- San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge at sunset – Photo given to contest winners
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxjL_c0pNWw
Despite taking photos and videos during the summer, be sure to bring along extra layers since fog, wind and cold, moist temperatures can catch you off guard even on a seemingly warm summer day!
Here’s a few things to consider when shooting photos (or viewing the sights) from the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge. First off, when looking southward the sun rises to your left and sets over your right shoulder behind the Marin Headland hills. So if you are looking for golden hour or blue hour shots, shooting from the hill on Battery Spencer to the North-West of the GGB should be a nice spot for the early risers – ASSUMING the fog has not obscured your view. Even then, going to a higher overlook may provide you with a breakthrough view above the cloudy stuff. There a two potential downsides taking pictures from Battery Spencer or above. As expected, since this is a great location for photography and the vista points are on steep hills, the precious few parking spots are a valuable commodity. So if you show up during busy hours with the thrones of tourists, be prepared to wait for a parking spot and deal with the more aggressive types and local authorities if you are blocking traffic, double-parking, etc. Secondly, since you are on breathtaking hilly vista points, that funnels through the Bay opening, expect vigorous winds – especially midday though the evening when the temperatures are typically much warmer inland. So if you are shooting on a slow time lapse exposure, try to protect your tripod (and yourself) from the wind. Scooting down to Horseshoe Bay on the North-East down near the San Francisco Bay, the Marin Headlands will provide you wind protection that you will enjoy on a cool, windy day. And while you will not have the glorious vista views from Battery Spencer, taking a moderately wide angle shot (perhaps 16 to 70mm) from the military field will yield some noteworthy shots from “down below” the GGB surface (220 feet above the waterline). Finally, here are a few other noteworthy photo opportunities at the Horseshoe Bay area. Assuming good visibility, you should be able to get some nice shots of Angel Island and her dark sister island with a checkered past – Alcatraz Island. If you have longer lens, say 200mm or beyond you may be treated to some stunning shots of the San Francisco skyline. The Fort Baker area offers some interesting shots. The Bay Area Discovery Museum is worth a peek and you may enjoy some shots of the numerous sailboats moored in the harbor, plus getting some “action shots” of a cruise ship leaving or entering the Bay Area. We also found that flora and fauna provided us some interesting color and detail shots, along with the native bird population. Thank you for dropping by and we hope you will enjoy our next sub-episode, Part 3b, where we move down to the south side of the Golden Gate Bridge for more photo op’s from sunrise to sunset and beyond! Stay tuned… To order our photos, please see our online SmugMug site where you can purchase beautiful large canvas and acrylic heirlooms, medium to small photos or even photos printed on other media including greeting cards, stickers, playing cards, coffee cups, shirts, etc.http://californiatravelvideos.smugmug.com/And if you are into social media, please feel free to Follow, Like and Subscribe to us here: