Oakland Temple

Just Before Sunset

If anyone does not know why photographers call sunset the 'golden hour', this photo should explain.  The temple looks beautiful bathed in this warm light.  And, believe it or not, I did nothing to the color of the sky.  (But I do notice that when I downsized to post, it created a subtle 'blotchy' look.)

At Twilight

This is a multiple exposure image, (HDR).  By underexposing and overexposing several shots and combining them, you can create an image with a greater range from light to dark than with a single exposure.  HDR works best when you have a scene with extreme lights and darks, such as this one where there is a brightly lit building, and deep shadows in the shrubbery.  Although I could see these shades with my eye, my camera couldn't. 

On this shot, I did not change the colors, but I did make an adjustment in camera.  I did a 'Tech Talk Tuesday' on this quite a while ago and it works whether you are doing portraits or landscapes outside and are shooting at twilight.  Simply change your white balance to the 'florescent' preset (on a Canon it shows a picture of a rectangle light.)  This will make a pale blue/gray sky pop with color, and in this shot, it also made the dull gray foreground water turn dark blue.  Very dramatic.

To answer some questions, this is one of over 130 temples around the world owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, (Mormons).  While we were visiting, we learned that many brides of all religions come here to have wedding photos taken in these lovely gardens.  At one time the church decided to turn off the lights at night to conserve energy and were approached by city officials saying they would help pay to keep them on.  Evidently the lights are so bright on the hill that the temple acts as a beacon and landmark for ships and planes.