DJLee
FollowBridge over the San Francisco Bay in the fog.
Bridge over the San Francisco Bay in the fog.
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Contest Finalist in Fog And City Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in the San Francisco Bay area, where several bridges connect cities on the east side of the bay to cities on the west side. This particular bridge spans the cities of Richmond and San Rafael. On a clear day, the cities across the bay are clearly visible. But when thick fog rolls in, the cities drop out of view.Time
The fog in the area is often the most dense in the early morning and that was the time at which I took this photo.Lighting
Even though there was very little visible light on this gray and overcast day, there was still some light variation in the fog--enough to make it not totally flat and visually interesting. Fog can have interesting contours and textures, and even minimal light can help define these features.Equipment
I took this photo with my Nikon d810, which is a wonderful camera for landscape work. The lens I used was my Nikon 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8, which is a superb performer in low light situations. The lens and camera were mounted on my Gitzo Traveler 2 tripod and my Really Right Stuff B-55 Ball Head. I didn't use any filters with this shot.Inspiration
I love to photograph this bridge, which is sometimes referred to as the ugly duckling of Bay Area bridges. But for me it has a wonderful organic feel. On this particular day, with a heavy fog cover over the west side of the bay thinning slightly toward the east, I was struck by the way in which the bridge seemed to simply disappear into the fog. No city in sight, no final destination. Truly, a bridge to nowhere. And that's the mood I wanted to capture.Editing
I always do some post processing but for this image it was fairly minimal I converted the image to black and white, added some contrast to the fog and part of the bridge. and added a little bit of sharpening to the bridge only. To enhance the mood, I used a small amount of split toning and added a tiny bit of dark blue to the shadows and a tiny bit of blue-green to the highlights.In my camera bag
My bag is often quite full and can get a bit heavy! I usually carry one camera body (Nikon d810 or d750) and three lenses--a wide angle, my walk around Nikon 24-70mm lens, and a longer zoom. I also usually tuck in either my macro lens or a 50mm, depending on where I am going and what I think I may end up photographing. The bag includes extra batteries and memory cards, lens and camera rain covers, lens cloths, remote shutter release, allen wrenches, cell phone, and snacks (nuts and chocolate). I also carry a pouch with Lee filters.Feedback
Landscape photographers often look for the best light in the early morning and near sunset. But overcast, foggy, cloudy, and rainy days present special opportunities for creating atmospheric images that capture the mood created by these weather patterns. So I encourage photographs to visit their favorite locations during a variety of weather conditions to discover--and capture--these locations in a variety of moods. I've photographed this bridge at night, on a clear sunny day, in the fog, with the light of sunrise and sunset, etc., and enjoy discovering it visually anew under each of these conditions.