A Rare Perspective Of San Francisco Under The Bay Bridge

I know this is an icon but I had never seen it ever from here until I saw a similar image. I

owe this image to Ed Nunez who I had visited to shoot the Big Sur Coastline with. I wanted

to get to this location but he told me it is almost impossible as this is on government

property and has pretty tight security due to obvious reasons of late. I told him I had to

have it for myself and I would do whatever it took. So we drive there as the sun set and he

asked me to jump out the car without stopping and make my way down the steepest

embankment of my life all the way down to the water. He could not stop as the police were

constantly patrolling the area and I only had a matter of seconds to get out of sight. Once

I finally got to the spot I could not setup my tripod due to the steepness; I could not even

put my bag down as it rolled down the hill. I know that a lot of people will disagree with

this but when you are desperate to get a rare perspective you will do anything !!! Thanks

again to Ed Nunez who made this possible.

 

Thanks for looking !

 

Canon 5D 17-40L

f/11 25 seconds ISO 100

Fantastica nitidez, belleza y profundidad.

Hi Kevin, wonderful view worth of the hassle you had to go through. I know exactly what you were talking about and would do the same. Well done ! Best regards, Michael

I don't believe photo.net has a bail bond card benefit like the AAA. SOmebody clambering down an embankment in a government area and setting up equipment might raise a few eyebrows in the DHS community.

 

Beautiful warm shot. The coppery gold light is wonderful. ANd the smooth surface of the water because of the long exposure is another great feature.

 

When do you get out of Guantanamo?

It was worth the risk. Beautiful...

7/7 Kevin! Amazing image and although some might say a night view of the bridge lacks originality, your perspective and the effort to get it earn a 7 from me. As an aside, I think I prefer the NPN version slightly over this one because of the bluer tones in the night sky on that version.

Otro magnifico retrato nocturno de excelente luz, color y belleza, Saludos cordiales Rare.

Wow...risk taker! Thanks for sharing...so does this make us all guilty by association just by viewing??? Guilty pleasure! :o)

I was just recently in San Francisco myself but would never have risked such a feat! Thanks for the gutsy move!

Greetings from the West Coast of Canada,

Iren

Sevens to you. What a refreshing angle. Living in the area I have seen the old shots from right above the tunnel looking west, I tried such a shot myself in the last two years and was chased off by the man in the truck with the flashing lights and the PA system. And I was just at the rail at the edge of the road. I did not get a shot.

Here is a further case on PN where the story adds so much to the image, thanks.

for the things you do to capture the moment

Great story and great shot. I'm not sure which is better.

 

This is easily the most impressive photo that I have ever seen of this beautiful bridge, especially with the city in there like that, too.

 

--Lannie

...And posting your story about getting this has probably earned you a spot on the "No Fly List" maintained by Secretary Chertoff. LOL! You done good here; but I'm not sure that telling everyone was the best idea. Don't get me wrong, I'm an anarchist at heart too; but you probably ought to keep this effort on the down-low. All in all, a brilliant shot, Kevin; and kudos to your driver, the accomplice. Cheers! Chris

Magnificent photo. I love the composition.

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I'm so glad you did this! It keeps me from wanting to try. You see, I've been debating doing it but now that it's been done I don't need to.

 

It's a beautiful photograph.

 

I love all bridges and the addition of a close up view of the lower deck is wonderful.

 

I've always maintained that the Bay Bridge, because of its lighting, is far prettier at night than that other bridge. Capturing it all in one shot, the lower deck, the full length of the bridge, and the city beyond is a coup.

 

Nice job!

I think it's a little muddy in the blacks, and the light in the upper right seeks too much of my attention, but the composition is really dramatic.

The bridge more or less describes a Fibonacci spiral,. It's a superb composition, with spot-on exposure. In this kind of situation, after all the trouble that Kevin went to, you want to be sure you get the shot, which he did.

I truly don't see it as a great perspective of San Francisco under the Bay Bridge, I have seen the same photo quite a few times already. The composition is probably the best you can get from that location... The image is great though, I mean in terms of lighting (long exposure) and softness of the tones. I just love the soft tones for this kind of photography.

Congratulations and all the best

Kevin:

My questions first: Did you shoot this hand-held or did you have a tripod/monopod? I ask only because you said that the place you were standing was very steep!

I think this is an incredible shot! Well worth your efforts, even to the point of having to "risk" everything. The composition is perfect as is the lighting. In my books its a "7/7"!

Congratulations on a task well done, and as they say... "keep 'em coming"!

best wishes,

ananth

Above I said the blacks looked muddy, but that was while I was at work (during my lunch break, of course). Here at home, the blacks look terrific!

Congrats for following your instincts. I've been near this location many times, but have yet to get anything I find usable. I have several shots like this from Treasure Island with analog film back in the days before 9/11, when the US was still a free country. I would park the car and ignore the "Private" signs and wander the island. Most of the views from those areas of the Port of Oakland has now been obstructed by the new Bay Bridge construction. Sad.

I am curious.

You state that you could not set up your tripod for this shot, and that this is a 25-second exposure at f/11 and ISO 100.

Are you saying you shot this hand held for 25 seconds, or am I reading it wrong?

Beautifully done. The perspective is different & refreshing. Did the camera rest on a rock since you couldn't set up the tripod? It's a long exposure

Very good ! Perfect angle, I'd say - although I haven't been to San Francisco, and so I'm really not too well informed about possibilities and impossibilities there. As for the muddy blacks that Doug referred to in his first post, I have the same problem on my monitor here, but I trust him if he saw the picture was fine elsewhere...:-)

 

There appears also as if there was some kind of haze there that day - at least on my monitor -, and I'd like to know whether that's a problem that comes with the muddy blacks problem and my monitor, or whether there was truly some (visible) haze there that day ? Do you all see haze too, or do I have to change my monitor, basically ? :-)

 

If the haze that I see is really there, then I suppose I'd probably prefer to have a dead-sharp picture taken on a clear day. As I view this shot today on this computer, with the muddy blacks and the (imaginary?) haze, I'd say the picture doesn't look as great as it probably is, but that's all I can say at this point. Regards.

Nice story behind the making of this image. It takes great effort these days to keep yourself out of sight of police and other safety-officers... With this and the steep slope in mind, you did a wonderfull job!