Tag Archives: Golden Gate

Commute, Photos

Freighter entering the gate

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Despite a rain shower or two over the past month, the warm, windless, hazy days continue around the Bay Area. I had my 70-300mm lens with me today so, ignoring the haze, I drove up to the Marin Headlands hoping to grab a few good shots with the longer focal lengths. I now know that longer zooms actually magnify haze making it look more pronounced. Live and learn! I settled on this shot because the whiter haze along the immediate coast looks more natural than the smog over the city.

Giant freighter entering the Golden Gate

BTW, the freighter was massive!

Giant freighter passing under the Golden Gate

Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm IS USM.
Top photo: lens at 70mm. 1/80 second at f/11, ISO 100.
Bottom photo: lens at 240mm. 1/100 second at f/11, ISO 100.

Canon T2i cutting through the haze.

Commute, Photos

Coming to port

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Summer ends in the Bay Area and then it gets hot. It was a toasty commute home today so I just plowed through. This image is from yesterday’s 20 minute shoot up on the Marin Headlands just above the Golden Gate Bridge. I’ve started to develop a thing about shooting into bright light and it’s working for my aesthetic.

Tanker heading towards the Golden Gate

Lens: Canon EF-S 15-85mm at 85mm. 1/1600 second at f/11, ISO 200. 1/1600 second? Yes, I know. But realize I’m running around hand holding my camera grabbing shots like a mad man all the while thinking, “half way home, time to go, traffic is going to suck.”

Canon T2i facing the light.

Commute, Photos

Bright afternoon light

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My commute photos are mostly taken between the hours of 2:30 and 4:00 PM. Not the best time for grabbing scenes with dramatic light, but I work with what I get. Here are a couple of shots I took during yesterday’s commute, one towards and the other away from the direction of the sun.

This is the ocean view just southwest of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The coastal view just south of the Golden Gate Bridge

And this is a bay view of Alcatraz from the upper Presidio (for people not familiar with the Bay Area, the dome is part of the Palace of Fine Arts).

Alcatraz from the upper Presidio

Lens: Canon EFS 15-85mm.
First image: 20mm, f/16 for 1/320 sec, ISO 200.
Second image: 70mm, f/16 for 1/200 sec, ISO 200.

Canon T2i working with the light.