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The Brooklyn Bridge

HDR of the Brooklyn Bridge in B black and white

HDR of the Brooklyn Bridge in B black and white
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OLYMPUS E-M1MarkII

settings

Aperture 56/10 Focal Length 12/1

upload_date

Apr, 2018

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Behind The Lens

Location

This is a good question. There is a high rise being built nearby that is absolutely crushing the view of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges from both sides of the river and is too difficult for me to photoshop remove. I reasoned that if I walked along the waterfront I might find a spot that let me find an unobstructed view of the bridge. I was luckyh enough to find this location near the South Street Seaport Museum in lower Manhattan.

Time

The shot was taken at about 6 PM on March 30 of this year. It was cloudy and a bit damp.

Lighting

The light was soft. Late in the afternoon on an overcast, rainy day makes for good light. But the detail in the sky wasn't readily apparent, and it was pretty much impossible to get an exposure that gave me the look I wanted.

Equipment

I shot the series of images that make up this picture using an Olympus EM-1/ii with the Olympus 12-40mm F/2.8 Pro lens. Hand held, no flash.

Inspiration

The Brooklyn bridge has been photographed so many times, at this point it's a bit of a cliche. But I wanted a shot of my own. The problem with the construction taking place is that the views of the waterfront are now at risk of being interrupted by all manner of high-rises, either already built or under construction. I wanted to try to find a spot where I could get a great view before it was taken over by another building. I felt pretty lucky when I found the spot I was looking for.

Editing

I did a fair amount of processing. This image is an HDR made out of five aperture priority images. I merged the images using Nik HDR EFX Pro, then tweaked the black and white points. Finally I brushed over some areas in Lightroom, adding clarity to bring out more detail in the sky and bridge tower in the foreground.

In my camera bag

I am totally sold on micro four-thirds. I pack an Olympus E-M1/ii. That's my camera, and other than my cell phone cameras - an iPhone and a Samsung, that's it. For lenses, my walk around lens is my Olympus 12-40 F/2.8 Pro. I also keep the Olympus 7-14mm F/2.8 Pro for wide angle zoom and the Olympus 40-150 F/2.8 Pro for telephoto. Finally I recently acquired the Olympus 60mm F/2.8 macro which I love. As you can see, I'm a committed Olympus user, having retired my Canon kit back in 2012. I'm on my third micro four-thirds with no end in sight

Feedback

I don't think you can get better urban, city or street than in New York City. I live on Long Island but call NYC my home and I work near where this shot was taken. Advice to get a great shot in NYC? Just walk around! Downtown for the bridges, Midtown for the theater district. There are endless possibilities for getting great images in NYC. You can spend your career here if you so choose. Just have some idea of what you want to do before you take off, wear good walking shoes, and use your feet!

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stevestarer

The Brooklyn Bridge

HDR of the Brooklyn Bridge in B black and white

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow stevestarer

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