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The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most recognizable monuments in New York City.  On my recent trip there it was one of my goals to get to this bridge and shoot some brackets. I almost didn’t get to take this shot, as it was raining on most of the days that I had to explore the city by myself. We decided to stay an extra day, and that was the chance I was waiting for.

The weather was perfect.  I took the ferry from Staten Island to Whitehall Station in lower Manhattan and began walking.  Yes, I walked from the ferry to the Brooklyn Bridge and back again, and I had the blisters to prove it! It was well worth it though, as I got the shot I had come to New York to get. I wanted to have lower Manhattan and one of the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge in the shot, so I used my trusty Rokinon fisheye to get it all in. As it was getting close to sunset, the sun hung low in the sky ans the clouds were incredible. I couldn’t have picked a better time to be on the bridge, and I shot for over an hour there.  I decided to set up my tripod on one of the supports that goes over the roadway (I know I’m crazy), but that was the only way to get this shot!  I was fortunate enough to not have anyone walk by while I was shooting, but the cars speeding by below were an issue.  I masked most of the cars out in post in Photoshop.  There was a lot of work involved in making this image, and I’m very happy to be able to share it with you.

This is a 9 exposure HDR shot on my Nikon D200, Rokinon 8mm fisheye @ f/11 ISO 200.  As usual I processed it in Lightroom 3 and PS CS4, with OnOne Phototools adding depth and vibrance.