San Francisco Suggestions?

PixNW · February 12, 2009

I'm going to be spending a few days in San Francisco at the end of this month. I'm arriving via motorcycle and staying around Fisherman's Wharf. I would prefer to park the bike when I get there and get around by walking and using public transporation.

Any suggestions for "must get", unusual or iconic shots or locations would be most appreciated. Since my small Lowe treker fits best on my bike I'll only be taking a few lenses and my 1D, Mk. IIN. I plan to have my 24-70 2.8L, 70-200 2.8L IS, and 50 1.8, along with filters, tripod and ballhead. I'll have a 580EXII with me, but don't plan on carrying it with me all of the time.

Any suggestions on neighborhoods to avoid, or avoid at night, and similar local knowledge would be really appreciated too.

Ann McRae · February 12, 2009

PixNW wrote:

I'm going to be spending a few days in San Francisco at the end of this month. I'm arriving via motorcycle and staying around Fisherman's Wharf. I would prefer to park the bike when I get there and get around by walking and using public transporation.

Any suggestions for "must get", unusual or iconic shots or locations would be most appreciated. Since my small Lowe treker fits best on my bike I'll only be taking a few lenses and my 1D, Mk. IIN. I plan to have my 24-70 2.8L, 70-200 2.8L IS, and 50 1.8, along with filters, tripod and ballhead. I'll have a 580EXII with me, but don't plan on carrying it with me all of the time.

Any suggestions on neighborhoods to avoid, or avoid at night, and similar local knowledge would be really appreciated too.

Sunrise from Pier 7, top pick!

and if you get there before the sun starts coming up, there are great lamps on the pier.

Everything near you will be photo worthy, I think!

Lots of food for thought in the landscapes and journeys fora too

ann

aktse · February 13, 2009

a110p0's (Alvin's) map is your best bet and search is your friend.

http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=113346
http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=96481
http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=78133
http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=68271
http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=117858

a110p0 · February 13, 2009

I don't live in The City, but I know that some neighborhoods have
a reputation. The Tenderloin, Western Addition are a couple of
neighborhoods that pop to mind.

Crime map of SF that I found.

SF has it's share of homeless folks too.

SF is also fairly compact, so you could get around via cable car, or
buses. Also BART runs around the Bay so you can get to different
parts of the Bay Area. Nowadays, I rarely drive to SF, always take
BART and buses.

Despite some problems, SF is an amazing city. The Bay, the bridges,
it's proximity to nature, history, access to cultural sights and the
wonderful weather make it an ideal city to photograph.

I'd say the most iconic spot is shooting the Golden Gate Bridge from
Battery Spencer in the Marin Headlands, on a fogless night during
the blue hour. It's such a beautiful shot (and one that I've never
captured).

The other iconic shot is the City skyline from Treasure Island during the
blue hour.

A few neighborhoods to check out, Chinatown, North Beach and
The Haight.

Alvin

Cygnus Studios · February 13, 2009

For the post card image, the Marin Headlands is darn near perfect for the bridge and city. Although the weather can spoil it easy.

I also like Marin side of Fort Baker near Sausalito. Get a slightly different view of the bridge and city.

For downtown you are pretty good anywhere during the day. The tourist areas offer some great photo ops.

Baker beach is a great spot.

There is so much to do and see. The only limit here is the weather. The fog rolls in fast and thick.

PixNW · February 15, 2009

Thanks everyone, I'll check out the links and probably print everything up to take along. My wife got me a way cool Valentines present and I've been busy trying to get some pics of it but the light isn't cooperating, and now it's snowing.

agunther · February 18, 2009

This is a repost of something I wrote on another forum with some tweaks.
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]
Some of the places I like best:
One of my favorite shots is of the city from the Marin Headlands. What many people don't know is that you can stay up here until after sunset, even though the sign at the bottom of the road says otherwise:

You just have to come earlier. You can stay longer.
When you park close to the beginning of the Road leading up the hill and hike out towards the bridge you can take this shot:

(sorry for the watermark, that was my old style of protectionist thinking, I am actually going to put my small web images under CC soon)
Another one of my absolute favorites is Twin peaks:

If you really want to get a sense of the place, check out this 850 Megapixel Shot I stitched of Twin Peaks
850 Megapixel Panorama of Twin Peaks
And while we are talking Skylines, the view from Treasure Island is really exceptional:

I have two more bonus places for taking skyline shots.
Alamo Square is famous for the Victorian Houses:

And another great view is from Coit Tower:

Coit Tower in itself makes a grea shooting subject.
A view of the Golden Gate from Baker Beach is always nice:

I just love doing some street shooting at Fishermans Wharf:

and Chinatown is great too:

I advice to start at Fishermans Wharf as Tourists are generally a bit more open to being photographed by strangers.
The Palace of Fine Arts is nice but the last couple of times I checked there was some construction

The area is nice nonetheless and the marina is always great for yet another angle of the Golden Gate and yachts with the skyline as a backdrop.
Every tourists loves Lombard street:

Which is not the street with the most switchbacks (just happens to be the most known).
And while you are there, get some shots of the Cable Cars with Alcatraz as a Backdrop:

Not many people know about the great shooting at the Legion of Honor:

But the Japanese Tea Garden in the Golden Gate Park is known to everyone:

There are many more great places for photography in this large park like the Conservatory of Flowers, a Windmill and others.
You can also go to the Beaches, Cliff House, Sutro Baths and many other great places.
And if you like you can check out a some even lesser known locations that I am writing about and much more detail about the stuff I just talked about on my new site:
California Photo Scout
San Francisco is a great city. I hope you have ample of time when you come here.
[/FONT]

agunther · February 22, 2009

Two more
Here are two more views from yesterday.

Not everyone knows about Pier 7 which makes it a great suggestion:

And the View from Buena Vista Park is nice too:

a110p0 · March 1, 2009

Andre,
Checked out your blog and website. Nice work with loads of information.
What a valuable resource.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Alvin

agunther · March 1, 2009

Thanks
Thanks Alvin,

I thrive on positive feedback, especially from photographers like yourself. I am glad you like the information.

tenoverthenose · March 3, 2009

I had always seen shots of Baker Beach, but never any at / after sunset. I set up and engagement shoot and brought the couple down to the beach to get the shot I had in my mind. After we were done with the shoot we realized the cops lock the gate at sunset (which is why I never saw any other pictures like it). So I warn you, make sure you leave before sunset....

jennifer_chris+11.jpg

aktse · March 3, 2009

tenoverthenose wrote:

I had always seen shots of Baker Beach, but never any at / after sunset. I set up and engagement shoot and brought the couple down to the beach to get the shot I had in my mind. After we were done with the shoot we realized the cops lock the gate at sunset (which is why I never saw any other pictures like it). So I warn you, make sure you leave before sunset....

I'm sorry that you got locked in, but there are plenty of sunset shots of Baker Beach --- take a quick peak at flickr- lots of images

The usable hours of the parking lot nearest to the beach is clearly marked by signs and if I remember correctly, the parking lot is in operation from sunrise to sunset and this is similar to many gated areas in the bay area. The park rangers do this to prevent people from sleeping at the beach in their cars, but you'll find people there at all hours (runners, photographers, couples, etc).

However, you can park outside of the gate and walk the extra 1/2 mile or so and get to the same location. When in doubt, read the signs.

I did a sunrise shot in the past and we just parked a bit further away in a non-gated parking lot and walked around the gates. In addition, you can also access the beach from above using the staircase and park there.

edited:
I forgot to mention...

Welcome to dgrin!

And thank you for sharing your experience and I hope that no one else will become locked in at baker beach.

tsk1979 · March 3, 2009

I didn't know about baker beach lock down.
Anyways, here is my sunset shot from there
Sunset

Bridge

tenoverthenose · March 3, 2009

In all fairness the signs were clearly posted, I just didn't read them.

We stayed on the beach for about 45 minutes after sunset while shooting. Sometime during that, a cop honked at me quite a few times and I assumed (incorrectly) that he didn't want us to shoot their without a permit. I quickly got the last few frames and started to pack up. By the time I got up to the gate it was chained up. Thankfully there was enough room to drive around the gate.

In the end the shot was worth it to me (and my clients).

FioriFoto · June 19, 2009

Palace of Fine Arts is a great place when there's no fog

FioriFoto · June 19, 2009

Twin Peaks is phenomenal on a clear night too...

ChatKat · June 19, 2009

Free Tours
If you want to take some tours, the San Francisco Pulbic Library has a volunteer group that does two hour tours with themes. We did the Baudy San Francisco and China Town tour last month. Requested donation is $10 per person. They change daily. You can photograph during the tour. San Francisco is one of my favorite places to street shoot. I have a few galleries from my trips there and one I am working on.

HeatherWB · June 20, 2009

My husband and I went to San Francisco in 2006 and absolutely loved it. We hope to get back there at some point down the road. Here are a few of the pics from that trip...keep in mind that they were shot with a bridge cam--a Fuji s602z. Now that I have better gear to shoot with and really know I'm doing with it, I'm sure the pics from the next trip (whenever that happens) will be even better.

:

Chinatown is definitely worth checking out:

Since someone mentioned the Sutro Baths...

Last, but not least, the Golden Gate from the Marin side:

PVNPhotography · June 23, 2009

Wow, Lombard street is nice! I really need to go there. Went to SF a few days ago, but it was during the night and I was only there to get Clam Chowder and some Ghiradelli.

chrismoore · September 8, 2009

logistics question
Hi, I haven't been to SanFrancisco in years but will have a full day of shooting there in October. I'd like to get the iconic shot of the bridge from Battery Spencer and the way my schedule is looking I would like to get there about an hour before sunrise. (I'm referring to the second shot in agunther's post on the first page of this thread). Is there anything I need to know about accessibility of this area at that time? is it open? if not is there a place to park and walk?

I'm planning to shoot there at sunrise and try for Rodeo Sea Stacks at sunset that night, with a full day of various places around the city. Was going to shoot at Baker Beach the following morning before catching my flight out. I've seen many sunrise shots at Baker Beach so I'm assuming there is a way to get out there before sunrise.

Thanks so much for the input!

aktse · September 8, 2009

chrismoore wrote:

I'd like to get the iconic shot of the bridge from Battery Spencer and the way my schedule is looking I would like to get there about an hour before sunrise. (I'm referring to the second shot in agunther's post on the first page of this thread). Is there anything I need to know about accessibility of this area at that time? is it open? if not is there a place to park and walk?

For the Battery Spencer/Hawk Hill/Marine Headllands shot, head over the golden gate and on to Conzelman Rd (first exit after you cross the bridge). There are three turns out which you can part. The image that you liked from that post is from the first turnout and it requires a 1/4 mile walk. I suggest you bring a thick jacket, good heavy tripod, and a small flashlight if you're shooting sunset and afterwards. The wind is what bothers most people (and photos)....

View first turnout during sunset: (sorry, haven't been there for sunrise yet). Also, check the fog report....

View 2nd turnout (maybe third; can't remember) during late afternoon

chrismoore wrote:

Was going to shoot at Baker Beach the following morning before catching my flight out. I've seen many sunrise shots at Baker Beach so I'm assuming there is a way to get out there before sunrise.

The main parking lot to baker beach is closed from sunrise to sunset, but you can park outside of the park and walk in (1/4 miles on road, 1/4 on sand) or above the beach and walk down the stairs.

Baker Beach -- sunrise

You might also want to check the tide levels for Baker Beach because depending on the tides, it will determine how much of the rocks you can climb.

San Francisco Suggestions?

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