HDR Photography
When the weather turns cold and blustery and rainy, a warm place (e.g. library, cafe, bed) feels like a fortress. On this particular day in the Marin Headlands overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, it was definitely cold, blustery, and rainy, but without a warm place to retreat to while shooting, I made do with a literal fortress, instead.
The Marin Headlands overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge are more than just a viewpoint to take great pictures of the Bridge. They’re also honeycombed with bunkers and gun batteries that once defended the West Coast. Long abandoned, these solid and imposing structures are now decorated with enormous amounts of graffiti. This small bunker is just the beginning of the incredible art at these batteries.
While out shooting the Golden Gate Bridge I found some of the nearby rock formations fascinating with so many little facets. Here I found some patches of lichen growing on the rocks, which looks to me like some sort of alien life form.
One more shot of this iconic structure, I found this shot compelling because you can see not only the Golden Gate bridge but also its cousin, the Bay Bridge as well as the SF skyline in the background there. If the shot were only a bit wider you’d be able to see Alcatraz and you’d be close to fitting almost all of the Bay Area’s most famous landmarks in one shot.
Continuing the Marin Headlands bombardment, today’s photograph shows the northern approach to the Golden Gate Bridge with Angel Island in the background. This was also my first attempt at post-processing to simulate the use of a tilt-shift lens, which produces the illusion of a miniature reality. I think it works quite nicely here to give the bridge a feeling of being part of a model railroad set.
If I hadn’t taken this picture myself I probably would have guessed this picture was captured on the coast of the PNW. I really enjoy this type of terrain, found in the Marin Headlands north of San Francisco, with evergreen trees on rocky cliffs rising above the sea. The looming rain clouds really make the shot for me, giving this that real maritime feeling.
I found this rock formation interesting, especially in this light, with the red colors of the rocks contrasting with the green plants surviving on the otherwise barren rocks. In the low light the rocks almost look shiny.
How could a SF based photoblog not contain several shots of this iconic Bay Area landmark? This was taken at the overlook in the Marin Headlands just west of the bridge.
Decaseconds 