SF sunrise/sunset

chrismoore · January 18, 2009

Hi all, I'm going to be stopping over in san francisco briefly in a couple of months, and basically will have time for one sunset shoot and one sunrise shoot. I've seen a lot of gorgeous photos from SF here lately and have been doing a lot of reading to try and pick my location as I will only have one chance to get it right! It seems a lot of people do the sunrise at Baker's beach, with the golden gate bridge in the far background, and at sunset I've seen a lot of nice shots from Treasure Island. I've also heard some people talking about a place that is supposedly off limits but there is a hole in the fence that photographers get through. That's all I know about it. Any further input would be appreciated.
Thanks
Chris

Cygnus Studios · January 18, 2009

One shot???? Oh I feel for you. There are tons of options depending on what you want to include in the photo. Baker Beach, Treasure Island, Marin Headlands, Mt Tam, Fort Baker (marin side), Rodeo Drive (marin side), Pt. Reyes, Just about any stop along Rt 1.

Now with all that said, the weather here has a mind of its own. The sky can be clear and beautiful during the day and the fog rolls in thick blocking out any real chance of a killer sunset. Same goes for sunrise.
I have found many more opportunities for sunrises vs sunsets. Every so often if you go high up like Mt. Tam you can get a sunset above the fog.
It is really hit and miss, and having a 1 time shot, I wish you the best. I have lived here for 6 months and I can count the number of clear sunset opportunities.

chrismoore · January 18, 2009

I know, it stinks, it is basically an overnight layover and I definitely want to go back at some point, I just want to take advantage of the short time I have there so wanted to try and pick the best locations and I know people who have shot there many times probably have their favs. Thanks for the input.

Dee · January 18, 2009

Cygnus Studios wrote:

One shot???? Oh I feel for you. There are tons of options depending on what you want to include in the photo. Baker Beach, Treasure Island, Marin Headlands, Mt Tam, Fort Baker (marin side), Rodeo Drive (marin side), Pt. Reyes, Just about any stop along Rt 1.

Now with all that said, the weather here has a mind of its own. The sky can be clear and beautiful during the day and the fog rolls in thick blocking out any real chance of a killer sunset. Same goes for sunrise.
I have found many more opportunities for sunrises vs sunsets. Every so often if you go high up like Mt. Tam you can get a sunset above the fog.
It is really hit and miss, and having a 1 time shot, I wish you the best. I have lived here for 6 months and I can count the number of clear sunset opportunities.

You said it all! I was thinking the same thing, it depends on the weather as to we even get to see a sunset. Being a night owl, I can't speak for sunrises!

Chris, for example this past week we've enjoyed weather warmer than we get in our so-called summers, but the sky has been clear at sunset, no clouds to add drama to the skies.

You can't see the sun "set" from Treasure Island, and can only count on some color in the sky after sunset.

Actually the "Land's End" and Cliff House area might give you a nice view of the sunset. There's free parking too. There are 3 places to eat in the area too, including the Beach Chalet which overlooks ocean beach. Some people climb down to the Sutro Bath ruins for some interesting shots.

Crissy Fields has free parking but depending on the time of year you may not see the sun set behind the Golden Gate Bridge. You have a good view of Alcatraz from that area, and to the east is a Marina.

On the Marin side of the Golden Gate Bridge there are several viewpoints you can pull out and catch the sunset to the west and the bridge to the east. It's probably better for sunrise but as I said, I can't speak from personal experience.

I'd do a google image search and see if you can find out when the photos were taken and coordinate the dates with your planned trip to find out where the sun will be when you are in the area.

Driving up to Mt. Tam would give you either a dramatic sunrise or sunset, again try a google image search.

As for me, I head to either of two places for my sunsets here:

or here:

chrismoore · January 18, 2009

Thanks for the info. Nice pics, where did you take those?
Maybe the title of my post was a bit misleading, I'm not necessarily interested in photographing the sun set or rise, it more the light at the time of day (ie, the cityscape and bridge lights in the early evening, and saw some shots from bakers beach with some nice morning light).

Cygnus Studios · January 19, 2009

You mean this bridge

Although sometimes the fog can be cool:

At night, it can sometimes look like this with a light fog:

chrismoore · January 19, 2009

Cygnus Studios wrote:

You mean this bridge

Again, more great shots. where were those taken? The second one looks familiar and I think others said it was taken on treasure island, but I can't tell if the city lies behind the fog.

a110p0 · January 19, 2009

I don't get out much for sunrise shooting in SF.

The one time I woke up early to drive to Treasure Island for a sunrise
shoot, was disappointed by the results. Too much contrast for a skyline
shot (at least on that day).

I wonder if Twin Peaks might be good for sunrise if you shoot towards
the north and get some side light.

Another great location for a panoramic shot is a place called Tank Hill.

Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands (Battery Spencer) may
be good for sunrise too.

For sunsets or after sunset locations, almost any SF location will
look beautiful. I especially enjoy shooting after the sunsets
(20 - 60 min) when the balance of artificial light and natural light
is more even. Fog will be a killer of sunset shots in The City.

If you're looking for skyline shots, Treasure Island is ideal.

If you want Golden Gate Bridge shots, any angle will look nice
particularly after the sunsets. The bridge gets lit up so it has a
really nice glow. The GGB can be shot from many locations.
I'd say the most iconic location is from Battery Spencer in the
Marin Headlands (north of the GGB). Other locations would be
Baker Beach, Crissy Field, Kirby Cove, Fort Point.

If there's fog, if you drive up to Mt Tam, you could get above the
fog and shoot a sunset.

Here's my Google Map of Bay Area locations.

Funny thing is that I don't have any shots from some of the places I've
mentioned.

I have a few shots though:

From Bolinas Road, Mount Tam, overlooking Stinson Beach.
On this day, there was fog towards SF, but clear up on Mt Tam.

GGB from Kirby Cove. Requires a mile hike.

Bay Bridge from Treasure Island.

Palace of Fine Arts is neat after sunset too, especially if there's still
some blue in the sky.

I hope this helps some.

Alvin

aktse · January 19, 2009

chrismoore wrote:

...pick the best locations and I know people who have shot there many times probably have their favs....

You're not going to like this answer -- it depends on the weather + time of year + what you want to shoot + luck.

The wonderful people in this thread gave you a bunch of locations. If you want more, a flickr search is always a good option if this isn't enough for you.

If you only have time for sunset/sunrise, you might just want to go for some standard locations. This way, you don't have to spend your time hunting for entrances, landmarks, etc.

1) GGB from the Marin Headlands

2) Generic panos from Twin Peaks

3) Single frame views (or panos) of the city from Treasure Island or Yerba Buena Island. Check baldy's thread for the big panos ones...

4) Sunrise over the bay bridge (with some fog)

5) Sunrise at baker or markshall beach (rather than Kirby -- harder to get too)

In the end, it's all about your interest, time of the year, and most importantly, luck.

I don't recommend you hunting or breaking into things because you're not familiar with this area, and limited on time. You don't have to go on a treasure hunt in order to take great photos of SF. And some of the directions include small landmarks as a specific color rock on the group, or directions such as walk past tree, or, look for a small hole cut in about three miles of fences. It's not worth your time...

Cygnus Studios · January 19, 2009

aktse wrote:

And some of the directions include small landmarks as a specific color rock on the group, or directions such as walk past tree, or, look for a small hole cut in about three miles of fences.

We save those for the tourists we don't like

aktse · January 19, 2009

Cygnus Studios wrote:

We save those for the tourists we don't like

That's a great idea!!! I'll send them to the magical spot where you can frame the Transamerica Pyramid within the "window" of the GGB's tower. It's marked by a small white rock somewhere in the hills above the GGB on the Marin side.

Good luck. Remember -- head up cozumel road, make some right turns, some left ones, park, hike, make some turns, and stop where you see the small white rock. Rock marks the spot. And a 600mm would be helpful... (note -- I haven't found the rock yet, but it's on my list of places to shoot)

Or, we send can send them into the haunted cave.

But seriously, you really can't make a mistake in the bay area and due to your limited time, make a short list of a few "classic" compositions, forget about those local only special spots (unless a local takes you) and make a game time decision based on the weather once you land at SFO.

And when are you landing?

a110p0 · January 19, 2009

Nice paint job. Very cool!.

Alvin

aktse wrote:

Or, we send can send them into the haunted cave.

SF sunrise/sunset

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