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The “blue hour” is that brief but magical moment of twilight, either early in the dawn, or late in the dusk, when the sun is at a significant distance below the horizon and the residual, indirect sunlight takes on a predominantly blue hue. My goal was to create a VAST photo capturing San Francisco at that special moment - but first I had to find the perfect location.
The "City By the Bay" is located on a geologic fault line, which means that there is no shortage of scenic overlooks, dramatic views, and picturesque locations. That being said, Twin Peaks is one of my favorites. It offers a great vantage of the entire downtown San Francisco area, with a straight view down Market Street all the way to the famous Ferry Building. In the background, you can see the recently reinvigorated Bay Bridge, with all its dancing lights.
On this particularly cold evening, I worked my way past the main viewpoint, and down the hillside where I could be in perfect position. I wanted to be able to see the famous Ferry Terminal building all the way at the end of Market Street. I sat on the side of the hill and waited for the sun to go down behind me and for all the other visitors to leave. In the span of about ten minutes, the temperature dropped about 15 degrees, and the wind picked up dramatically. Without the extra layers and a sturdy tripod, this shot would not have happened.
While I waited for the light to be just right, I reflected on how I was witnessing San Francisco at a pivotal moment of its history, with the nearly completed construction of the West Coast’s tallest building, Salesforce Tower. With such explosive economic growth from the tech sector, this city has seen a lot of changes in the past ten years, some for the better, and some not. I have been part of those changes in many ways, and when you sit upon one of its predominant hills, you are confronted with how much the city is alive and evolving right in front of you.
Facing east towards downtown, my goal was to wait for the moment when all the lights within the city were illuminated, but the sky still had enough light to have the beautiful blue color I was looking for. Once the sun set below the horizon, the light changed at a dramatically fast pace, giving me precious-little time to capture the many exposures that I would stitch together to create this image - all while my fingers were going numb.
After successfully capturing the necessary images within the fleeting time window, I packed up my gear and hiked back up the hillside, excited to begin the technical process of using the source material I had just acquired to generate this VAST photo, one of the highest resolution photographs ever created.
Date & Time | March 28, 2017: 7:58pm |
Location | Downtown San Francisco, California |
Coordinates | 37.754697, -122.446323 |
Focal Length | 200mm |
Aperture | f/13 |
Shutter | 5 sec |
ISO | 100 |
Num of Exposures | 27 |
VAST photos are the highest resolution photos ever made.
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Its resolution is 1,630% greater than a typical photo. Click on the boxes below to zoom in.
Our ready-to-hang canvas prints are created using a specialty printer that carefully lays pigment inks down onto archival-quality fine art canvas material. The canvas is then stretched around a 1.5-inch-deep wood support structure to provide depth and elegance. Our canvas material has a delightfully matte finish that looks spectacular in any lighting conditions while retaining maximum vibrancy and contrast. Click here to learn more.
A VAST Print™ represents the pinnacle of the photographic medium. Each print is a true photograph created specifically for you using light-sensitive paper exposed in a darkroom with the industry's highest precision exposure technique. Your print is then sealed with a shine-enhancing protective glossy coating*, adhered to a sturdy aluminum composite backing, and finished in one of two ready-to-hang formats:
*Note: a non-glossy, satin matte coating is alternatively available on request.
Due to their record-setting resolutions, VAST photos are the most versatile images ever created, with the quality necessary to look great at any size and in any project. Purchasing one of our standard royalty-free licenses provides you with the digital file at your choice of resolution and a permit to use it for most types of projects. Click here to learn more.
For a premium license that gives exclusivity, glass-related use in North America, or use in merchandise for sale, contact us.
Total Pixels | 363,349,824 px |
Width | 32,817 px |
Height | 11,072 px |
Aspect Ratio | 2.96 : 1 |
Date & Time | March 28, 2017: 7:58pm |
Location | Downtown San Francisco, California |
Coordinates | 37.754697, -122.446323 |
Focal Length | 200mm |
Aperture | f/13 |
Shutter | 5 sec |
ISO | 100 |
Num of Exposures | 27 |
Here are some rough guidelines for this specific photo: