Yerba Buena Island, San Francisco, Ca

[aktse]

Yerba Buena Island is right off the bay bridge and is connected to Treasure Island.

I was taken to a new spot by someone that I met on flickr and I must say that I will be back again. This is a very well known location in the bay area that is actually off limits, but someone cut through the fence years ago and the path is so used that it looks paved. I always wondered where people took these images….

1. San Francisco Skyline; similar to the big pano that Baldy is attempting, but I’m higher up and to the left and this isn't a pano.
http://aktse.smugmug.com/photos/440269115_WwJWv-L.jpg

2. Western Span of the Bay Bridge – This is a cliché shot, but it’s something that I wanted in my collection.
http://aktse.smugmug.com/photos/440878838_fFNMG-L.jpg

3. Bay Bridge – It curves! I walked about ten feet to the right and got a side view of the bridge.
http://aktse.smugmug.com/photos/440302336_GpNYH-L.jpg

4. Traffic Patterns
http://aktse.smugmug.com/photos/440869186_sB2Uu-L.jpg
I keep on looking at the tail lights and wonder what type of cars are on the bridge, and what they doing! There is someone that actually uses their turn signal! And some cars don't drive straight!

I was later speaking with a friend (engineer) about this image and I will never look at it the same way again. Now, when I see this, I see an eye-diagram and think of signal-to-noise, clock timing, jitter and skew. So... Bay Bridge traffic has very bad jitter. And it looks like RJ (random jitter) rather than DJ (deterministic jitter)

C&C welcomed and appreciated.

[Ann McRae]

1. :clap :clap :clap :bow
2. Absolutely nothing wrong with that cliche!
3. :thumb but would a longer exposure have brought out more of the top of the bridge??
4. I just love 'engineer'! Like its whole own language!
:wink

Great stuff, April and I am so glad you are out there shooting! (and if I ever get to SF again, will you take me there?)


ann

[Tenacious B]

Great looking shots, #1 takes the cake though.:clap

[tisun]

All are beautiful, but #4 is quite interesting indeed. April, I have to take me here the next time(s) you go.

[Travis]

#1 :bow is a wall hanger for sure! :thumb The rest are nice except I'm not to found of the sky in #3.

[ian408]

I was later speaking with a friend (engineer) about this image and I will never look at it the same way again. Now, when I see this, I see an eye-diagram and think of signal-to-noise, clock timing, jitter and skew. So... Bay Bridge traffic has very bad jitter. And it looks like RJ (random jitter) rather than DJ (deterministic jitter)

Dork :D

Some very lovely images. Especially the cityscape.

[Andy]

So um, didya climb to the top of a certain tower there? :uhoh

[Awais Yaqub]

Oh my God i never saw bridge from this perspective ! wow amazing. :huh:huh:huh
Great photos

[Tee Why]

Nice shots.

[Dee]

#1 is fantastic, for sure a wall hanger!

But I got the biggest chuckle out of #2 with the lane changes, what a hoot! I loved the engineer speak too, although I don't understand a word of it. LOL

Gotta watch those Flickr people they can get you into trouble!

But a Flickr person I asked shared a great spot for sea glass with me and I'm forever grateful. He even took the time to show up, and lead me right to it, and help me pick up some sea glass for my collection. It sure beat driving up to Mendocino.

[Tango]

:ivar i would be very excited if i had anything like these....
very cool... lov #2 btw

[aktse]

Great stuff, April and I am so glad you are out there shooting! (and if I ever get to SF again, will you take me there?)
I have bunch of places to take you!

The flickr guys are good for me because they're changing my approach to photography. I shoot like a sports shooter --- I have one chance to get the shot. And when I do shootouts, I treat it the same way -- once chance.

I just never realized that I could photograph the bay area even though I always knew that I lived in one of the most photographic regions in the world. And, I can wait for the right weather conditions....

Now, I'm going to try to photograph the bay area. Wish me luck!

[aktse]

Great looking shots, #1 takes the cake though.:clap
#1 is my favorite and it's a shot that I nearly didn't get because I was so focused on the bay bridge.

[aktse]

All are beautiful, but #4 is quite interesting indeed. April, I have to take me here the next time(s) you go.
I like #4 because it's a different view and it's something most people don't focus on.

And yes, I will be back! Let me know when you'll be free...

[aktse]

#1 :bow is a wall hanger for sure! :thumb The rest are nice except I'm not to found of the sky in #3.
I want to see #1 in metallic print! Thanks for the feedback about #3. I'll see what I can do and what other frames I have....

[aktse]

Dork :D

Some very lovely images. Especially the cityscape.
Dork! That's not dorky!

You can call me a dork the next time that I go back there and try a longer exposure so that I can really get a clean eye! I seriously think I can get a clean eye-diagram! :D I just need to find a time when people do a lot of lane changes!

[aktse]

So um, didya climb to the top of a certain tower there? :uhoh Nope. And I can't figure out where you took your version of the bay bridge and where you had to climb.

We parked illegally (many people do), and there's a fence opening with a three/four foot drop. It was one of those times in which I wished I was taller. :rolleyes Longer legs help, but it felt like I was climbing over my hockey boards when were leaving.

And once you drop down, there's a well used path (found tons of old beer cans) that takes you along the rim and gives you great access to various viewpoints. I heard that there was a poison oak there before, but I think someone removed it because we didn't see it. And there are tree around you so you have some shelter from the elements.

I can just imagine you taking a big narrow pano of the bridge at that location....

[aktse]

Oh my God i never saw bridge from this perspective ! wow amazing. :huh:huh:huh
Great photos

I think Andy has a similar view of the bridge in this thread (http://dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=975215&postcount=1).

I've seen other people with this view, but I never shot it before from this angle and really wanted to take it!

[aktse]

Nice shots.
Thanks! :D I was lucky that I meet the correct person and had good weather conditions (between storms).

[aktse]

But I got the biggest chuckle out of #2 with the lane changes, what a hoot! I loved the engineer speak too, although I don't understand a word of it. LOL

Gotta watch those Flickr people they can get you into trouble!

But a Flickr person I asked shared a great spot for sea glass with me and I'm forever grateful. He even took the time to show up, and lead me right to it, and help me pick up some sea glass for my collection. It sure beat driving up to Mendocino.
I was laughing at the traffic patterns and watched the cars backed up! And only one person used their signal lights when changing lanes!

And yes, those flickr guys can get me trouble and I can't wait to go out with them again! I hope they ask me! :D They do some amazing work!

And what's sea glass?

[aktse]

:ivar i would be very excited if i had anything like these....
very cool... lov #2 btw
I spent most of my time shooting #2.

And this was taken a few minutes earlier with a 90s exposure.
http://aktse.smugmug.com/photos/440868957_Cwi6k-L.jpg

[Awais Yaqub]

http://aktse.smugmug.com/photos/440878838_fFNMG-L.jpg


This seems unique never saw image from this perspective. :scratch

:wink

[Brendan]

These are all very nice, aktse. My favorite is the first. The star of light really makes the photograph great.

I would definitely welcome some insider tips as to how to get to this location. I'm in the Bay Area as well, and would love to try some of my own photographs out.

--Brendan

[coscorrosa]

Holy crap those are great! I'm a big fan of skyline shots and these are excellent, really like the first but they're all strong photos.

[aktse]

#1 :bow is a wall hanger for sure! :thumb The rest are nice except I'm not to found of the sky in #3. I just looked that #3 again on my calibrated monitor. Crap! That photo post job turned a nice photo into an ugly mess of darkness! I lost all detail... :-(

I kept on focusing on the lights on Market Street and kept on trying to tone it down that I forgot about the other parts of the photo. Thank you for your honest opinion.

Is this one better? It might be too bright...:dunno
http://aktse.smugmug.com/photos/441378349_Niu3L-L.jpg

Or, how should I fix and crop? I just don't like market street (the bright street), but I the reflections in the water.

[aktse]

These are all very nice, aktse. My favorite is the first. The star of light really makes the photograph great.

I would definitely welcome some insider tips as to how to get to this location. I'm in the Bay Area as well, and would love to try some of my own photographs out.

That first photo can be taken easily, but you have to take around this time of year. The buildings are lit up like this only for the holiday season and I just recommend you head to treasure island and shoot near the Ave. of Palms or walk up the off ramp to treasure island.

And I just went up to Yerba Buena Island and went through the fence opening. Good luck!

[aktse]

Holy crap those are great! I'm a big fan of skyline shots and these are excellent, really like the first but they're all strong photos.
Thank you. I call it luck and timing -- December. Little Wind. No rain. Between Storms. Clouds. Color.

I couldn't have asked for anything more.... :D

Well, maybe a pano shot, but that's just greedy. :rolleyes

[Brendan]

That first photo can be taken easily, but you have to take around this time of year. The buildings are lit up like this only for the holiday season and I just recommend you head to treasure island and shoot near the Ave. of Palms or walk up the off ramp to treasure island.

And I just went up to Yerba Buena Island and went through the fence opening. Good luck!

Yeah, I really like the building outlines they do. I took a photograph of the East Bay last year, and you can see the same outlines in the distance: linked (http://brendancox.smugmug.com/photos/439599692_bULZm-XL.jpg) so as to not clutter your thread.

I will have to explore Treasure Island more. I have only ever stopped there once and did not stay for very long. I've never been to Yerba Buena Island, but you make it sound like this fence opening is easy to find, so I'll have to go searching for that as well. :)

--Brendan

[Brendan]

I just looked that #3 again on my calibrated monitor. Crap! That photo post job turned a nice photo into an ugly mess of darkness! I lost all detail... :-(

I kept on focusing on the lights on Market Street and kept on trying to tone it down that I forgot about the other parts of the photo. Thank you for your honest opinion.

Is this one better? It might be too bright...:dunno

[picture removed to keep post small]

Or, how should I fix and crop? I just don't like market street (the bright street), but I the reflections in the water.

I think this one is much better, and don't mind the brightness of Market Street. If you really wanted to tone it down, I would process the image twice -- once for 98% of the image, and once for just Market Street. Then you could blend the two exposures using a layer mask in Photoshop. Depending on how bright it was in the first place though, it might look out of place or just not work as well.

The brighter version really shows the good composition, so I would stick with it despite the brightness of Market Street.

—Brendan

[Qarik]

lol..eye diagram..jitter..what semiconductor company do you work for?

[kdog]

Fabulous set, April. These are just wonderful. :thumb:thumb

Cheers,
-joel

[shniks]

#1 is SUPERB....:ivar :clap :ivar



Cheers,

[grimace]

Stunning shots April!!

[Schnauzer]

Excellent series.

[anwmn1]

:bow

April these are all very awesome!!

[a110p0]

Fantastic series. I like the tail light shot the best because it's
a little different.

I've always been curious about this location. I think I know where
it is, but it looked like there was no parking.

I guess, I'll need to explore.

Alvin

[anonymouscuban]

Nice shots Atkse!

I got some real nice shots on Monday night. I went back last night but the wind was a bit much. I will be going back tonight to shoot the bridge again. It's funny because I used last nigth to scope out other angles of the bridge I think I found the same vantage points you shot the bridge from in these shots.

Maybe I'll see you there tonight.

[aktse]

I think this one is much better, and don't mind the brightness of Market Street. ...
The brighter version really shows the good composition, so I would stick with it despite the brightness of Market Street.

That's the problem... I was working with various layer masks in the dark one. Thanks for the feedback! I'll keep working on them whenever I have the time. And since you're local, if you ever want to go out and grab some frames, let me know.

[aktse]

lol..eye diagram..jitter..what semiconductor company do you work for?:rolleyes What can I say? I think I can get a real eye diagram during moderate traffic if take a longer exposure frame. Or have some friends drive though during the middle of the night.

And these days, I'm a peon for a major FPGA joint in the south bay. And you? I take it that you're in semiconductor too?

[aktse]

Fabulous set, April. These are just wonderful. :thumb:thumb
lThanks Joel! Let me know if you're ever in the bay area and we'll go out!

[aktse]

#1 is SUPERB....:ivar :clap :ivar
I think #1 is the winner for me too and I probably will have it printed in metallic. And the funny part is that I spent most of my time working on the bay bridge cliche shots!

[aktse]

Stunning shots April!! Thanks Adam! And the drop down from the fence would have been a piece of cake for you!

[aktse]

Excellent series.Thanks for stopping by my thread and leaving me some feedback! And I"ll see you in Ben Harbor at the shootout!

[aktse]

April these are all very awesome!!Thanks Aaron! I'm just lucky that I live in an area with many awesome sights to see!

[aktse]

... I like the tail light shot the best because it's
a little different.

I've always been curious about this location. I think I know where
it is, but it looked like there was no parking.
Alvin, if you ever want a exploring partner, let me know! There's a few parking spots (don't know if they require permits), but we parked in a tow-away, no parking spot.

And I took the zoomed-in tail light shot just because it is different.

[aktse]

.... I got some real nice shots on Monday night. I went back last night but the wind was a bit much. I will be going back tonight to shoot the bridge again. It's funny because I used last nigth to scope out other angles of the bridge I think I found the same vantage points you shot the bridge from in these shots..Have fun shooting! Bridges are so much fun! I think Yerba Buena Island is slightly better for wind because there are trees to shelter you from the wind.

And you won't see me there tonight since I'm out of town for the holidays! I can't wait to see your results.

[Sunnyvalejohn]

Nice shots and composition! The first one is a winner. I always am partial to the long exposure images. I might have to get up there to try a shot.
enjoy!
John

[torags]

Wow........... great images Ann