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Online Photography Exhibit Featuring the San Francisco Bay area
GALLERY 04
San Francisco Nightscapes; the City and the Waterfront Skylines
"Night Transforms Everything"
photography by ADRIEN HUANG
San Jose, California
San Jose, California
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 50mm Focal LengthCanon EOS 5D Mark II, 50mm (several 50mm frames interlaced into one panoramic image)
f/4, 3.2 sec., ISO 200
© 2012, Adrien Huang
f/4, 3.2 sec., ISO 200
© 2012, Adrien Huang
It is absolutely astonishing how nightfall can transform familiar surroundings into other-worldly landscapes! The exquisite picture above by professional photographer Adrien Huang demonstrates how the night sky can combine with the glow of the city to produce a cornucopia of colors and textures. Adrien tells us that this picture - one he calls the "City of Dreams" - is a hand-stitched composite of several individual frames, each taken during long exposures which are evident in the many sky trails caused by moving aircraft. We selected this and the one below from the many dozens of night cityscapes sent to us for this San Francisco exhibit, because they simply have a very different quality. While the top photo appears at first glance to be an HDR image, closer examination proves this to be untrue.
Adrien, an artist at heart, says it so poetically: "The night in San Francisco was strangely calm without its usual blanketing layer of fog and gloom. The hills and lights nestle between them the magic of the downtown skyline. She knew she had come to the right place. Opportunity burrows itself in the city and rewards the few that struggle to find it, it is after all the City of Dreams."
The exciting hues of purple, blue, orange and yellow are like eye candy. Yet, they are not over-hyped and unreal; a mistake made by too many photo enthusiasts with a bit of Photoshop knowledge. We also like the sharp contrast; sharp but, again, not overdone. The pitch of the street in the foreground, as it leads to the bay, is very evident and gives a sense of the true relief of this city. Notice how the street continues higher and higher as the eye moves toward the taller buildings at the top right. We also noticed another person gazing at this spectacular scene. Do you see this person on the far right side of the frame? What a beautiful vista!
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 50mm (several 50mm frames interlaced into one panoramic image)
f/8, 5 sec., ISO 200
© 2012, Adrien Huang
f/8, 5 sec., ISO 200
© 2012, Adrien Huang
About the above image, Adrien writes, "In this rare occurrence on December 12, 2011, the full moon was eclipsed by the shadow of the Earth, robbing the moon of its radiance for a few brief hours. As the light filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, the moon acquired the reddish hue of an earthly sunset. As the sun began to rise, the moon set, and those few who were there on Treasure Island saw a strange sight; the blanketing light of the coming dawn and the moon still shrouded in darkness, the impossible eclipse."
We couldn't have said it better! Congratulations, Adrien, on your beautiful photography and thank you for participating in this online exhibit!
If you would like to see more of Adrien's work, you can visit his 365 iphone photo blog at: http://adrienhuang.com/adriensays/ - or - you can browse some of his spectacular photos at his portfolio titled "Second Light".
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"Standing Stones"
Eerie Pilings by the Embarcadero Photography by ERNIE GLOVER Martinez, California  Pentax K20D, 29mm focal length; f/8, 25 sec., ISO 200 © 2011, Ernie Glover Ernie Glover most likely looked out at the Bay from the foot of the Embarcadero realizing that the crumbling pilings would look far more interesting and perhaps a bit surreal if photographed at night using a long exposure. This is one of many favorite spots for local photographers, as it offers a beautiful view of the Bay Bridge, Treasure Island and Oakland in the background. But by the light of the moon (and the bridge and the city lights...), what happens here is that the pilings change from boring silhouettes to a group of forms that take center stage. Ernie's picture is expertly exposed; he opened the shutter for just long enough to show-off the city light reflected off the pilings and the brilliant yellowish hue in the bay, cast by Oakland's bright lights. But his exposure was dark enough to illustrate the lifting storm in the distance, as delineated from the clear blue sky at the top left. The image is crisp, yet, warm at the same time. A pastel-like soft texture appears in the gently moving water, while the pilings are sharply defined with a rough and eroding texture. His work is brilliant! We chose to post the image below - an average daylight picture (not photographed by Ernie) from roughly the same vantage point - to illustrate how different the same scene can appear. In the daytime image the pilings get lost and acquiesce to the splendor of the Bay Bridge. Take a look:  |
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*We selected two more long exposure images from Ernie Glover (same evening):
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Wind Storm Over San Francisco
 Pentax K20D, 18mm focal length; f/8, 30 sec., ISO 200 © 2011, Ernie Glover |
Wet Pier After the Storm
 Pentax K20D, 18mm focal length; f/8, 30 sec., ISO 200 © 2011, Ernie Glover |
What we love most about the two photos above is the appearance of motion that's evident in the clouds. Take a look at Ernie's long thirty-second exposure. The wind-swept clouds were a definite weather feature on this particular evening in the early spring of 2011, not to mention the passing storm that left the pier slick and puddled. The colors are fantastic in each photo; the overall golden hue is warm and inviting and the hint of blue in the sky contrasts nicely against the wispy clouds. His focus is sharp and this is aided by the fact that his exposure settings are perfect. Notice how you can discern the individual lights in the buildings? They are well defined and do not "bleed" into one another. This is evidence of accurate exposure. Ernie has obviously done this many, many times in the past.
Commonly, photo enthusiasts who attempt long exposure night photography make two mistakes. Although they get the 'long exposure' part correct, they mistakenly believe that they need a wide-open aperture (ie. low f-stop number) and a high ISO in order to make the most of the dim light. The problem with this thinking is that, although the wide aperture does allow more light into the camera, it also negatively impacts sharpness and edge definition. With Ernie's f-stop at 8, the aperture had only a moderate opening which contibuted to the sharpness. As well, while using a high ISO does increase light sensitivity, it also produces significantly more noise. So using a low ISO of 100 or 200, as Ernie did, makes for a far clearer picture.
Ernie provided our readers with some gorgeous examples of night photography and his images without a doubt represent an important aspect of this San Francisco EXPOSED exhibit! Bravo!
Commonly, photo enthusiasts who attempt long exposure night photography make two mistakes. Although they get the 'long exposure' part correct, they mistakenly believe that they need a wide-open aperture (ie. low f-stop number) and a high ISO in order to make the most of the dim light. The problem with this thinking is that, although the wide aperture does allow more light into the camera, it also negatively impacts sharpness and edge definition. With Ernie's f-stop at 8, the aperture had only a moderate opening which contibuted to the sharpness. As well, while using a high ISO does increase light sensitivity, it also produces significantly more noise. So using a low ISO of 100 or 200, as Ernie did, makes for a far clearer picture.
Ernie provided our readers with some gorgeous examples of night photography and his images without a doubt represent an important aspect of this San Francisco EXPOSED exhibit! Bravo!
Suave Meets The Street
"an Average Night on Columbus Street"
photography by LORRAINE CASTILLO
Northern California
Nikon D80, 55mm focal length; f/5, 1/13, ISO 1250
© 2011, Lorraine Castillo
© 2011, Lorraine Castillo
SHOOTING Sreet or "Urban" Photography isn't as easy as it looks, but it sure is easy to look at! Lorraine Castillo calls herself a beginner photographer, but judging from the picture above and some of her other images we've chosen to publish in the next gallery page, she has a strong talent in this challenging photo genre. As challenging as street photography can be, it can be highly rewarding to someone who has the knack. Lorraine says she most enjoys taking city and street photos. She has a good eye for what's interesting, a strong sense of composition and, it appears, a bit of luck as well.
She tells us that she was getting ready to photograph the street musician downtown, in front of the Vesuvio Cafe near the corner of Columbus and Broadway. Now, keep in mind that if you were standing in Lorraine's shoes at the time, if you turned to your left, you would see an amazing view of the Transamerica Pyramid just two blocks away. But that's not the type of thing that stirs Lorraine's photo passion. She was going for something bigger than the looming pyramid! Just as she was about to click the shutter, a suave looking gentleman strolled into her scene from behind the City Lights Bookstore. Most interesting is the fact that the man emerged from "Jack Kerouac Alley" looking...well...cool! Not to say that Jack was a suit-and-tie kind of guy - certainly more of a counter-culture kind of guy - but then again, he was the epitome of cool. The guy walking out of Jack's namesake alley looks pretty cool as well, just in a different way. This is the kind of occurrence you just can't plan in advance. It's all about timing and being in the right spot; call it kismet if you will, but that's exactly what happened in this particular moment in time.
A few other things need to be said about this very interesting and artistic photo. Lorraine's composition is splendid, choosing a square rather than rectangular aspect ratio that really emphasizes the moment-in-time feel. The darkness of the picture speaks to the shadowy face of the night, yet the multiple sources of light appear like spotlights illuminating a stage scene in a very purposeful manner.
This photo work certainly speaks to the San Franciscan soul and says a lot about the culture of a city. Thank you for this Lorraine!
She tells us that she was getting ready to photograph the street musician downtown, in front of the Vesuvio Cafe near the corner of Columbus and Broadway. Now, keep in mind that if you were standing in Lorraine's shoes at the time, if you turned to your left, you would see an amazing view of the Transamerica Pyramid just two blocks away. But that's not the type of thing that stirs Lorraine's photo passion. She was going for something bigger than the looming pyramid! Just as she was about to click the shutter, a suave looking gentleman strolled into her scene from behind the City Lights Bookstore. Most interesting is the fact that the man emerged from "Jack Kerouac Alley" looking...well...cool! Not to say that Jack was a suit-and-tie kind of guy - certainly more of a counter-culture kind of guy - but then again, he was the epitome of cool. The guy walking out of Jack's namesake alley looks pretty cool as well, just in a different way. This is the kind of occurrence you just can't plan in advance. It's all about timing and being in the right spot; call it kismet if you will, but that's exactly what happened in this particular moment in time.
A few other things need to be said about this very interesting and artistic photo. Lorraine's composition is splendid, choosing a square rather than rectangular aspect ratio that really emphasizes the moment-in-time feel. The darkness of the picture speaks to the shadowy face of the night, yet the multiple sources of light appear like spotlights illuminating a stage scene in a very purposeful manner.
This photo work certainly speaks to the San Franciscan soul and says a lot about the culture of a city. Thank you for this Lorraine!
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