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11-19-2012, 06:54 PM   #1
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Golden Gate Bridge (three versions)
Lens: 40mm limited Camera: K200D Photo Location: San Francisco ISO: 100 Shutter Speed: 1/350s Aperture: F5.6 

I went to San Francisco for business a bit ago and managed to carve out some daylight hours for photography. One of the tourist attractions I visited was the Golden Gate Bridge. It is not the most inventive photo (actually they are three separate photos), but it is what I had access to when I was there.

I suppose am looking for general comments on which version people like best, and if there are any post-processing techniques I could use to improve them. I am also open to other critiques on anything else, of course.

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11-19-2012, 07:01 PM   #2
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I would go with color as that is one of the bridge's characteristics.
11-19-2012, 10:15 PM   #3
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Hello
I guess a lot will be personal preference. I'm leaning towards the first one as it's sort of timeless, might have been taken anytime over the last seven or so decades. The color one has some nice lighting from the setting sun. I find all three to be rather muddy or flat and lacking in contrast and detail though. Again personal preference but I like images that have some punch to them. The histogram peters out at the top end. I'd add a curves layer and tweak them. I did a couple of quick edits to show what I mean. 2012-11-19_234704a | Flickr - Photo Sharing! 2012-11-19_233633 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
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11-20-2012, 03:50 AM   #4
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I would go with the BW version, but put some additional effort into "seperating" the bridge from the rocks in the background.

EDIT: I just figured that a bigger problem of the BW-Image might be the "blue" sky, adding just a neutral, grey surface to over 50% of the image. Probably the colored version is the better choice for your image!

11-20-2012, 04:58 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Gregory_51 Quote
I find all three to be rather muddy or flat and lacking in contrast and detail though.
Thank you for the input. I agree with this, and it is one of the reasons I did not think the black and white worked that well and tried sepia.

I will try the curves layer you suggested.
11-20-2012, 09:42 AM   #6
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nice work! i like the crop of #2
11-24-2012, 05:41 AM   #7
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Hi
Of the monochromes I like the first best.

I am not so keen on the colours in the third shot considering the low setting sun. Somehow it does not appeal to me and everything is a bit flat. In PS I have leveled the horizon a bit and straightened the towers a bit also. I have tonemapped the image in OLONEO, changed the colour and then sharpened the image.

I was there only last year but the bridge was shrouded in mist. In your colour photo at the bottom of the second tower to the right there is a building stuck on a big rock (white arrow). I took a fancy to that old building and took a photo of it at the time. I post it here also, hope you don't mind. (Just for interest)

Greetings


Last edited by Schraubstock; 02-16-2013 at 01:50 AM.
11-24-2012, 08:30 PM   #8
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That is Lime Point lighthouse.
11-24-2012, 11:35 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by mikeSF Quote
That is Lime Point lighthouse.
Hi Mike

Thanks for that, I would have never guessed because in doesn't look like one and never had a chance to find out.
It could do with some maintenance, on the other hand badly cared for buildings often make good targets for photography.

Greetings
11-25-2012, 03:27 PM   #10
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you're right, here is what it looks like from the Marin side:

11-25-2012, 09:40 PM   #11
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Hi

Thanks again Mike for making the effort and making the "picture" complete, so to say.

Hope our OP host is not browned off over our off topic sidesteps.

Greetings
12-01-2012, 03:46 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Schraubstock Quote
I am not so keen on the colours in the third shot considering the low setting sun.
I was wondering if I had overdone the colors . Your edits look good. I will have to try and replicate them.

I saw that lighthouse when I was at that bridge. I briefly looked for a way down to it, but did not find one.

QuoteOriginally posted by mikeSF Quote
you're right, here is what it looks like from the Marin side:
This picture looks great! Do yo mind if I ask what post processing techniques you used on it?

QuoteOriginally posted by Schraubstock Quote
Hi

Thanks again Mike for making the effort and making the "picture" complete, so to say.

Hope our OP host is not browned off over our off topic sidesteps.

Greetings
Not at all, just distracted by life the past week
12-01-2012, 05:08 PM   #13
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I used two exposures (normal and underexposed), and then fed them into Photomatix and used what came out, without tweaking from a preset. A single exposure had a white blown sky and the lighthouse was a black silhouette, so exploiting HDR when needed can rescue the scene sometimes.
01-17-2013, 03:48 PM   #14
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On the original images, I like the sepia colored one, but it does need a bit more contrast. I live in the area, so I don't miss the color of the bridge.

The color shot is ok, and I think you could easily make it more exciting by improving the contrast there. Assuming you started from the same image for all three, I think I'd focus on improving the contrast a bit. Although, on closer look the color image is actually quite nice. If anything it just needs an overall boost in exposure and perhaps made a bit warmer to convey the sunset that is occurring. I'm not sure how you processed the black and whites, but if you could selectively darken the red channel, that would probably give more punch to those monochrome images although you might lose some detail in the bridge deck up front.

It turns out it is a tricky shot.

I'm actually going to be heading over to the Marin side this Saturday as I have never shot the bridge since I've gotten my Pentax dSLRs. I used to shoot it all the time with my earlier digital cameras and film cameras and haven't gone back for the purpose of photography.
01-18-2013, 08:09 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by emalvick Quote

I'm actually going to be heading over to the Marin side this Saturday as I have never shot the bridge since I've gotten my Pentax dSLRs. I used to shoot it all the time with my earlier digital cameras and film cameras and haven't gone back for the purpose of photography.

good shooting!
i will be out there tomorrow for sunrise...maybe run into you.
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