The Golden Gate’s 75th Anniversary
Olympus OMD E-M5 + Lumix G Vario 7-14mm f/4 at 13mm | 1.6 sec, f/5, ISO 200
This past Sunday marked the 75th anniversary of what is my opinion the most beautiful bridge in the world. After a long hike up the Marin Headlands in the afternoon, we settled down at an ideal spot to view the evening’s fireworks show. To stay light during the long hike, I left the dslr at home and brought along my smaller Olympus OM-D E-M5 to cover the event. The show was beyond amazing! I originally thought there’d be fireworks out over just the water with the bridge as a backdrop, but I had to pick my jaw back up off the floor when fire started shooting from the bridge itself.
On the drive home, I discovered that the OM-D has a pretty neat image overlay feature. I used it to cobble together some composite images in-camera, which you can output as JPEG or RAW files. It’s a great way to kick your fireworks photos up a notch:
Happy 75th, Golden Gate. I’ll never tire of photographing you!
Most amazing fireworks I’ve ever seen! It was worth turning into a popsicle! These photos are soooo fantastic, too. Nice composites, they really capture how over-the-top awesome the display was.
Bridget
May 29, 2012 at 7:04 am
Jonathan, Truly loved your firework photographs over the Golden Gate Bridge as they are outstanding! You are my favorite photographer and I hope to one day be as good as you! You inspire me! I have taken photographs of fireworks before, but not as good as yours! I was looking for Suki in one of your photo’s!
Nikitaland
May 29, 2012 at 7:11 am
OMG, you need to blow these photos up the size of your wall. The photo quality is amazing for what you brought. You should be proud of these!
Jasmine
May 29, 2012 at 7:38 am
Beautiful pictures from the OMD. Great spot.
howie221
May 29, 2012 at 8:26 am
I was wondering who would be shooting the event..excellent shooting I wish i would have been there.
Jim Dell
May 29, 2012 at 8:48 am
Love all these Pictures!! How I wish I would have been there!! I miss San Francisco!
Rosa Valenzuela Yañez
May 29, 2012 at 9:30 am
Wow!! Awesome shots.:D
i always wanted to go to San Francisco.
Must be nice.
pianoman12
May 29, 2012 at 11:21 am
dang, dude! you got like the best viewpoint i’ve seen so far. awesome shots.
Jacqueline
May 29, 2012 at 8:08 pm
That is so cool would have loved to been there for that. The photos are Fabulous!
Michele Busch
May 29, 2012 at 9:32 pm
ah, if only every hike would end like this… fireworks over the GG Bridge
great shots!
M.
May 30, 2012 at 11:17 am
FANTASTIC shots! I always loved your shots of the Golden Gate Bridge but these with the fireworks just looks stunning! Great work!
JPanda
May 31, 2012 at 8:15 pm
amazing shots! must’ve been an amazing experience. i can’t imagine what 100th would look like (yikes, we’d be senior citizens with cameras then
Karleen
June 2, 2012 at 10:34 am
Jonathan, these are fantastic shots!!! It is always a joy reading your blog, and always a challange trying to improve my skills based on your work.
Currently I have a Nikon D90 with 18-105mm and 35mm f1.8. Before I invest more in Nikon DX system, do you think it would be a wise choice to sell my gear and get an OM-D with 12-50mm?
Ibrahim Gurel
June 5, 2012 at 11:23 am
There are still things that Nikon’s DX line of cameras can do better than the OM-D, especially when it comes to continuous auto-focus. The appeal of the Olympus, in my opinion, is the fact that it is small and lightweight, and that there are great prime lens options available for the m4/3 system. If you value those things over absolute performance, the OM-D might be for you.
Jonathan
June 10, 2012 at 10:25 am
I love your gear Jonathan! I have the OMD. Where do I find this feature? Also, any tips on where to find great used film cameras here in SF? On vacation and would love to bump into you and your little sidekick Suki one day. Been on the lookout for Shibas and a camera toting human behind him.
lifeat1point2
June 12, 2012 at 8:08 am
Thanks for the comment! If you’re shooting RAW with the OM-D, hit the playback button and select a photo. Then hit the OK button to bring up a menu where you’ll see Image Overlay. It’s a great feature! As far as where to pick up a nice film camera in SF, I’d head to either Glass Key Photo or Rayko, both of which are in San Francisco. Hope you enjoy your trip!
Jonathan
June 13, 2012 at 10:05 am
these are amazing. my fireworks pics look so bad compared to this. i have a d2x, used a 3 second shutter, 35mm f/9. i was sitting right under the the fireworks though so my framing kinda sucked. nice comp
Omkar Shivaprasad
July 8, 2012 at 7:46 pm