No HDR, despite what some people think! It is a single 1/10 sec exposure. See below for how I did it.
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Oct. 24, 2008: This was taken back in February 24, 2008, the last day that it rained a significantly measurable amount in San Francisco until Nov. 9th, 2008.
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Settings etc.:
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1/10-second exposure @F22
with Lee soft ND grad 0.9 with Lee holder
Canon 5D
Canon 17-40L @ 24
ISO 50
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
Small Slik tripod
Manfrotto pistol-grip ball head (for quick adjustments)
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So, how do you hide the bottom 300 feet of the far tower of the Golden Gate Bridge? With a very large wave! How big? Well, you can see that the smaller part of the wave is much bigger than the cars and vans in the parking lot.
After I took each shot, I hid in my car just to the left of the tripod. These waves hit with such force that my car was shaken violently each time. Then I could wipe off the grad filter and get ready for the next attempt. It took about 10 tries to get it right. I wanted the iron post to not block the horizon and for the composition to be perfect. But that is difficult to do when you only get a few seconds to jump out of the car, take the shot, and dive back in. Finally I got the shot just as the park rangers ordered me to leave because people have been killed on this very spot!
The amazing thing is that this is on the bay-side of the bridge, the Pacific Ocean is on the other side of the bridge to the left. Only during strong westerly winds following a big storm with a high tide do these conditions exist. There were surfers out there and they were ordered back to shore too!
I knew I'd get soaked so I had on my swim shorts and water shoes. I was hoping I wouldn't need a snorkel! The mid-winter temperatures were barely tolerable with the air at 61F (16c) water about 54F (12c) About average for February in San Francisco.
For some observations on the new Canon 5D Mark II, see here:
flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/3182878595/
See my profile for a link to my website where I have limited edition prints and less expensive open edition prints.
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Tags: BRAVO golden gate bridge golden gate sausalito san francisco storm wave san francisco bay marin county marin bridge usa ggb california 5d 17-40L seascape landscape seascape photogrpaphy landscape photography sea bay area vacation water architecture clouds interestingness travel wallpaper extreme photography topf1000
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A November sunset provided a good angle of light.
Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!
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Settings etc.:
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12-second exposure @F8
LEE soft ND Grad 0.9 (Angled at 10am-4pm)
Canon 5D
Canon 17-40L @34
ISO 50
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz is a great place to watch the sunset. This is one of the few remaining arches, as the other ones have been washed into the sea. New ones will replace them as the years go by. The tip of the Monterey Peninsula and the start of the Big Sur coast 40 miles away are shown in the middle of the arch.
In order to show this arch in the best light, I had to wait until November for the setting sun to be at the best angle to show the detail on the arch face. I also wanted some cloud cover, which becomes more common as the 7 month summer dry season comes to a close at this time of year. I used a long exposure to smooth the water, highlighting the arch and distant coastline. And I timed it for when the sand was at its most reflective state at low tide with the slow movement of the water painting lines in the sand.
There was an awesome sunset to the right of the frame, but I resisted the urge to point at the sun because the light was better on the seascape in this direction.
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Tags: santa cruz natural bridges natural bridges state park santa cruz county sunset california landscape photography seascape photography landscape seascape 5d 17-40L seascapes sea california landscape california seascape low tide sand sea arch arch Monterey big sur monterey peninsula natural bridges state park sandstone vacation travel nature wallpaper topf1000 PhotoContest-TNC10
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The sun sets right at the end of an old pier. What luck!... or was it?
Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!
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Settings etc.:
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Feb. 5, 2009: I just noticed that this picture was displayed in a Flickr blog about 100 million geotagged photos!
blog.flickr.net/en/2009/02/05/100000000-geotagged-photos-...
or
code.flickr.com/blog/2009/02/04/100000000-geotagged-photo...
30-second exposure @F22
LEE soft ND grad 0.9 angled 9:30am-3:30pm
I used Lee 150x100mm soft ND grads with a Cokin z-pro holder.
Canon 5D
Canon 17-40L
ISO 50
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
A few days before I made this image, I noticed how the sun would soon be moving over each day until it was setting right behind this old eroded pier as the summer solstice approached. So I knew to return to make a long exposure at sunset. It is good to arrive at a location with an open mind because you never know what to expect. I set aside my expectations and observe what elements attract the eye. In the RAW file, this image had an overwhelming amount of color, so I had to de-saturate the sky in order to get back the details, which had become lost in blobs of bright orange.
In October of 2005, Hurricane Wilma scored a direct hit on this island with category 5 winds gusting over 200 miles per hour. Many beaches were stripped of their sand, revealing old features not seen in many years, like this old pier on the north side of the island. I was told that before the hurricane, these pilings were under many feet of sand and that the beach used to extend well past the last post seen here.
On the first day of my trip, the sun had set to the left of end of the pier, but I knew that over the next few days, the sun would move a little to the right each day. (In landscape photography it pays to know how the natural world works, just as a bird photographer must know the habits of the birds to get the best shots.) On the last day of my trip, the sun set right at the end of the pier. I was ready and had an image in my head of what I hoped I could capture. Fortunately the sun dropped below the clouds at the last minute and became visible right as the sun set. I had taken photographs on the previous evenings just in case this evening turned out to be cloudy just to be on the safe side.
So, I was lucky to be on vacation during this time, but the rest was planning!
Tags: isla mujeres mexico quintana roo cancun tulum vanishing point FPG vacation travel sea ocean landscape seascape pier sky sun sunset wallpaper nature gulf gulf of mexico long exposure sand warm OracOGP Ostrellina topf1000
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As the sun rose, a storm brings big surf to the north shore of the island of Kauai.
Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!
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Settings etc.:
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1/30-second exposure @F8
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm 0.9 + 0.6
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
Canon 5D
Canon 17-40L @ 22
ISO 50
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
In the winter, large waves break in portions of Haena Beach that are not protected by the coral reef. This one is over 10 feet tall from its base. They can get even larger during large winter storms.
This was a rather tricky shot to get right because so many things were happening in a chaotic order. But I wanted to show all the best things happening at once. After every shot, I had to run, as I planted the tripod right in the path of the waves to get the closest view. Standing back on the dry part of the beach makes the action look distant, even if you zoom in. It is more dramatic to use a wide-angle and get close! These waves looked best just before the break, as the light penetrated through them. The sand glistened and moved for just a second before drying up, so timing was important. See my notes on the image.
See my profile for a link to my website where I have limited edition prints and less expensive open edition prints.
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Tags: kauai hawaii landscape seascape sea ocean travel vacation palm wave sand cloud sky haena hanalei kee sunrise pacific usa 5d 17-40L canon explore #1 paradise fantastic BRAVO 2008 wallpaper topf1000
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The amazing quality of the light is what impressed me first when I witnessed this scene. It was so intense that I had to slightly desaturate the reddest part of the sky to retain detail! See the big version. No HDR!
Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!
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Settings etc.:
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1/4-second exposure @F11
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm 0.9 + 0.6
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
Canon 5D
Canon 17-40L @ 18
ISO 50
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
On this stretch of coastline on Isla Mujeres, the trade winds blow constantly, sending clouds and storms from Africa and keeping temperatures moderate. These rocks were under the sand until hurricane Wilma scored a direct hit on this area with wind gusts exceeding 200 mph. The newly exposed rocks were sharpened by the winds, so my legs got rather badly scratched up by the time I arrived at this spot. In this photo, a tropical
storm warning had just been issued and the winds were kicking up increasingly large surf, but the storm turned and headed out to sea later that day.
I used the light to show the reflectivity and color of the water. Also, the light filtering through the cloud deck shows its layers. A colorful sunrise is nice but this is more about the warm breeze blowing along the water and through the clouds. Fortunately the sky opened up for just a minute. Most of the time, it was either overcast or too bright. Good even filtered light is usually best when shooting towards the sun. Bright light and blues skies might be good for tourist brochures, but low warm light enhances the mood of an image.
See my profile for a link to my website where I have limited edition prints and less expensive open edition prints.
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Tags: Isla Mujeres mexico landscape seascape beach sunrise clouds ocean sea Atlantic gulf of mexico cancun quintana roo hurricane SearchTheBest vacation wave paradise sky 5d 17-40L travel wallpaper topf1000
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