Patrick Smith Landscape and Seascape Photography



Ghirardelli Evening          Buy limited edition print/license       (No open edition for panoramas)  

Location:  Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco, California

Story:

This 4 image panorama taken just after sunset shows the Balclutha on the left and Ghirardelli square on the right. I shot the left hand image
first and worked my to the right as it got darker, since the sun had just set to the right of the frame. So by the time I got the right right
hand image, it had become as dark there as it was when I took the left side image. So the whole image has a consistent brightness, as it was
seen with my eye.  This image is so detailed, that you can see into the flats in some of the buildings on a 20x50 print.

(from www.boatingsf.com) The 256-foot Full-Rigged Ship Balclutha was built in 1886. Owned by SFMNHP. Based at San Francisco Maritime
National Historical Park. San Francisco's most prominent tall ship, permanently berthed at the Hyde Street pier. Originally built for the
Britain-California grain trade, Balclutha switched to salmon fishing in 1902 and was renamed Star of Alaska in 1906. While she hasn't sailed in
decades, at least she's still afloat-the only sailing ship of her size remaining on San Francisco Bay. (more info at
http://www.nps.gov/archive/safr/local/balc.html)
The Cityscape and Seascape of San Francisco

The position of the hilly and densely populated city on the end of a peninsula near the Golden Gate makes for a never-end variety of
landscape photography opportunities.  The vertical nature of the architecture and streets is a landscape in and of its own.  It will take many
years to even scratch the surface.  It is rare that a city blends in so well into the landscape since most large cities are built on flat ground.
Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco, California, Balclutha,
Yerba Buena Morning        Buy limited edition print/license       (No open edition for panoramas)   

Location:  San Francisco viewed from Yerba Buena Island, California

Story:

The first light of the day is often the best at showing details of the Bay Bridge and city skyline. The skyline is about to change radically so I
consider this to be the 'before' view. An 'after' view is planned.  It took a bit of fussing and a rather awkward pose to get all the parts of the
bridge to line up like this and still get the view to the right to be open.  And I had to wait for a whie for a break in the traffic so that it appears
to be an easy commute.  A rarity on the second-busiest bridge in the world that is only 3% behind the busiest George Washington bridge in
New York City.
Fireboat 55       Buy limited edition print/license      Buy open edition print    

Location:  San Francisco looking towards Yerba Buena Island, California

Story:

I wanted to arrange a scene reminiscent of an old painting with fluffy clouds, lots of ripples in the water and good light on the
bridge. I was fortunate to have the elements come together in this scene to show off the old fireboat at it's best.  1/8 of a second
seems to be just right for capturing water texture like this.  It is difficult to keep all vertical lines vertical while keeping the horizon
level on a view so wide!
San Francisco, Yerba Buena Island, California, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
San Francisco MOMA Reflections         Buy limited edition print/license         Buy open edition print  

Location:  San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California

Story:

The San Francisco Museum of Modern art is set in what are many modern works of art. Due to the extreme contrast in this scene,
I made 5 different exposures and blended them together using HDR (High Dynamic Range) techniques.  Modern cameras can not
capture the full range of brightness that our eyes can see.  So now this scene is as I saw it with my own eyes.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California, SFMOMA
Cupid's Arrow     Buy limited edition print/license     Buy open edition print      

Location:  San Francisco Embarcadero, California

Story:

I was careful to include the Ferry Tower right under the bow with some good first light at sunrise.  This enormous work of art was
created by internationally renowned artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Composed of fiberglass and steel, the
sculpture stands approximately 60 feet tall and is 130-140 feet wide.
San Francisco Embarcadero, California, Cupids Span, Claes Oldenburg, Coosje van Bruggen
SF MOMA Falls      Buy limited edition print/license    Buy open edition print     

Location:  San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California

Story:

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a work of art in and of itself. Here, the fountian creates a perfect opportunity for
some strong lines and a dramatic skyline.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California
Martin Luther King Memorial Falls     Buy limited edition print/license      Buy open edition print        

Location:  San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California

Story:

This memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. features text from some of his speeches along with roaring falls and misty spray. There
was a dramatic red sunset behind the camera, which helped warm up the light in this scene. And warm spotlights added good
tones to the falls.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California, Yerba Buena Rooftop Garden
West Span        Buy limited edition print/license       Buy open edition print      

Location:  San Francisco Embarcadero, California

Story:

This is a combination of 3 shots all taken at F8 of the 9,260 foot long west span of the San Francisco - Oakland Bay bridge.
Exposure times were 10, 50 and 120 seconds each. I created a 32 bit image using Photomatix and then I used tone mapping to
make a few small adjustments. But in this case I hardly had to move any sliders, as it looked almost perfect from the start. Then I
saved to a 16 bit TIFF
San Francisco Embarcadero, California, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
Embarcadero Morning        Buy limited edition print/license        Buy open edition print       

Location:  San Francisco, California

Story:

I have been to this spot many times hoping for a good sunrise and finally it happened.  I used the tower of the bridge to block the
bright sun from creating lens flare.  Also, a medium tide is best for isolating the old pier pilings.  High tide nearly covers them and
low tide make them too big to easily include in a decent composition.  This was about 1 minute before the lights were turned off.  
The tripod was placed right on one of the square concrete posts with the legs shortened in order to be as close to the edge as
possible.  I made sure to include the walkway for perspective and the feeling of actually being there for this amazing sunrise!
Embarcadero Steps  Buy limited edition print/license   Buy open edition print    

Location:  San Francisco, California

Story:

After an incredible sunrise, I set the tripod on a post and composed this scene.  I used a medium-short exposure time to get the
rippled effect in the water.  Also, I waited for a ripple to wash across the lowest step to show the water level there.  The sky is
rarely like this in San Francisco.  It is usually foggy or completely clear, so this was a treat!
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Silicon City       Buy limited edition print/license      Buy open edition print      

Location:  Yerba Buena Island/San Francisco, California

Story:

San Francisco and Silicon Valley to the south are the home to most of the world's leading technology companies. From Computer
hardware, to networking and internet social networking they are all here. And the city has a high-tech look too which feels 'cutting
edge' when you are in the middle of it. It is an exciting place to be! There are also many traditional areas of town that feel more
like a European or Asian city than anywhere in the United States. And there are a few nice views to be had too!
Bridge to Yerba Buena      Buy limited edition print/license      Buy open edition print      

Location:  Yerba Buena Island/San Francisco, California

Story:

The 10,305 ft long west span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge carries 102 million cars per year on its two decks with 5
lanes on each. Only the George Washington Bridge in New York is busier with 108 million cars per year.