If you can forgive a bit of digression, one of my favorite bay area landmarks is the Golden Gate. I know it is cliche but it is truly remarkable when you see it in person. I have shot the Golden Gate with everything from my Nikon F (circa 1989) to now with my D800. My best shot remains from my Nikon F and tragically I no longer have either the print nor the negative. :-( But there is a point to my digression. The shot with my F was a matter of perfect timing. It was a sunset perfectly timed in the year to be setting directly between the uprights of the bridge. I have always wanted to go back and see if I could recreate the shot. Much like people will try and recreate Ansel Adams' famous "Moon and Half Dome". But people will never get exactly Ansel got.
So it was with the eclipse. I wanted to see if I could get the eclipse with the Golden Gate silhouetted. So off to San Francisco we headed. After scouting locations in the afternoon we set up at the West end of Crissy Field. Unfortunately, the timing was not good for a Golden Gate photo. I shot some frames in the hopes of putting together an HDR. I might have some time to put them together later but I am not hopeful. The dynamic range of the scene was really large between the sun and the bridge. Even with the sun being partially blocked.
What I did manage to capture was a nice shot of the eclipse directly.
If one did not know what it was in this shot one would not think it was anything but a neon sign of the letter "C". This was shot through a welders mask filter. The highlight of the eclipse turned out not to be photography but the sharing of the event with the many passers by. Everyone was curious about the large dark lens I was holding over the end of my Telephoto. With this lens you could look directly at the sun and watch the progress. I was especially thrilled to see the reaction of 3 children when they saw this. I could see them become excited and I secretly hoped they would become interested in astronomy as a result. Even if they do not I am sure they are better off for the experience. So although the photography was a bust I think the afternoon was not.
:-D
Light Cipher
