Clouded Gate Bridge
The south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge in SF rises above the seasonal Bay Area fog.
The south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge in SF rises above the seasonal Bay Area fog.
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Aug, 2016Views
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Awards
Contest Finalist in The Fog And The Sea Photo Contest
Winner in Bridges In Black & White Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo from a bluff overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge in the Marin Headlands of the Golden Gate National Parks in Marin Co, CA.Time
This was shot around 9 AM local time as the sun was rising behind the Bridge....one New Year's Eve morning 2008.Lighting
This image is obviously mostly about the lighting (with a nod to the fog bank). While I lived in the Headlands I tried to find something interesting to photograph every day and often turned to the nearby Golden Gate Bridge as my 'go-to' feature. I rarely photographed the Bridge at this time of day normally seeking it out at dawn or dusk or even after dark. This day I happened upon the Bridge with this amazing light casting it's shadow on the bank of fog that was slowly retreating into the SF Bay and revealing the textured waters from which the Golden Gate draws it's name.Equipment
This was shot with Canon 20D and Canon 100-400 mm L lens, freehand without flash.Inspiration
In my pursuit of documenting mostly the natural beauty of the Headlands I occasionally turned to the Golden Gate Bridge, which was an important feature of the area and on days like this actually allowed a means of capturing the dramatic weather of the Headlands. Seeing the GGB towers poking up above the SF fog is one of those iconic Bay Area images. This capture was relatively unique in accomplishing that but also showing some blue sky, a great shadow, and especially the rippled waters of the Golden Gate.Editing
I straightened this image and made tonal adjustments to get a more complete range of white to black and bring out more of the fog and the water.In my camera bag
Because I normally focus on shooting wildlife I typically carry just my 5D- now a mkIII- and one telephoto zoom lens, either Canon 100-400 L or Tamron 150-600. Most days I prefer to be light but sometimes carry my old 5D (or 20D) as back-up. When I'm out to shoot wildlife I don't even bother to carry a wide angle lens as my pocket Canon Powershot G9 and even my Lumia phone can both shoot raw files. I do sometimes use my Canon EF 24-70 L lens for landscapes and close-ups and love my Slik tripod, but rarely have the opportunity to use it. I also toy with a circular polarizer sometimes but otherwise avoid filters. On some of the days I was shooting in the Headlands I would carry just my old 20D in case I wanted to use the built-in flash (lacking on 5Ds) for any close-up images of plants or small natural features.Feedback
This image took a bit of luck- or persistence...depending on how you look at it- to get the key elements together- bridge, sun/shadow, fog, blue sky, and revealed water. It might also be an example of an easily overlooked shot: facing the sun with the Bridge and it's iconic red color mostly obscured so there may be a lesson in looking hard for a shot that might not be immediately apparent. There was a little effort at timing because the Bridge's shadow actually came and went and is not apparent in most of the other images I took that morning.
