Golden Gate Bridge at night Photo

Photographer’s Note

How do you take a unique photo of one of the most photographed structures in the world? I've seen the Golden Gate Bridge photographed in every way imaginable. But I envisioned this scene in my head and could never find one quite like this. I'm very pleased with this rendition and it's one of the most popular photos on my website.

This was shot on Fuji Provia from the Marin headlands. The etheral look of the sky is due to a six minute exposure on f/22.

anakin, AmiBe, verge, Paolo, Zepi, Guenther, Pattyjy, snuggleaphagus, thohau, hispic, ash_parikh, CliffW, vascao, markpanos, soundsangels, Signal-Womb, mphotographies, yanseiler, Isab, eyesthetix, Sekhmet73 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

naxius (16679) 2005-04-27 9:54

Hi Todd,
Stunning photograph you made! The light is so well catched!
I like the compo of the Golden Gate. This is a really good work.
Bravo!!
Alexandre

gringofil (0) 2005-04-27 9:57

WOW! The place where this was taken is not too original (lots of photos from this vantage point) but do to the exposure as well as time of day makes this shot what it is...pretty damn special. The cherry on top is the misty city in the background...really nice colors as well. Overall good work.

anakin (2775) 2005-04-27 9:58

Great night shot very nice work, superb lights very nice perspective
well done

jinju (14265) 2005-04-27 10:14

Its the best picture of the Golden Gate Ive ever seen.

kiara (410) 2005-04-27 10:14

this is simply marvelous!!

Paolo (40690) 2005-04-27 10:18

Wonderful image Todd!
great composition, with magic light!
thanks, ciao

verge (1239) 2005-04-27 10:18

very good capture. the lighting is superb with reflection on the water. this just emphasize the its name "Golden Gate".....rgds

verge

AmiBe (6042) 2005-04-27 10:18

Hi Todd,
wow, great night shot !
The exposure is perfect.
Classic POV but still very good, well done !

smartins (1967) 2005-04-27 10:21

WOW! This is a gorgeous night shot! I love the golden color and the lights. Nice POV and sharpness! Very well done!

Take care and keep on posting ;)
Susana

Hanssie (9133) 2005-04-27 10:24

Fantastic !
A great view on the entirely bridge, a wonderful light and colours, great picture, Todd !

puciu (498) 2005-04-27 10:27

WOW! Amazing photo. Perfect frame, perfectly exposed.

Zepi (22848) 2005-04-27 10:30

Hello Todd,
Magnifique image, superbe paysage et, quelle maîtrise technique!
SUperbe exposition!
J'adore,cette image file tout droit dans mes favoris!
Excellent travail
Amicalement
Sébastien

Guenther (6807) 2005-04-27 10:30

Wow Todd, the shot is marvellous, a magic light, especially the reflection on the clouds in the background gives a unique atmosphere ... just great!

Pattyjy (2172) 2005-04-27 10:31

Tout simplement magnifique. Quelle netteté et quelle jolie lumière. Superbe. Amitié, Patty.

thebig_d81 (777) 2005-04-27 10:52

Is that for real? well done. Such a nice subject for a photo.

soulie (419) 2005-04-27 11:15

You've created amazing mysterious atmosphere. Good job.

toni_al (15430) 2005-04-27 11:24

Hi Todd
Très très belle image, la perspective, le cadrage, les couleurs et l'ambience sont THE BEST
Very nice shot
Toni

highpeak8 (139) 2005-04-27 11:26

breathtaking! stunningly beautiful!

donluicu (23923) 2005-04-27 13:30

WOW, todd!
this is an extraordianry shot.
The six minutes expo are great!!!it looks like a painting.
We feel the texture of the Provia..especially under the bridge.
well done

loic

Albrecht (10950) 2005-04-27 13:57

Hi Todd
What a very good picture and the lights and atmosphere are great. Sharp and detailed to look at. Did you do no improving?
Well captured, greetings Albrecht

jeanfrancois (1259) 2005-04-27 19:44

What a photography lesson !
I love the sky in the back and the shadow of the bridge. Superb.

ronners (10) 2005-04-27 19:47

Great shot Todd. I've no idea how you managed to keep the camera still (even on a tripod) for a full six minutes. It's always blowing a gale when I'm up there - though I guess it's a biot calmer after dark. Sadly with my D100 I can't do 6 minute exposures, so I'm a bit jealous!

thebecky (686) 2005-04-28 2:00

Woderful. It has all been said already but I wanted to add my compliments

snuggleaphagus (4138) 2005-04-28 2:37

Absolutly stunning. This photo should be in the cover of a magazine blwn up into posters.
Congratulations....

thohau (949) 2005-04-28 3:47

Hi Todd!
What a stunning view of a gorgeous building! Perfect work!
Cheers, Thorsten

pascal13 (1632) 2005-04-28 5:55

Superbe image,cadrage, couleurs, netteté,tout y est.Allez hop...!!dans mes favoris...!!

Homerhomer (4005) 2005-04-28 11:19

You are right Todd, this place must have been photographed 1,000,000,000,000 times, but your take is better than 99.9% of them, the colours are simply amazing, and darker sky with the city glow just beneath really helps us concentrate on the bridge.
Well done.
Peter

Gdouble (5245) 2005-04-29 8:31

Superb image Todd. You must know the secret to take unusual picture of usual things
Great shot
Guy

CliffW (2310) 2005-04-30 9:54

There's a reason it's been the subject of so many photos but not very many of them look this good. Best shot I've seen of the GG too.

AlfieUK (12) 2005-05-02 10:21

Awesome picture. As a fellow Fuji 6x9 owner I know what a great machine it is for capturing landscapes but it's just another bit of kit and needs a good driver! ... which you obviously are.

hugolef (4909) 2005-05-03 9:37

Hello Todd
nice night's view. The frame is dynamic, enhaunced by the dark band under the bridge. Good exposure, that gives such an atmosphere to the sky.
A great shot i only discover today ...
Regards, hugues

emarquetti (73) 2005-05-03 10:02

What cold I say.. perfect! The light report me like in a dream, and can fell wings flying the Golden gate.

ash_parikh (2266) 2005-05-04 1:15

Nice shot. great composition and nice work here.

apache (1426) 2005-05-05 10:30

Hi Todd,
I have seen a lot of snaps of the Golden gate but this is the first time i am looking at a night shot i really like. I would very much like to take a photograph like this, but i guess it takes a bit of creativity and a lot of clicking experience behind you to get a good one like this.
But maybe some day...
Ranjith

sines (0) 2005-05-05 13:09

Hey Todd, what a view again !

Impressive night shot. I wish I was there. I hope to stand by that bridge one day. Light over San Francisco on the background is amazing. I also like the line shade produced by the brigde on the water.
Good stuff Todd and thank you.

Regards

fiedziu (1762) 2005-05-08 11:28

great, nothing to add, just great
thanks for sharing
regards

kclai (2267) 2005-05-10 4:28

Hi Todd
Woah.............(lost of words)
This is the most spectacular shot I have come across. You're the MAN, my friend. It's total perfection shot.
Bravo.
Eric Lai

Marcelo_Almeida (1044) 2005-05-19 17:47

Great shot, simply wonderful.

vascao (190) 2005-05-20 20:59

Astonishing. I'm speechless, one of my favorites from now on.

kinginexile (2440) 2005-05-23 2:40

Well done, Todd, you got yourself a unique shot of a famous landmark, and one I find unforgettable indeed. Not just that, you got beautidful graphism out of it, in fantastic colors.

sayzey (2358) 2005-07-19 13:27

Great photo! Very well done, I love the effect you described as etheral! And also the reflections of the light in the river from the bridge, it looks so strange how you can see the reflection at night like that!

Very well done!

totetuti (83) 2005-08-05 2:09

Well seen!!!

markpanos (1944) 2005-10-18 21:45

Hello Todd.

Well,this photo is amazing,almost perfect.
You have done a wonderful work here.

Your note was very intersting for me,because I was thinking this last summer "How I can make an original photo of a very well known and photographed monument"
It very dificult,I know.I tryed to do it in the Acropolis in Athens,but I only made a beauty and interesting image,no more(I have posted it).

You have done it.I mean,here you were original,so you create something,something that nobody did it.
Here,you are a creator.

Good bye Todd.
Gia sou and Hasta siempre.

rajhema (1863) 2005-11-20 10:07

That was a fantastic picture. I've not seen these colors before. Spectacular night shot Todd.

yazdi (412) 2005-11-20 10:48

Its not much to say, its a perfect photo, its great ...!
Regards!
Jamal

larssolb (271) 2005-11-21 16:47

Fantastic nightshot of the famous bridge. Hat's off!

soundsangels (1695) 2006-06-10 23:25

I do not speak about this one.....
Only deposit right now in my favs.....
Thanks a lot for this gift....
Claude

Signal-Womb (11661) 2006-06-16 17:47

Now that is a truly stunning capture...lost for words really. Steve.

sabyasachi1212 (19542) 2006-07-13 15:32

Hi Todd,
It easy to understand why this must be one of your mosr popular shots. Excellent POV, strong night colours make for a wonderful composition.
With Greetings from India
Sabyasachi

capthaddock (28640) 2006-07-20 14:00

Hi Todd - spectacular shot, the long exposure has done wonders to the sky, common perspective but very well executed. My only peeve, and a minor one at that, is the bridge towers have lost their charactyeristic "international orange" color, probably also because of the evry long exposure.

mphotographies (1976) 2006-07-31 0:21

Hey Todd,
You made the best image of the Golden gate here! I want to delete mine :/

BTW great capture of Machu Picchu! I like the morning rays of light...great composition dude!
JHCris

livermore (269) 2006-08-02 5:10

Magifique POV.
Les teintes sont splendides.
Le reflet jaune dans l'eau est du plus bel effet. J'adore.
Vincent

yanseiler (20) 2006-08-25 9:45

Hi Todd, except that the bridge is a bit bending on the left, the effect is great and the colors are very nice, I also like these yellowish tones in the water and the lines made by the car's lights on the road, the depth on San Francisco's central is great, it's true that it looks different from other shots from the same place...
Cheers
Yan

Amaniman (1122) 2006-08-25 10:20

8-) quelle spectaculaire image !

Tu as superbement réussi ton coup ; une photo pas ordinaire du Golden Gate.

Isab (865) 2006-11-18 14:29

Bonjour
Magnifique photo du golden gate bridge. C'est très réussi. Le pont a l'air un peu irréel.
Bravo
Isabelle

tica (809) 2007-01-30 17:48

Hello Todd,
So what can I say?
- Wonderful ! :D
All is Great and beatiful!
Congrats! :)
God bless you!

ticii =O)

testmaniac (12032) 2007-06-10 4:59

Hi Todd!
Great night shot, superb lights!
If you want see my nights shot, i hope you enjoy

Regards,
Philip

eyesthetix (637) 2007-09-21 7:15

Hi Todd,
excellent perspective and great capture of the elements !
Best regards, Daniel

Edelias (38) 2008-01-28 0:26

Hi,
A very nice image of the bridge, good choice of exposure and lighting, really does make the bridge look like it is made of gold! I like it, but i'm not sure about the silhoette of the rocks in the bottom left, might have been perfect if you could have gotten a little closer. Obviously i have no idea how practical that would have been. Good. work.

vito_vito (11) 2009-06-25 22:35

Bravo,vry nice..:)

jazu (383) 2009-10-15 23:56

Hi Todd,
Wow, this is the best pic of Golden Gate I have ever seen. I like this I call it color-sepia tone.
Great work. It should be published in National G.
cheers
Janusz

Photo Information

Copyright: Todd Adams (toddadams) (566)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2003-05-26
Categories: Architecture
Camera: Fuji GSW690III, Fuji Provia 100
Exposure: f/22
Details: Tripod: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Golden Gate Bridge, Bridges at night - Les Ponts, la nuit... [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-04-27 9:48
Favorites: 17 [view]