An epic mistake and good learning in photography. This tells me I still have so much to learn when it comes to preparation when I go take pictures.
December 17th, I woke up at 4.30am, to go take pictures of the sunrise above San Francisco from Marin County Headlands. With spectacular views over the Golden Gate Bridge, this should have been a great opportunity to make beautiful shots.
Pin This On PinterestTaken with Canon 5D, 16-35mm f/2.8 L II. Exposure: 300; Aperture f/22; Focal length: 35mm; ISO speed: 100
Pin This On PinterestTaken with Canon 5D, 16-35mm f/2.8 L II. Exposure: 300; Aperture f/22; Focal length: 35mm; ISO speed: 100
Pin This On PinterestTaken with Canon 5D, 16-35mm f/2.8 L II. Exposure: 1; Aperture f/2,8; Focal length: 35mm; ISO speed: 400
Pin This On PinterestTaken with Canon 5D, 16-35mm f/2.8 L II. Exposure: 60; Aperture f/18; Focal length: 35mm; ISO speed: 100
The weather forecast was on my side. Clear & cold but windy. Sunrise around 7.45am, so plenty of time to prepare and scout the best spot. While waiting for the spectacle to start, I decided to play around with the Bulb mode and crank up the shutter speed using my Canon remote control. As it was still real dark at around 5.45, I used a 5 minutes exposure time, with a f/22 aperture. Wow!
After just a couple of shots, my battery was dead! I missed the opportunity to take pictures of the sunrise above the San Francisco completely, no pictures... what a fail! At least I got to hang around and witness one of the most spectacular sunrises over the Golden Gate Bridge I've ever seen. Next time I will make sure I take a spare battery and prepare my timing to be perfect to start shooting.
Beautiful. And so you don’t have to make every mistake yourself, pack a disposable hand warmer when you go in winter weather. Batteries (even extra batteries) don’t last in the cold, but do last if kept warm until needed. Those chemical warmers you bring to football games are great. I crack one and put in in the outside pocket, and it keeps things warm enough. It’s too hot to put with gear, but in the outside pocket it works great.
Thanks John, those are really valuable tips.
I think the main problem here were the long exposure shots, in combination with an old battery.
I just need to prepare better if I plan to go out shooting early mornings.
I can’t wait for the next opportunity, although the day was very long with the two kids!
Great photos. Wd love to see sunrise in the future. Does it get that cold ?
Thanks.
Yes, the wind can get pretty cold, and you are out in the open.
That is an awesome picture, I can only imagine what the view would have been if your battery hadn’t died. Must have been pretty cold!
Stay tuned, planning another trip soon!
November & December are great months to get up there. The sun is rising a little later which doesn’t make it too hard to get there early enough.
But yes, it was cold, the wind from the east brings cold, dry air.