Nature's Night Light

dadwtwins

One of those rare crystal clear nights with the perfect big puffy clouds above my city San Francisco.

This picture was taken from my former backyard in Oakland. I since then moved but I never forgot how awesome the views were from that first purchased house. The house was really small, 900 sq ft. but the back yard was huge and had a great view
as you can see.

When I was driving home from work in the wee hours of the morning, i was mesmerized by the clouds and how bright it was. By the time I crossed the bridge I looked back at the city and could not believe how huge the clouds looked compared to the city. The only place I could quickly think of with a clear view towards the city to try and capture this shot was my old house. Fortunately I knew one of my old neighbors was selling her house and it was empty. I hope her fence to get to my old deck. Climbed up the joining fence to my old deck and started to shoot away. I never even thought of neighbors catching me do this and calling the police.

I just lucked out all the way around that night. I didn't get caught I a got a good picture ;-) Life just is good to me sometimes :-D

dmmattix

Just one word: WOW!!

schmoo

:jawdrop


(... and, I always love a story about a good adventure getting the shot )

Richard

Very cool shot. Just wondering, though...is the sky above the clouds from another pic? I don't think I ever saw that many stars in all the years I lived in SF. Of course, I was on the other side of the Bay.

Regards,

aj986s

That is a stunning photo!

Maybe I missed the EXIF, but can you provide some details about the shot. Lens, shutter speed, etc., and whether any PP was involved.

RNDRND

Very nice.

hbl

dadwtwins wrote:

One of those rare crystal clear nights with the perfect big puffy clouds above my city San Francisco.
<snip>

That is a fantastic image! Do you have the EXIF data?

sanaka

Spectacular shot! And full of memory for me.

It looks as though it were taken from very close to where I grew up in Oakland, on Skyline Blvd. about a mile north of where Keller Ave connects. The view from the cliff just up the street was just about like this. Where exactly is your old house (if you don't mind sharing)? And how wide of a lens did you use?

Peace,
Sanaka

Awais Yaqub

Wow

PhotoDavid78

Very well done whether the sky was photoshopped or not. It is a great image!

Marshmallow Man

in the words of Dane Cook: FANTASTICAL!ivar

Moogle Pepper

:jawdropandy

That is an awesome shot!

aktse

bowbow

Jaw dropping gorgeous.

And from looking at the sky in the south bay, it might have a chance of another one of those magical night. And the moon... it's been looking brighter each day!

Well done!

cunarder534

Amazing. :jawdrop

Seefutlung

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a shot.

Gary

Tee Why

Two words uttered out of my mouth. Jesus Christ! (sorry if I offended anyone)
WOW, that's impressive.
I'd love to see that in a print. A very large print.

wow congrats, that's some view. I wouldn't have moved if I got views like that no matter how small the place.

dadwtwins

sanaka wrote:

Spectacular shot! And full of memory for me.

It looks as though it were taken from very close to where I grew up in Oakland, on Skyline Blvd. about a mile north of where Keller Ave connects. The view from the cliff just up the street was just about like this. Where exactly is your old house (if you don't mind sharing)? And how wide of a lens did you use?

Peace,
Sanaka

Sanaka,

You are right on. My old house was at the top of Keller Ave. And you alone know how rare it is to see the city clearly from this vantage point. Usually all there is to see is brown smog:cry but on those rare days and nights when it is clear, the view is incredible.

dadwtwins

rsinmadrid wrote:

Very cool shot. <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/clap.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" > Just wondering, though...is the sky above the clouds from another pic? I don't think I ever saw that many stars in all the years I lived in SF. Of course, I was on the other side of the Bay. <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/ne_nau.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

Regards,

This is actually three different exposures of the same shot.

[quote=aj986s]That is a stunning photo! <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/clap.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

Maybe I missed the EXIF, but can you provide some details about the shot. Lens, shutter speed, etc., and whether any PP was involved.[/quote]

Here is some of the EXIF info but remember that this shot has multiple exposures to achieve what i wanted.

<table id="Inbox" cellspacing="0" height="90" width="509"><tbody><tr><td style="font-size: 120%;" width="30%">Camera:</td> <td style="font-size: 120%;">Nikon D3 on Tripod
</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 120%;" width="30%">Exposure:</td> <td style="font-size: 120%;">Multiple</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 120%;" width="30%">Aperture:</td> <td style="font-size: 120%;">f/8</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 120%;" width="30%">Focal Length:</td> <td style="font-size: 120%;">200 mm</td> </tr> <tr> <td>ISO Speed:</td> <td>200
</td></tr></tbody></table>Taken on March 15th at 3.42am PDT

aktse

dadwtwins wrote:

This is actually three different exposures of the same shot.



Here is some of the EXIF info but remember that this shot has multiple exposures to achieve what i wanted.

<table id="Inbox" cellspacing="0" height="90" width="509"><tbody><tr><td style="font-size: 120%;" width="30%">Camera:</td> <td style="font-size: 120%;">Nikon D3 on Tripod
</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 120%;" width="30%">Exposure:</td> <td style="font-size: 120%;">Multiple</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 120%;" width="30%">Aperture:</td> <td style="font-size: 120%;">f/8</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 120%;" width="30%">Focal Length:</td> <td style="font-size: 120%;">200 mm</td> </tr> <tr> <td>ISO Speed:</td> <td>200
</td></tr></tbody></table>Taken on March 15th at 3.42am PDT

So... that's the secret.

Take photos at 3:42 AM! :wow

dadwtwins

Thank you so much to all that have commented on my picture. It is a great feeling to get such warm and complimentary comments on a hobby I love so much

dadwtwins

aktse wrote:

So... that's the secret.

Take photos at 3:42 AM! :wow

Isn't everyone awake when the sun is sleeping and the moon is showing all its glory
rofl

fool4thecity

Cool
Photoshop or not, that's a cool picture! :wow

dadwtwins

fool4thecity wrote:

Photoshop or not, that's a cool picture! :wow

Thank you for your kind words

Lee Massey

Great shot... Fantastic image conception and execution.

Thanks for sharing...

Lee

sanaka

And you alone know how rare it is to see the city clearly from this vantage point. Usually all there is to see is brown smog:cry but on those rare days and nights when it is clear, the view is incredible.

And I bet you are one of the few who realize how beautiful the view is from across the street, looking east at Oakland's watershed lands. I hiked and rode horses back there growing up. It's pretty neat how there is some relatively unspoiled wilderness so close to the urban spread. My Dad, who still lives there, has even encountered a mountain lion once or twice!

Who says there is no "there" there?

I am very lucky to have many memories of the view being very clear. I lived there from 1970 - 1984. To be sure there was plenty of smog by my high school days, but I bet it is worse now :cry

All the more special then is your photo.



Peace,
Sanaka

TPBinKC

wow...

dadwtwins

sanaka wrote:

And I bet you are one of the few who realize how beautiful the view is from across the street, looking east at Oakland's watershed lands. I hiked and rode horses back there growing up. It's pretty neat how there is some relatively unspoiled wilderness so close to the urban spread. My Dad, who still lives there, has even encountered a mountain lion once or twice!

Who says there is no "there" there?

I am very lucky to have many memories of the view being very clear. I lived there from 1970 - 1984. To be sure there was plenty of smog by my high school days, but I bet it is worse now :cry

All the more special then is your photo.



Peace,
Sanaka

The back hiking trails are my families favorite areas to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and all we have to do is turn our heads 180 deg and we are there. The best backyard anyone can ever ask for:ivar

ehughes

fool4thecity wrote:

Photoshop or not, that's a cool picture! :wow

Marc Muench

I agree this is amazing,

As Versace calls it "farming an image". I say you make a great farmer

dadwtwins

Marc Muench wrote:

I agree this is amazing,

As Versace calls it "farming an image". I say you make a great farmer

I am honored, thank you for everyones awesome comments.

dmmattix

fool4thecity wrote:

Photoshop or not, that's a cool picture! :wow

Everytime I see a comment like this I chuckle, as if this is somehow cheating.

One of the great landscape photographers of our time Ansel Adams always created a multi-page instruction on "how to print" each of his prints. In "The Print" he showed 9 pages of instructions and diagrams used to create his "Clearing Winter Storm" print. He stated that "Many are taught that, when you have a good black and a good white in a print, then you have a good print. Actually when you achieve a good black and a good white in a print, you are then ready to begin to print the negative. You have just reached the point of having a good test strip." Ansel (and many of his peers) used dodging and burning just as we use layers and masks. He never considered it "cheating" to work the negative to get the image he wanted from the negative. We should not consider it "cheating" to use Photoshop to do the same thing.

It is somewhat different when you use Photoshop to create something that was not there in the first place. Not that this is "cheating" but as long as it is known that the image is not reality then if the photographer likes it, why not??