San Francisco from the USS Hornet

The view of San Francisco from the USS Hornet a museum in Alameda, California. The USS Hornet served in World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and the Apollo recovery.

Out With The Old And In With The New

I took a walk on the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge. The walkway is not complete it is estimated to open in 2015, it still needs to connect to Yerba Buena Island. When I saw the old bridge in the first image I could not help but think of how many times I have crossed it. I thought the new bridge is beautiful but I wounder if white is the best color it looked awfully grimy. I do like the design and it is a lot nicer drive both directions. I also went through the new fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel on the way. It was the second day it was open and it was Sunday and there was a backup at the entrance to the fourth bore and hardly nobody going through the other tunnel. 

Shot on 11/17/2013 and the had already started demolition.

The New Bay Bridge

I set out to walk the new Bay Bridge after walking a mile and a half CHP turned me around. They close the bridge to pedestrians at 4pm and lock the gates at 5:30pm. If you are on a bike you can ride later just as long as you are off the bridge by 5:30pm. When the walkway is finished it will be open 24hrs. a day, it is estimated to be finished in 2015.  

The traffic on the bridge was heavy and I had planned to blur the traffic like I did in the post Bay Bridge at Night (New and Old). The traffic was just a little faster than stop and go.

The sun had just set to the right of this image and I had a light just over my left shoulder. I am not sure if it was sodium vapor or incandescent. That is what made the lower left hand corner a warmer color. I had the same kind of light over my right shoulder, but I was shooting at an angle. In this shot you can see the first stars starting to come out. I don't know what the bright one is, but I am sure it was not the north star.

Happy New Years 2013

Happy New Years! I finally got a chance the western side of the bay bridge. This is my first attempt  at shooting late at night. These are the fireworks at midnight. If you look on the bridge you can see CHP making the cars that stopped on the bridge to watch the fireworks. They had to make four or five passes because people kept stopping. I still want to shoot the bridge at dusk. I have shot the eastern span and have it in the post Bay Bridge at Night (New and Old).

Bliss Dance at Night

Bliss Dance must of been a hit at 2010 Burning Man I am so glad the artist returned here to the Bay Area. I made a previous trip shoot her during the day. It was worth the trip to see her at night. I wanted to get farther back and use a longer lens but there was a farmers market going on. I also want to use a longer lens during the day. Looks like another trip in the future. On this trip I also had a chance to shoot the eastern span of the Bay Bridge at night.

I corrected the perspective of this image also notice the plane above and to the right of the lamp post on the left side of the image. I did not correct perspective in the next three images, because I liked the lights. When I composed the images I made sure to cut them out. That just goes to show you only see about 98% of the image through the view finder. I would rather have too much and crop if I choose later.

I did not corrected the perspective of this image and the next two. I like the light rays from the LED array and I think it makes sense to see where the light is coming from. I wanted her to turn blue, but I like the other colors too.

I like the light tail from the plane just in front of her face. The light on the grass in foreground is lit by a pickups headlights. The truck actually drove in front of the camera on another exposure. I was upset when it happened, but I actually like the foreground lit for a different look. If you look behind Bliss Dance you can see another photographer in this and the next image. She was quite popular on this night.

I like how you can see the stars despite all the ambient light and the person that walked in and took a cell phone picture during the exposure on the left.

Bay Bridge at Night (New and Old)

I have always been interested in night photography and light trails. I am making a point to keep shooting after the sun goes down and even plan specific trips to take advantage of the "lack of light" after sunset. I have shot star trails in the past but I have not fully delved into night photography. I have always been in awe of great images taken after sunset. I am always looking to expand my horizons. I have studied photography since I was in high school and I have people ask me "how much is there to know about photography?" I always tell them try it some time. With technology changing so fast there is plenty to learn! With the hardware (digital cameras, computers, camera accessories...etc.) and software improvements constantly improving it is hard to keep up. I have always had a hunger for knowledge. Maybe not what I had to learn in school, but a curiosity to learn something new. I think it is what keeps life interesting.

When I first started getting into photography I spent so much time wishing I had this or that piece of equipment. If I had "that" I could take great photographs. When it was knowledge and imagination that were holding me back. Sure you need the basics a camera you can control and understanding how it works. Maybe a few lenses a tripod and the hunger to want to take great images. But in the end it is knowledge and imagination. Sure having nice gear and a lot of it helps, but in the beginning it helps to find out what you can do with what you have and forget about new gear. Then you have the knowledge and know why you want a certain lens or what ever it is you need. It will also save you a lot of money also. I have purchased a lot of "mistakes" in the past. It amazes me what I could have done all these years with what I had. That is one of the things that keeps me going back to some of the same locations. A few other things also make me go back weather, time of year, new ideas, new equipment...etc.

I have always wanted to shoot the western portion of the bay bridge with the city in the background just before Interstate 80 ends. I have seen that shot many times and wanted to make my own version, but I started thinking about the eastern portion and the new bridge when I crossed the bridge and did research when I was on Treasure Island shooting Bliss Dance. I found the right spot and got the eastern portion before I got the western portion. I was only able to get the eastern side because of the light and I had another shot I wanted to get. Keep an eye out for more of Bliss Dance at night I had a chance to shoot her on the same trip. I missed out on another shot due to fog. I will be back another day and another adventure. I can't wait for the new bridge to be finished.