Uploads from phil_mcgrew, tagged nightphotography

San Francisco Moonrise

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:11:40 -0700

I tried to frame this picture with the Golden Gate Bridge in the foreground and showcase the Bay Bridge in the background. With the new lighting system on the Bay Bridge, the ugly sister is suddenly getting a lot of much deserved attention.

Last month's full moon only appeared for a few minutes as it transitioned from low-lying fog to a low level cloud system.

Coit Tower with Setting Crescent Moon

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:58:39 -0700

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

Coit Tower is currently lit in blue and gold to support the Golden State Warriors basketball team in their playoff run. I try to photography Coit Tower from the same exact spot every time it is lit in a different color scheme so I was excited to see a new color.

Pink Moon over San Francisco

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:09:31 -0700

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

This month's full moon started out pink and quickly transitioned to yellow once it cleared a cloud layer. I accidentally caught it in both colors at the same time.

And the first person who says this is photoshopped gets bopped on the head because 1) I suck at Photoshop, and 2) Seriously, I suck at Photoshop.

Golden Gate Bridge Star Trails

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:33:27 -0700

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

It's been way to long since I've had the opportunity to travel to a truly dark area and capture a good star trail. While difficult, I've known and experimented with the idea of "urban star trails" for a couple years now. The problems with city star trails are numerous. There's light pollution, fog, people, and location problems to name a few. And, Since the foreground is lit there's the very legitimate concern of overexposure.

I took 272 twenty second exposures for this image but ended up deleting the first 90 after a rogue wave slapped my tripod and knocked everything off-kilter just enough to be irritating.

Exploratorium Light Show

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:55:50 -0700

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

The Exploratorium has moved to a new location and to celebrate, they put on a 2 night light show.

Full Moon from Lombard Street

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 07:10:31 -0800

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

After photographing the full moon rising behind Coit Tower, we decided to play around on Lombard Street. Some say that Lombard Street is the most crooked street in the world. But it's not. It's not even the most crooked street in San Francisco!

ISSFlyover2.jpg

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 08:19:20 -0800

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

Cupid's Arrow

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 09:44:17 -0800

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

I got a text that the bridge lights were on and I couldn't resist going up and playing along the Embarcadero. Everything you've seen along the waterfront changes with these lights! Official opening is March 5th, 8:30 PM.

Shy Snow Moon

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:15:14 -0800

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

So…I thought it would be cool to get the moon over Coit Tower from the top of Lombard Street (the crooked part). I knew the alignment would be a little off but I did expect to see more than just the moon's forehead.

Setting Crescent over San Francisco

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:55:40 -0800

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

I've been trying to pay more attention to moons other than full ones. The plan was to get the crescent moon touching the top of the Transamerica Pyramid but we ran out of real estate before the alignment worked. We would have had to stand in the middle of a shipping channel to accomplish that.

ISS Flyover

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:22:47 -0800

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

Last night the ISS flew directly over the Bay Area. It was one of the brightest and lowest possible flyovers. Unfortunately, that also means that it's one of the most difficult to photograph (due to proximity to sunset). This is 31, five second images stacked in StarStaX.

The lights in the lower right are from the security guard who didn't appreciate us being there after sunset.

The Many Faces of Coit Tower

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 08:13:52 -0800

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

Coit Tower is lit up in various colors for special occasions. When it is, I try to photograph if from the exact same spot with the exact same lens and focal length. This photo has taken me 2 1/2 years (so far). There are still a couple colors I haven't gotten so I'll keep checking on the tower.

The colors/occasions from left to right: San Francisco 49ers 2012/13 playoffs, 9/11, Au naturale concrete, San Francisco 49ers 2011/2012 playoffs, and San Francisco Giants playoffs 2010 and 2012 (this one is from 2010).

The story of Coit Tower is an interesting one and if you're not familiar with it, you should definitely Google it.

Bay Bridge Light Test (2nd night)

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 21:41:53 -0800

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

I couldn't stay away knowing there would be a second night of testing. A (nearly) full moon was rising before sunset and if testing started a little earlier, the moon would be low enough to appear in the frame. All of those things worked out and it was a sight to see. This new light installation is a serious show-stopper!

Bay Bridge Light Patterns

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 09:51:10 -0800

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

It's difficult to photograph individual patterns in the Bay Bridge lights. It requires a high ISO to get a (relatively) fast shutter speed. I shot this at ISO 12,800 to get 1/60th.

Bay Bridge Light Testing

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:57:07 -0800

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

My first crack at photographing the new Bay Bridge Lights.

Coit Tower with setting Crescent Moon

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 22:03:28 -0800

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

Geminid Meteor

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 12:02:05 -0800

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

What a meteor shower! This was by far the highest number of meteors I've seen in one night.

This one is going out in style!

Canon 7D w Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 @ ISO3200.

Cat Signal

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 13:05:24 -0700

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

I'm staring out my window when a bright light appeared at the base of the Bay Bridge. Then I realize it's a cute cat. I was on the phone but managed to snap a few high ISO shots before the cat went away. Fortunately, the cat signal appeared again and I was able to get some low ISO - long exposure shots. Unbeknownst to me, the signal was cast by the Internet Defense League. They are a coalition of companies and individuals who promote internet freedom across the world

I would normally suggest that this is unusual but in San Francisco, the bar for "unusual" is pretty high!

Urban Milky Way

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:30:06 -0700

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

Believe it or not, there are locations in the bay area where you can see the milky way. Some low level fog certainly doesn't hurt in blocking out light. In the distance is sky glow from Santa Cruz. It's so rare to get to see the milky way that I didn't want to leave.

And, I got to see a moutain lion on the way home so overall, a pretty cool night!

Alabama Hills Star Trail

nobody@flickr.com (phil_mcgrew) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 10:33:13 -0700

phil_mcgrew posted a photo:

Just a star trail that I had filed away and never processed or posted. Two minute exposures on a 90% moon. This is by far, the brightest moon I've done star trails with.

Location not exact. It's somewhere in Alabama Hills but you don't have to look very hard to find this or similar formations.