Golden Gate
The Golden Gate Bridge, with San Francisco skyline
The Golden Gate Bridge, with San Francisco skyline
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Oct, 2017Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken from Battery Spencer, which is part of the Fort Baker site, just Northwest of San Francisco.Time
After spending some time around San Francisco, I had scoped out this location to get a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge. With our luck, this was one of the most clear evenings in the city, so we had a spectacular view of the city from across the water, and the perfect amount of light during blue hour for a dramatic long exposure.Lighting
The main component I was looking for capturing in this picture was the sky, with the interesting cloud formation that appears over the bridge and the city. Having a clear view of the city with no usual fog was an added bonus!Equipment
I generally use a Nikon D610 with a 24-85 Nikkor lens. For Architecture, I also like to use my Tamron 10-24 wide angle lens. I use Oben tripods and a Pluto Trigger to capture my shots.Inspiration
I have seen a number of pictures from the site before, as it's a popular destination for photographers. So I had it on my list of must-go locations in San Francisco. But when I arrived and had such a clear view of the city, I was feeling particularly lucky. Although I had pictured a scene with fog and low-lying clouds, I feel like I had an even better view.Editing
I often take bracketed sets of pictures at a scene, but it really wasn't necessary with this long exposure. So I catalog in Adobe Lightroom, and then make toning adjustments in Nik Collection software. Any additional edits such as highlights and shadows are adjusted back in Lightroom.In my camera bag
Along with my D610 and battery pack, I carry my 24-85mm Nikkor lens, a 10-24mm Tamron lens, and my 50mm prime lens. Depending on the occasion, I may also bring my 70-300mm lens. I never leave without my ND filters, Pluto trigger, and "L" tripod bracket. My tripod is an Oben with a ball head. Besides the tripod, all my gear fits comfortably in my Manfrotto Pro Light camera backpack.Feedback
Depending on if you want to capture a picture of the top of the bridge with underlying fog, or have a clear view of the city, be sure to keep a close eye on the weather. It can be difficult here, given a better part of the year there's fog and wet weather in the area. But when it opens up, the views are some of the best in the world. I recommend blue hour, so you can capture some light trails of traffic going over the bridge, or even a large ship going by.
