Saulsalito Hills
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Apr, 2016Views
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Awards
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Behind The Lens
Location
This shot was taken in the hills Saulsalito, CA, which is just outside of San Francisco. The hike is about 20-30 minutes up the side of a mountain, which is on the side of the freeway. A little bit nerve wracking, but oh so worth it once you get to the top. It was made famous by a local, Bruce Getty, so it has since become known as Getty Hill.Time
I knew sunset was at 6:30PM so I planned for us to get at the bottom of the mountain around 5PM. We found our way to the top by 5:45PM. Sat and took pictures of the city from here until 6:08PM when the color came out. This shot is a blend of 6:22PM (sky color) and 6:37PM (foreground/car trails). March 15, 2016.Lighting
The color in the sky only lasted for about 20 minutes and it was still way too bright out to capture the sky and the car trails in one shot. So I just started taking multiple shots knowing I could layer them together later and still get the effect I was going for. Luckily I got a nice 25s exposure that filled in enough of the lanes for me to be happy, so only two exposures were used.Equipment
This was shot on a Sony A7RII with the Sony 28mm f/2. Manfrotto 055XPRO3.Inspiration
Got to give credit to Bruce Getty here, I highly doubt I would have ever gone up there if it wasn't for him.Editing
My post processing is done almost entirely in Lightroom, with a few final touches in Photoshop. Fix WB, drop the highlights and blacks, boost the shadows and whites. A touch of contrast and clarity, as well as vibrance. Then I play with the tone curve (usually ends up generally s-shaped) until I am happy with the result. This was done to both photos, then loaded into photoshop as layers. I then created luminosity masks, with the help of Raya Pro, using the sky exposure so I could create a nice layer mask to blend the two images seamlessly. (Dodge/Burn on the layer mask itself to clean up anything the mask missed)In my camera bag
My InCase Pro Pack is usually filled with; Sony A7RII, GoPro Hero 4 Black, Rokinon 14mmf/2.8, Sony 28mmf/2, Canon 50mmf/1.8, Canon 70-300f/4.5-5.6, Metabones Mark IV Smart Adapter, Canon 430exii, Breakthrough Photography X3 6-stop ND, Formatt-Hitech 0.9 Soft Edge Grad + Filter Holder, Fenix PD35 Flashlight, Yongnuo RF-603II Triggers, Extra Batteries(Sony,GoPro,AA,AAA,18650), and cables.Feedback
The main advice I would give someone trying to capture something similar is patience. Pre-scout your location, constantly check the forecast, get there early, and don't be afraid to try new settings. Make sure you bring a good tripod, a shutter cable, plenty of battery/memory, and some snacks. Then just fire away until you are getting results you are pleased with. If you plan on blending as I did, make sure you are 100% in love with your composure, as you do not want to touch the tripod after you have started shooting.
