Photo by Stuart Bass

Golden Gate Bridge at Golden Hour

I returned to this location, hidden behind an old bunker, several times before I got the right combination of light and fog. In November of 2022, I took multiple exposures with a Sony 7rM4 on a tripod with an 85mm lens. I combined the exposures to achieve the painterly look I wanted. It looks fabulous printed at 2×4 feet. Viewers often mistake the photo for a painting.

Editing notesI have been using On1 Photo Raw for decades. This image was edited exclusively in On1. There are three layers with different shutter speeds. The slowest shows the cars blurred on the bridge; the fastest stops the pelicans in mid-air. I also had multiple exposures for focus, but I didn't use them. I used Sky Replace to get the orange sky, it took a lot of manual work to make a usable mask along the bridge cables. Some filters: Dynamic Contrast to emphasize the texture on the trees and bridge Curves to adjust exposure and contrast Color Grading to fine tune color Photo Filter to help out the water Glow for additional contrast and romance Lens blur to soften the distant objects.

ILCE-7RM4
ƒ/20
75mm
ISO 100
16/5 sec

Golden Gate Bridge at Golden Hour

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