The Bridge
This image was put on the cover of eDigital Photo Magazine. I think they're now defunct, but the bridge is still there....
Read more
This image was put on the cover of eDigital Photo Magazine. I think they're now defunct, but the bridge is still there.
Read less
Read less
Jun, 2018Views
440
Likes
Awards
Zenith Award
Community Choice Award
Peer Choice Award
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 10 rank week 2Top 10 rank week 1Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This is one of the world's most famous bridges, The Golden Gate Bridge joining San Francisco to the Marin County Headlands. I was obsessed with imaging this bridge at night. At the time I had a Canon 80-200 f2.8 zoom lens, often called "The Magic Drainpipe". Driving northbound across the bridge there's an exit that leads to the headlands. I drove to this spot and set up my tripod. Taken on March 1, 2004, ISO 1600 1 second at f3.5.Time
Ten o clock p.mLighting
Shooting bridges at night isn't that difficult. You need a tripod or beanbag, some kind of support. At the time I took this photo (fourteen years ago) the DSLR cameras weren't that great at high ISO settings. I got excellent raw files from this shoot by making sure that the tripod was rock steady. ISO 1600 was as far up the ISO steps as I dared to go at the time. Nowadays I shoot at almost any ISO and have faith in my gear. If I need to clean up the image there are excellent noise reduction tools, such as DFine, one of the Nik plugins.Equipment
I used a Canon 10D on a Manfrotto tripod. Lens 80-200 Canon f2.8L. The lens is now hard to find but incredibly sharp. I wish I hadn't sold mine but I did, alas.Inspiration
I love bridges as photo subjects. An image of The Golden Gate Bridge is a cliche, I know. I'm always looking for ways to transcend the cliches and my best bet was to do nocturnal imaging of my favorite places. This shoot took a few minutes in an uncomfortable spot. It was worth it!Editing
At the time I made this image I think I was using Photoshop PS7. My workflow was simple enough: convert from RAW using Digital Photo Pro. Then in Photoshop I did basic exposure tweaks and a light application of Unsharp Mask in Filters. Almost always I added a bit of contrast by using the Curves Tool.In my camera bag
I have a Canon 6D Mk2, a full frame DSLR that was released about eight years ago. I keep a Canon 24-105L f4 on the camera and I have a 28-70 L f2.8, a Canon 50mm f1.8 and a Tamron Macro 90mm f2.8. For the occasional telephoto shot I use a vintage Tamron 60-300 f3.8 lens. I have a Canon 550EX flash and various light modifiers. I use a timer switch or a remote infra red shutter release.Feedback
Night shooting takes patience, an excellent tripod and a remote shutter release. You don't want to be touching the camera when you make exposures. Take a lot of pictures! I'm assuming you use a digital camera, so why not? Take numerous exposures using different angles, EV, shutter speed, etc. Vary it up, you never know which one of those shots will be a winner. Watch out for stray light from traffic, people, street lights. If there is nearby light try to incorporate it into your composition. Otherwise avoid the vagaries of public lighting when possible.
