International Orange

I just finished reading Kevin Starr’s new book Golden Gate: The Life and Times of America’s Greatest Bridge. As one who has shot the Golden Gate Bridge many times, I found the book to be a fascinating read – lots of history about the politics behind getting it built, the design, the construction, etc.

Were you aware that the color the bridge is painted is called “international orange“. What a great name for a color! Wikipedia says it’s “a color used to set things apart from their surroundings” – and, indeed, it plays that role with the bridge!

The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, on the other hand, is a boring grey color – maybe it’s known as “Local Drab”?

[Note about the photo above: taken January 23, 2010, from the top level of Fort Point in San Francisco just below the Golden Gate Bridge – shot using the Canon PowerShot S90 using traditional HDR techniques. This is unique picture of the bridge is one of my most popular images on Flickr! For more fun, view the large image on a black background!]