Seattle from Jose Rizal Bridge
I am continuing to work my way through all of the Seattle photography hot spots. This photo was captured from the Jose Rizal Bridge - a popular site to capture ...
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I am continuing to work my way through all of the Seattle photography hot spots. This photo was captured from the Jose Rizal Bridge - a popular site to capture images of the city with light streaks from cars on the freeway. This is an HDR composed of 3 images bracketed at +-- 3 stops then combined in photomatix.
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Jun, 2015Views
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Rule Of Thirds In The City Photo Contest
Featured
Contest Finalist in Tall Buildings Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Night Life Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in City Lights Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
All Star
Magnificent Capture
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Hiking_the_Golden_State
June 05, 2015
Just love this dramatic photo. The sweep of the freeway and the dynamic clouds frame the downtown nicely. Was this a double shot in order to capture the building lights?
joshsamson
June 06, 2015
Thank you, Carl. Appreciate the kind words. This is an HDR made from three separate shots bracketed at +/- 3 stops.
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urbanviewphoto
July 01, 2015
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo on the Jose Rizal Bridge south of downtown Seattle in a neighborhood called Beacon Hill. It is a popular location to take pictures of the skyline from a unique angle (i.e. one that does not include the Space Needle).Time
This capture was taken a little after 9:00 pm, just around sunset. We get very long days during the summer in Seattle. That's great for working and playing outside, but not so great for photographers that crave a full night's sleep!Lighting
The sun had just gone down behind the Olympic Mountains, allowing for the dramatic light on a beautiful blanket of clouds. Buildings had just begun to light up, so that afforded me the opportunity to capture the last remaining daylight as well as the downtown lights. The cars along the freeway make for an exciting framing element when taking a long exposure.Equipment
This image was taken with a Canon 5D Mark iii and a Canon 24-105 L lens on a tripod.Inspiration
I've recently started getting into night photography. This was my third outing since picking up my new camera in the spring. I've been working my way through all of the Seattle photography "hot spots" and this one was near the top of my list. I was very fortunate the cloud patterns cooperated on the night I had free to venture out.Editing
This is an HDR image consisting of 3 bracketed exposures. I assembled it in Photomatix Pro 5 and made some small adjustments in Lightroom - boosting the vibrance and saturation slightly, darkening blacks, and drawing out the highlights.In my camera bag
I don't go anywhere without my 5D. In addition to the Canon 24-105, I carry a Canon 50mm 1.8. I occasionally pack an old Canon 100-300, but the optics always disappoint, so I've started leaving that one at home to collect dust. Beyond that, I generally have a Canon Speedlite 430 ex ii + dome diffuser, intervalometer/remote, and a Manfrotto tripod.Feedback
Since I never know how soon I'll be back at any location, I like to take a wide variety of exposures through the aperture range of my lens. That way, I get the star effect from lights as well as other looks that I may find useful in the future. I took maybe 70 shots that night, but this was the first and only one I ended up processing. I was quite happy with how it turned out, so I still haven't looked at any of the other images that I took. Beyond making sure to capture everything you think you might want, logistically here are my tips: Lock up the mirror using live view and use a remote to avoid camera shake, focus manually - turn off auto focus and image stabilization if your lens has it, make sure that your tripod is stable and level, and only make adjustments in post that aim to replicate what your eye saw when taking the photo.
