Long exposures at the Loop 360 Bridge
A pair of long exposures from the Loop 360 Bridge in Austin
I've grown to love long exposure photography.
Sometime last year, I got a set of filters for my Sony camera. It's the entire Vu Professional Filter Kit, and it's absolutely amazing. In particular, I have fallen for the 10 stop filter. It's basically a nearly black piece of glass, which means you have to have a really long exposure in order for enough light to get through and make a photograph.
So all you do is set your camera in Bulb Mode (most cameras will top out at 30 seconds as a maximum exposure time setting - in Bulb Mode you can go much longer) and go for it. It's really quite easy. The only hard part is having to wait for several minutes to see what your photo will look like! The waiting is the hardest part, as the song goes.
When I got the filters, I went out to the Loop 360 Bridge here in Austin (it's near my house, and a lovely subject anyway) and fired away. The benefit of the long exposure is that is smooths out the clouds and the water and they look at awesome. It's fun!
Night in Amsterdam
A boat passed by me while I am photographing a canal in Amsterdam...
A boat passes by during my exposure...
I love light trail photos, and sometimes I get lucky and get boat light trails, like in today's photo from Amsterdam. I was out shooting one evening there, capturing all these little arched bridges and their reflections during blue hour. Then a boat passed, which normally makes me think that it will mess up the smooth water, but with that light on it I knew I would get something interesting.
This trip was from a few years ago. I still have thousands of photos that I have never gotten to, and I am slowly working my way through them (while adding new ones to the library, of course!). I have been building a new preset pack for Luminar, and that has caused me to dig into the library and pull out all sorts of photos to test my presets on. I will be announcing that soon, so stay tuned. Thanks!
The Bridge of Sighs
The Bridge of Sighs, an iconic sight in Venice, captured during a beautiful sunset. Enjoy!
I always loved the name of this bridge!
I learned the name of this bridge many years ago, because it was in a song that I loved and I had to go look it up. It's supposedly named due to it providing the last view of freedom that a prisoner would see as they crossed from the Doge's Palace (on the right) into the prison (on the left), thus eliciting a sigh from them as they realized they would never see the outside world again. Such a great name for a bridge. So poetic. You can just hear them sighing, can't you?
When I was in Venice, this was a shot that I knew I had to capture at least once. It turns out that I shot it 3 or 4 times. This one was during a lovely sunset, which I am rather thankful for! The colors in the sky and of the course the clouds provide a nice backdrop for the image, I believe. It's just not the same with a plain blue sky behind it. Then again, that's probably obvious. A beautiful sunset makes every picture better. ;-)
Blue hour in Sydney
I'm a fan of bridges, and when in Sydney - this is the one to shoot. Ideally you get a stellar sunset or a gorgeous blue hour, but either way, get over here and fire away! :-)
There's just something about blue hour - it's quite possibly my favorite time of day to shoot.
Sure, sunset is awesome as everyone knows, but boy do I have a serious thing for blue hour. It just gets me, somehow. While the colors aren't as dramatic as a gorgeous sunset, there's something about twinkling lights in a city and the fading light of nature that mix in with the incoming darkness - and BAM! You get a great photo out of the deal.
I caught this one during my trip to Sydney, which at this point was nearly 2 years ago! Damn, time flies. I still remember standing here shooting, like it was yesterday. I was still a bit bleary-eyed from the travel, but was working hard to stay awake so I could fire away at the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge, which you see here. I do love bridges.
If you haven't been to Sydney, then I'll let you know that basically right behind me (while I was standing here shooting) is the more-famous Sydney Opera House. You can see that photo here, if you are interested. It is actually one of my favorites of this whole trip, along with the bridge photo above. I guess it was a good night to be out shooting! :-)
I have to admit though, while I did like Sydney, I didn't find it to be amazing or anything. It's a great city, and there are some iconic things like this to shoot, but otherwise I found it pretty tame. Maybe I was in the wrong place, or something, but I'm in no hurry to return. It's a DAMN LONG WAY from Texas, and if I ever fly that far again, I plan to disembark in New Zealand. :-)
However, I still made the most of it and found some nice things to aim the camera at, which you can find in this list here on the blog: http://nomadicpursuits.com/top-photo-spots-in-sydney/
A long look at the lights
Shooting a long exposure of the Loop 360 Bridge in Austin, with the passing cars blurring out and just leaving light trails. That's a good way to spend an evening!
My friend Mike Boening was in Austin a few weeks back, and he wanted to get some shots of our sorta famous bridge. It's name is the Pennybacker Bridge, but everyone here calls it the Loop 360 Bridge since the road there is called Loop 360. It's a popular spot for photographers and non-photographers alike, especially around sunset.
Most folks clamber up to the viewing area at the top of the ridge on the West side, but we opted to avoid the crowds and headed up the East side. In fact, Mike recorded the climb up and you can see that video here. Although I love the big tree on the West side, in many ways I prefer the view from this side, at sunset at least. It allows you to capture the bridge with the passing lights from cars, as well as a view up the lake towards where the sun is setting.
This photo is a single exposure, shot at f/22 for 30 seconds. It was nearly dark and of course we were shooting the light trails, which is a popular option up here. There is a stop light a few hundred yards out of frame to the right. All you do is wait for the light to turn green, and the accumulated traffic to start moving, and then time your shot to start right before they enter the frame. Easy as pie, lots of fun, and you get a nice photo when you're done!
A beautiful Sydney sunset
I was lucky enough to witness a wonderful sunset on my recent trip over to Sydney, Australia - click on in and check out the pics! Sometimes you just show up and it all works out!
Ah...sunset...who doesn't love it when it turns out like this one?
I think all photographers would tell you that sunset is their favorite time to shoot. I would tell you that, but it would be a lie. I actually prefer sunrise, but that's beside the point. Sunset can be incredible, and you can't argue with the awesomeness of it when you get light like I did on this evening in Sydney, Australia recently.
I spent a week in Sydney back in the middle of October, and it was great. I was busy with work (which was also great), but I had plenty of free time after hours to get out and explore the city, which I did. I really liked it there, although I still remain an ardent Europhile. I can't help that - Europe is just my favorite part of the world.
But on this evening, there is nowhere else I would rather have been than standing next to the beautiful Sydney Harbor Bridge and witnessing the incredible display of color that Mother Nature let us enjoy that night. I always hope for at least one great sunset on each trip, but it doesn't always happen. More often than not, they are less than spectacular.
But I was rewarded for my patience this time, and I was there with my camera to capture it!
I turned this into a painting using Topaz Impression.
Golden hour at The Brooklyn Bridge
For my trip to NYC, I had a list a mile long of things I wanted to shoot, and the Brooklyn Bridge was very near the top of that list. While I didn't make it to all of them, I made sure I got here, and it was worth it!
Bridges are one of my favorite subjects, especially when they are as awesome as this one!
The Brooklyn Bridge is well-known and often-photographed, so getting an original shot of it is pretty difficult...and I am ok with that. I just wanted to get there and see it, shoot it, and walk across it. If I got a photo I was happy with, I considered that a bonus.
I got a few actually.
I was out with my friend Mark Garbowski and this was the first stop. Being a relative newbie to NYC (my last trip was about 5 years ago), my primary choices to shoot there were all the standard stuff you would think of: Times Square, Central Park, the skyline of Manhattan, and of course the Brooklyn Bridge. There were a lot of others too - some I got to, and others will have to wait for another trip.
But being a bridge lover, I just had to get here - it was a high priority. So we started here, walking across the bridge and enjoying the golden hour which was quite pretty. I took a lot of shots but most of them haven't been processed yet. These two were fired in quick succession.
For that first one, I just had to wait for the crowds of people to thin out a little bit, and then I fired handheld really quickly. No tricks here, just straight-up photography, and a little waiting. It usually works.
Sunrise over Loop 360
Though I don't often get up and shoot sunrise, I sure do love it when I do.
Shooting first thing in the morning is just awesome. In addition to getting great light a lot of times, I find that choosing to be creative early has a positive affect on me that carries through the whole day. I am more awake and excited, even if I have sacrificed a little sleep. Plus I get to look forward to downloading the photos later and seeing what I captured - that's always fun!
A few weeks back I got out early (but not too early) with the plan of grabbing some shots here at the Loop 360 Bridge at sunrise. The previous day had some great clouds, and the weather forecast looked like more of the same for this day, so I was hopeful that I would get something of interest in the sky. Clear blue skies are great for picnics, but terrible for photography (at least in my opinion).
Though I didn't make the actual sunrise here, when I showed up it was full-on awesome and I immediately set up and started firing away in every direction. When the clouds are interesting and that rising sun is hitting them just right, you have to capitalize on it!
And just for fun, here is a "behind the keyboard" view of the photo as I was processing it in Color Efex Pro. This is a 7 frame HDR, merged in Photomatix, and as you can see from the below I then added a few filters in Color Efex Pro to finish it off.
Pennybacker sunrise
Two of my favorite things: sunrise light and the Pennybacker Bridge!
This is the Pennybacker Bridge in Austin, which is commonly known as the Loop 360 Bridge, since that is the name of the road that crosses it. The other name of the road is Capitol of Texas Highway, which reminds me that if you ever come to Austin, be aware that we have at least two names for every major road. I don't know why that is, but I'm pretty sure it involves alcohol. :-)
Anyways...I am sure you have seen at least 20 million photos from this spot, because everyone takes them from here when they come to town, and locals like myself just love the place. It's like going to London - everyone knows you are going to take a photo of Big Ben. You sorta have to. It's the famous thing to shoot.
So yep, this isn't new in any sort of way, and I am ok with that. I just love standing up here with the sun shining on me and a slight wind blowing, watching all the cars pass this way and that. It feels like you are on top of the world. Everyone below is scurrying to and fro, and you can just relax up here, take some photos, and breathe. It's pretty awesome.
And that tree! I don't know how it keeps hanging on, but it does. Hang in there baby!
The suspension bridge in Waco
This is one heck of an awesome bridge!
Do you love bridges? I sure do. They are one of my favorite photographic subjects (and I feel like I say that a lot here on the blog....but there are a lot of things I love to shoot!). There's something about them that just draws me in. You know what I mean?
It is probably a combination of the architecture, the water that they are usually over, and the symbolism they represent to me - a connecting of disparate parts, bringing together separate lands...that sort of thing. I don't know...but they're cool.
Anyways...I was driving to Dallas one day and had the urge to stop in Waco and explore for a few minutes. Waco is not exactly high on anyone's list of places to go shoot (sorry, Waco) but I had seen some pics of this bridge online and knew it was pretty close to the highway, so I figured it would make a quick stop. It did.
It was super easy to get to and I had it entirely to myself, which is how I like things. It was also an incredibly windy day with major clouds and stuff blowing through, as you can see in the pic. Anyways, I shot all around, under and on top of this bridge until I felt like I got everything I wanted.
I love shots like this because there is such a color and texture difference between the bridge and the sky - I just like contrasts like that. I also thought I would share a Before & After sort of thing, which is a screenshot of this photo from when I was working on it in Color Efex Pro. That's the Before on the left, and the After on the right. I haven't shared one of those here in a while - let me know if you want to see these more often, k?
Under the London Bridge
Golden Hour at the Millennium Bridge in London
Ok, ok...I know that the official name of this bridge is NOT the London Bridge. This is the Millennium Bridge, and it's awesome (and it IS in London, so I'm not totally making this stuff up). It's just I guess when I was writing the title, I was too lazy to type "millennium" but now that I have already typed it three times I guess I'm not that lazy, after all. I feel better about myself.
So, back to the photo. I was in London and out shooting with my friends Mike Murphy and Ollie Smalley and we met up here one evening. It was one of those golden hours that was just right - great light, great clouds, great location, great company. We shot here for a bit, and then headed up to St. Paul's Cathedral (that dome you see in the distance), with hopes of returning here for an incredible sunset.
Sadly, the sunset never materialized so we ended up getting a beer and some Chinese food. Not a bad evening, really. I mean, I really wanted a great sunset, but you can't always get what you want. At least it wasn't raining like the previous night. I didn't even take the camera out then. But, such is London. I love the place.
Ha'Penny blue hour
This is the Ha'Penny Bridge in Dublin, Ireland which straddles the River Liffey. It's not a big bridge, as you can tell, but it has a long and important history in the town, dating back from 1816. I'm no historian, but that sounds pretty old to me. :-)
I love shooting bridges, because I find they offer some interesting possibilities for photography. Plus, they go over water (well, normally at least!) and that means I might get some nice reflections, which is another thing I really like.
I got up early one morning in Dublin to wander the Temple Bar district and take shots. I love that time of day because I am normally alone, enjoying scenes like this free from the distractions and noise of tourists and pedestrians.
By the way, this is a single long exposure instead of HDR.
Sunrise at the Loop 360 Bridge
Here’s another Austin photo that I shot recently from the Lake Austin overlook at the Loop 360 Bridge. It’s my favorite spot in Austin, I think. There are quite a few good ones, but this one is pretty awesome if you get the right kind of sky.
I shot this one morning while hiking with the family over there. The sky had some fabulous deep blue color off to the West (that’s the right side of the photo), while the sun was trying hard to break through the clouds way off in the East. It made for an interesting scene, in my opinion.
Plus, I just love this bridge. It’s an iconic symbol of Austin, and it gets prettier every time I see it, which is often (it’s near where I live). I also enjoy the challenge of shooting the same thing time after time. Doing so forces you to overcome the monotony and look for interesting new ways to view a scene. Worst case, the light is going to be different each time. I wrote about that here once.
So get out there and shoot at something, even if it’s something you see every week!
Blue hour at Big Ben
Guess where I took this photo? :-)
Every time I visit London, I make sure and stop by this spot looking at Big Ben across the River Thames. It’s the classic London shot, and I take a lot of them. I know every one else does too, so it’s not special, but it’s a great spot and why not take a boat load of shots from here? It’s a great view.
There’s a reason this is one of the “famous” spots to shoot in London - it kicks ass. Wouldn’t you take a million shots of it too? It’s lovely!
Bay Bridge blues
I generally shoot 7 frames for my HDR’s, and depending on the outcome generally use all of them. However, I find that sometimes I get all I need out of a single exposure. This was just what happened with this shot.
It was blue hour early one morning in San Francisco, and I had my Nikon pointed at the Bay Bridge, which is pretty common for me when I visit that town. I fired all 7 like normal, but when it came time to process, I really just liked this single exposure all by itself. In this case, HDR didn’t really help me any.
That doesn’t happen a lot, and it depends on what look you are trying to achieve with the shot, but when it does happen it sure makes the processing a little quicker!