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Moonlighting over the Bay

San Franciso Bay lit up by the moon and the Bay Bridge lights.

San Franciso Bay lit up by the moon and the Bay Bridge lights.
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Sep, 2018

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Awards

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Superb Composition

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Magnificent Capture

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Outstanding Creativity

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken along Embarcadero Drive in San Francisco, CA on a very quick in-and-out trip from the southern United States.

Time

I shot this photo not too long after sunset, but shortly after the moonrise. I had a few hours to kill before my daughter and I needed to get back to the airport. While we were driving around, I noticed that the moon began to rise over the horizon and thought it would make a nice photo rising over the bridge. I set up my tripod and took a few test shots before I found the right spot. If I remember correctly, I waited for 30 to 45 minutes before I felt the moon was in the right spot. I shot the photo on November 14, 2017, at 7:58 PM, California time.

Lighting

I wanted to get the lighting on this photo as balanced as possible, but due to the different light sources, I knew this was going to be a problem for me. I had three kinds of light to deal with: the tungsten lights behind me and across the Bay, the cool LEDs from the Bay Bridge, and the natural light from the moon (think daylight). I also had to deal with the light reflecting off the water. Rather than dwell on the different light temperatures, I focused my attention on getting a good exposure, making sure that my highlights and shadows were properly captured. My ultimate settings were ISO 50, at f/8.0 for 30 seconds. I chose ISO 50 for two reasons: To eliminate as much noise as possible and to get as much motion blur as possible without having to blend exposures.

Equipment

For this shot, I used a Canon 5D Mark IV with the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM with a cable release. The camera was mounted on a Really Right Stuff TFC-14 with the BH30 ball head.

Inspiration

I had taken a similar photo when I visited San Francisco back in 2014 and wanted to re-do the shot from a different perspective and composition, since the original photo, in my mind, was not properly composed. I figured I'd redo the shot if the opportunity ever presented itself. Since my daughter and I flew in for the day and we had time to kill before our return flight home, we stopped here for a bit to take the shot. Had it not been for the moon rising over the bay, I might not have taken the shot if the moon had not made an appearance—fatigue and hunger were starting to take hold.

Editing

I did post-process this photo to deal with the many lighting issues that I had previously mentioned. I had started to work on processing this photo shortly after I got back from this trip in 2017 and got so frustrated with the lighting that I deleted and started over several times. I eventually got frustrated to the point that I walked away from the photo for good. It wasn’t until almost 10 months later that I came back to it and started working on it. I made incremental adjustments to correct the lighting over a few days, working on it a little at a time until I was happy with the final edit. The bulk of my post-processing for this image involved color correcting for the tungsten lights in the foreground and background, the LEDs on the bridge, and the moonlight. I also made local and global adjustments for color and contrast using masks.

In my camera bag

I normally shoot landscapes, so I always keep my Canon 5D Mark IV with the 16-35mm f/2.8L or the 24-70 f/2.8L. When I am feeling especially adventurous and think I am going to shoot portraits, I will pack my 70-200 f/2.8L, but due to the weight, it mostly stays at home. My Really Right Stuff TFC-14 is always attached to my bag and because of its lightweight; it always goes wherever I go. I try to keep my pack down to a minimum and I have learned the hard way that too much gear not only slows you down but gets in the way.

Feedback

When shooting at night or outdoors, be sure that you have a good tripod and that you scout your location. Don’t be afraid to take multiple test shots to figure which composition you like best. Even at night, lighting conditions and the weather change, so keep an eye on your histogram to make sure you are properly exposing your shots. Be sure to have fun too! My best advice to capturing a photo like mine, or any other photo that you like for that matter is to keep shooting and not get discouraged. Even if your photo doesn’t turn out the way you wanted, you can always learn from your mistakes. Believe me, I am always learning from mine. My other advice is don’t be afraid to try new things when it comes to photography or post-processing. If you have any questions, shoot me a line and I will be glad to answer any questions you may have.

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cavazbe

cavazbe

Moonlighting over the Bay

San Franciso Bay lit up by the moon and the Bay Bridge lights.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow cavazbe

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