Description — This is a photograph of the San Francisco skyline, with Coit Tower in the distance at center left. It was taken in August 2005 in late afternoon.
Camera Nerd Info — Linhof Super Technika V 4×5 view camera, Schneider SA 90mm f/8 lens, Fuji NPS 160 film, exposure 1/8s @ f/8, front fall.
Commentary — Initially I named this image “Retro Frisco” because of the almost antique look given by the NPS color negative film, but then I found out that San Franciscans don’t like the word “Frisco”, so I renamed it “Coit Tower” even though that famous landmark is in the distance. The rooftop flags in middle distance signal the strong wind that was blowing. Despite the wind it was foggy; a cloudy mist was blowing through, giving a hazy look to the image. I bet that weather combination doesn’t happen in many places.
I used NPS in an attempt to properly expose the dark green building on the lower left together with the bright blue sky. Street level was quite dark; note the street lamps at the very bottom edge of the image. I may have shot the film at 100 speed instead of 160, but I don’t recall. It wouldn’t surprise me if I did; I “think” in ISO 100, which makes it easy for me to calculate exposure in my head, but difficult to transition to digital cameras and their variable ISOs. Front fall was needed in order to get the entire scene on film and keep the building lines parallel. It was achieved by dropping the camera bed below level, raising the front standard a bit, then tilting back the lens so that it remained parallel to the film plane. The same movement could have been done by inverting the camera on the tripod and using front rise; the Linhof has a tripod socket on the top as well.
This is one case where my technical skill outran my skill in composition. I can’t tell if this is a good image or not. Is it an interesting view of the San Francisco skyline, or just a picture of a red roof? You decide.
ML