the elevator on the top floor as I was shooting to say something like “Wow, what a great shot you’re getting!” I certainly had to agree with him as he took out his cell phone for a few snaps himself.

Photo by Andrew Eggers. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master. 6-sec., f/11, ISO 50

Sunset No. 3 (Thursday, Jan. 13th)

The clouds were shaping up nicely that afternoon and I made my way to a walking overpass looking west down H Street in downtown Sacramento. The building on the left is the Sacramento County Jail and the SacRT Light Rail curves around it, so was the exact shot I had envisioned getting.

Photo by Andrew Eggers. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master. 1.3-sec., f/11, ISO 50

Photo by Andrew Eggers. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master. 10-sec., f/16, ISO 50

Sunset No. 4 (Friday, Jan. 14th)

A handful of friends and I made the best of Friday evening catching some color behind the Sacramento skyline from the H Street Parking Garage. It was the weakest sunset in the collection, but I really like this composition because the red car trail going through the alley giving it some added interest.

Photo by Andrew Eggers. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master. 10-sec., f/16, ISO 50

Sunset No. 5 (Saturday, Jan. 15th)

After watching playoff football at a friend’s house that afternoon, it was a mad dash to find a place to shoot so I met up with a couple buddies at a familiar spot. I preferred the tighter frame with the initial burn, but wider shot during blue hour was more appealing to the eye in my opinion. It was then that my friend, Felipe, drove his Jeep through alley as while I hit his shutter for this photo, which may be my favorite out of all the shots during the streak.

Photo by Andrew Eggers. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 3.2-sec., f/11, ISO 200

Photo by Andrew Eggers. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master. 30-sec., f/11, ISO 64

Sunset No. 6 (Sunday, Jan. 16th)

It was a tough decision as a diehard San Francisco 49ers game, to keep the streak alive and leave my TV screen before the end of their playoff game that Sunday. I was a nervous wreck chasing this sunset while listening on AM radio as my team pulled out the victory on the final drive. The chances of a good sunset seemed bleak as the light was struggling to break through, but at the end of the day both my team and I came out winners.

Photo by Andrew Eggers. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1-sec., f/16, ISO 50

Sunset No. 7 (Monday, Jan. 17th)

Lucky no. 7 was a lot of fun hanging with my friend, Marion, as we perched above the Capitol Garage watching the sky light up with reds, oranges and pinks. Getting a shot of the State Capitol for this series seemed fitting and it paid off as the best clouds were floating to the south above the iconic building.

Photo by Andrew Eggers. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1-sec., f/11, ISO 50

Sunset No. 8 (Tuesday, Jan. 18th)

This was one of those days where you knew a great sunset was in store as the weather projections all seemed to line up for an epic burn. A group of friends and I hung out on top of the same parking garage in Old Sacramento waiting for the show to start. We were delighted when the color started to seep onto the circus clouds high above the Tower Bridge.

Photo by Andrew Eggers. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/80-sec., f/5, ISO 400

Sunset No. 9 (Wednesday, Jan. 19th)

The day started out crystal clear and it lasted until about 4 pm when a patch of clouds was eventually pushed up from a weather system to the south. Even still, I felt obligated to shoot it at this point to keep the streak going and headed to the Sacramento River hoping to catch a low burn along the water. 

It took some time to find the right place to hunker down but I’m happy to have gotten this composition with the rocks and reflection off the river. The wider frame shows the entire scene and how tranquil it was as the peaceful sound of the river balanced perfectly with fire in the sky.

Photo by Andrew Eggers. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. .8-sec., f/14, ISO 100

Photo by Andrew Eggers. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. .8-sec., f/16, ISO 50

See more of Andrew Eggers' work on his Alpha Universe Profile and on Instagram @andreweggers.