"San Francisco Bay Bridge" Location: Embarcadero Plaza, San Francisco, California. I shot this image just before the sun came up and lit the whole scene (see next)... that is still my favorite image. However, I liked this image because it has both the warm glow of the twilight and also the magic of the cool blue tones. Tech Info: Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L @ 24mm Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mk II Exposure: 30sec at f/13 and ISO 50 Filters: LEE ND Grads 0.9 and 0.6 soft edge Post Processing: Adobe Lightroom for white balance, shadow details, Adobe PS for wide angle lens distortion correction. Rest is straight from the camera.
"Bridal Veil Falls: A Spring Evening" Location: Valley View, Yosemite National Park, California. Here is the view of the bridal veil falls lit by the late afternoon sun. It is amazing to me how many different views of this location I have witnessed over the years. Changing lighting conditions, seasons, snow, rain storms, clouds all play a key role in emphasizing the beauty of this location. This view was captured on a spring afternoon prior to arrival of a rain storm. Without clouds not just the sky would have been empty but also there would have been no penetrating light on the granite walls. It's a rare moment that I was very happy to capture! Tech Info: Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L @ 40mm Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mk II Exposure: 3.2sec at f/16 and ISO 50 Filters: Hoya 8-stop solid ND filter to allow long exposure of 3.2sec. LEE 0.9 (3-stop) soft edge ND grad filter to balance exposure of sky with the foreground. Yosemite is the arguably the most beautiful national park. It's grandeur and the time scale it took to evolve is very humbling. I learnt that the granite peaks started out as molten magma deep below the earth's surface about 100 million years ago. Merced river then carved it into a "V" shaped valley and finally glaciers shaped it into its present day "U" shape. The beauty of the valley has inspired many. It's lush forests, tall granite peaks, amazing monoliths and beautiful waterfalls are so pristine that a visit to the park often overwhelms the senses. A visit here at least once in lifetime is a must.