Golden Gate Bridge

[tgtaylor]

This weekend is the 75th anniversary of the opening of one the worlds most iconic bridges - the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francsico. To mark this event the California Historical Society is offering the 140 page catalogue of its current exhibition A Wild Flight of the Imagination: The Story of the Golden Gate Bridge as a free eBook download on ITunes: http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/exhibitions/

I've been out photographing the bridge in silver, color, and as an alternative print. Here is a scan of a Van Dyke print I made last week:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8008/7252490414_45d0a73190_z.jpg

However as I was setting up the dew point was being reached on the far side of the bridge and blurred the image there. I shot it anyway and a couple of minutes later the whole place fogged over. I reshot it over the weekend and that negative is hanging to dry. The structure on the far left is Fort Point, a Civil War period military fort.

Thomas

[Vaughn]

I was part of a workshop that photographed the bridge last Saturday. The results will be in a show at PhotoCentral in Hayward, opening possibly June 9th. Along with the new prints will be newly printed glass plate negatives taken during the construction -- should be a very great show! I do not know if I will be able to make any carbon prints for the show -- perhaps just platinum/palladium. I will be returning soon to make a few images with the 11x14 (not a quick drive from Humboldt County!)

I did make a couple of exposures with the 11x14 from about the same spot as your image -- using Ilford positive paper (that someone else is processing).

I set up the 8x10 on top of Fort Point in a very strong wind -- I made one exposure but made no others up there because I thought the vibration from the wind was just too much...but the neg looks very sharp (for contact printing, anyway...LOL!)

Vaughn

[tgtaylor]

I went back on Sunday with the idea of reshooting the bridge and a 2d shot with the USS Iowa and accompaning flotilla passing under the bridge. I got the first shot but rough seas outside the gate posponed the Iowa's depature until this weekend or early next week. I'm hoping for a Van Dyke of the bridge with the USS Iowa and a 2d negative for a silver print but it's going to be difficult finding a convenient parking space this weekend.

Thomas

[Vaughn]

Difficult is an understatement! Good luck capturing the Iowa!

[tgtaylor]

It's certainly one of the most photographed structures in the world and it would be interesting to see the various photographic interpretations.

Thomas

[John Kasaian]

I went back on Sunday with the idea of reshooting the bridge and a 2d shot with the USS Iowa and accompaning flotilla passing under the bridge. I got the first shot but rough seas outside the gate posponed the Iowa's depature until this weekend or early next week. I'm hoping for a Van Dyke of the bridge with the USS Iowa and a 2d negative for a silver print but it's going to be difficult finding a convenient parking space this weekend.

Thomas

Wow! That'll be an impressive sight!

[tgtaylor]

It sure will be! Sunday was perfect: no fog, no wind - perfect for a Sunday barbecue at the gate which many were doing. Perfect too for the photography that I had in mind and with a parking space less than 50 yards away. But the weather outside the gate was too rough for the Iowa and its departure was cancelled at the last minute leaving me and the Potomac, Jeremiah O'Brien, and other ships gathered and cruising the bay awaiting the Iowa waiting: http://pacificbattleship.com/page/updates But I'm monitoring the status and keeping my fingers crossed.

Thomas

[dwross]

Vaughn,

I just missed you! I was at the Bridge on Monday morning (5/14). I got these shots with homemade film. I'd love to see everyone else's images. It's amazing that one can still feel inspired by something that is so photographed. But, heck, I guess some things are iconic for a reason. It's a marvelous structure.

Denise

ps Question for anyone who is more forum literate than I am. How does one display photos full size instead of as thumbnails?

[Brian Vuillemenot]

Here's a few of my pics of the GG bridge. Happy birthday, big fella!

74048 74049 74050

[Vaughn]

Denise -- your images are full size. One just clicks on the thumbnail and it gets bigger. Click on it again, and one can enlarge it to cover the screen with the whole image (with a Mac, anyway.)

The other way is to link an image from a website.

[dwross]

Thanks for the info Vaughn. I didn't know about the double click option. That's a nice touch.
How does one do what Thomas did to get the full image displayed even by people coming to the forum not signed in as members?

Glad Thomas did that. His gorgeous Van Dyke is as appropriate a headliner for this thread as you could ask for. It's in perfect play with Brian's Baker Beach image. I'd love to see the prints side-by-side in a GG show.

[Vaughn]

Thanks for the info Vaughn. I didn't know about the double click option. That's a nice touch.
How does one do what Thomas did to get the full image displayed even by people coming to the forum not signed in as members?

The image even seems to improve in quality after the second click.

Again, to avoid the thumbnails and get the larger image (and usually higher quality), click on "add files" and then select "website" at the top of the pop-up box, then type in the URL for the image. The forum will pull the image from the URL for viewing. I think the image is better because the forum's software does not mess with the image in the same way it does with uploaded images.

Vaughn

[dwross]

Thanks! (again.) I never would have figured that out. I often direct link a posting to my website, but a URL to a specific image is very clever. I'm glad there's a way to get a little better image quality. The enlarged thumbnails are quite a bit softer than reality. I won't do anything with these. I cheated, just posting them here. They are from 120 film, but I got all happy just thinking of a bunch of photographers honoring the GG :).

d

[tgtaylor]

Has anyone downloaded the eBook yet? I did yesterday but I have Windows OS and can't access the file without an IPad or Pod.

Thomas

[austin granger]

My only picture of the Golden Gate that I like. I've made plenty that I don't like. :)
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5060/5477046966_cefc4283f2_b.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/austingranger/

[ROL]

Thanks! (again.) I never would have figured that out. I often direct link a posting to my website, but a URL to a specific image is very clever.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?88032-Posting-pix

!!! moderators feel free to delete if considered rude !!!

[dwross]

Today's been one of those days when I can't decide if I spend too much time reading internet 'stuff' or not near enough. I suspect I'll never have enough time to keep up with the constant morphing of the mechanics.

I am very glad, though, to have hung around long enough to see Austin's GG image. Absolutely lovely.

[karl french]

74104

[tgtaylor]

Nice images Denise, Brian, Austin and Karl! Dakota's idea of posting ones shots of the bridge is a great idea. It's interesting to see other photographers images of such an iconic American structure and a sight that I see weekly!

I printed the negative that I shot Sunday and here's the result:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7262397458_53f796c33f_c.jpg

The Marin headlands are much clearer in this image but printing on 12x15 paper (I ran out of 9x11) I put the border a little too far into the image on the top and bottom. I think this was 90lb Fabriano Aristrico Extra White.

I will be printing tonight and will post a B&W and color when ready.

Thomas

[dsphotog]

Photo op... Tonight there will be a fireworks show near the bridge to celebrate the 75 yr. anniversary.

[tgtaylor]

Battery Boutelle and Golden Gate Bridge, Fort Winfield Scott

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8005/7336861226_b837be7e83_c.jpg

Thomas

[Vaughn]

Taken last month -- freshly printed.

Girders, Golden Gate Bridge
4x10 neg -- 300mm lens
Scanned Carbon Print

[John Rodriguez]

Before 9/11 (and before I found photography) you used to be able to hop a fence and walk out on the catwalk that runs under the length of the bridge. I'm sure it's impossible to reach now but if you could get out there you'd be able to get some shots no one else has.

[tgtaylor]

When I first visited the bridge, back in the mid 1980's, the narrow catwalk on the right-hand side was open for foot traffic as far as the forts frontal midpoint - you couldn't walk all the way around or get on the catwalk that is under the bridge. Now a fence prevents you from walking to the front of the fort.

Thomas

[austin granger]

Taken last month -- freshly printed.

Girders, Golden Gate Bridge
4x10 neg -- 300mm lens
Scanned Carbon Print
That's beautiful Vaughn. Really good.

[Vaughn]

That's beautiful Vaughn. Really good.

Thanks Austin. It will be in a show (opening Saturday at 3pm) in Hayward at Photocentral. There will also be a inkjet copy of it on display (image size 30"x72") in the stairwell. Still wrapping my head around an image of mine that size.

I am surprised that the image turned out -- I was on top of Fort Point and the 8x10 was trying to become a box kite in the wind. Exposure was less than a second, but not by much.

[tgtaylor]

Life-Saving Station, Fog, and Bridge

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5156/7189957527_3ee3f6da0b_c.jpg

Vandyke.

Thomas

[EdWorkman]

My nomination for "most photographed" is the 6th st bridge in Los Angeles over the concreted Los Angeles River.
True, one seldom sees a LF photo of it, [HAER] but part of it seems to appear in every third TV commercial and TV crime drama, plus movies to a lesser , but significant degree. Sometimes it is even portrayed to be in Los Angeles.
Very few folks jump from it.

[ROL]

...si ...

¡Claro que si!