Photographer’s Guide to the Golden Gate Bridge, Part 1 – Baker Beach North

In the early 2000s I published a photographer’s guide to the Golden Gate Bridge on another site. A reader recently pointed out that much of my info is out of date. I’ve updated it a bit and will be publishing it in installments here. In Part 1 I’ll cover shooting from the north end of Baker Beach.

Golden Gate Bridge from Baker Beach North

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the world’s most photographed icons. Photo guidebooks for tourists wanting to go beyond the point-and-shoot experience give key shooting locations but not enough information to reproduce the shot in the guidebook. Here I’ve recorded exact dates, times, proximity to the time of sunset where applicable, lens length, aperture, white balance/film type, shutter speed, filter information – everything you need to exactly duplicate my photos if you’re so inclined.

Why would anyone want to shoot the same exact shots that others have already published? I’m not really sure, but many people do. My experience suggests that when you try to precisely duplicate an existing photo – even one of your own – you’ll find that you can’t because conditions beyond your control are subtly different. Weather, light intensity, color and direction will force you to change direction toward a different result. In other words, trying to imitate a photo can make you a better photographer.

I’ve picked out a number of good photos of the Golden Gate Bridge – not necessarily award winners, but decent shots. For each of them I list all the technical details and describe where and when I shot it. I give driving directions from San Francisco and give foot-access information where applicable.

Some might think it impossible to get a bad shot of this subject. A Flickr search will cure that notion. An infinite number of bad shots are possible. I’ve owned quite a few. Factors unrelated to composition can easily spoil the shot For example, consider that the bridge runs north-south. As the sun passes around the south side of the sky, the bridge’s 3-foot diameter cables cast dark distracting shadows across the towers at certain times of day. Afternoon shots from the far end of Baker Beach (the easiest part to reach) result in washed-out colors despite the direct afternoon sun, because of the mist that whips across the Pacific Ocean just outside the Golden Gate. A tripod placed on the shifting sand of the beach or on the wind-ravaged slopes of the Marin Headlands will often not succeed in its intended purpose, unless you take extra steps to anchor it well. I’ve tried to list these sorts of details where they might make a difference.

I’ve included several different shots for each scene, hopefully enough to serve as some inspiration. Happy shooting, and don’t forget a heavy jacket, even in the summer.

Access: From San Francisco, take the last San Francisco northbound exit off Highway 101, just before the bridge. The exit sign reads “Golden Gate National Recreation Area View Area”. At the stop sign turn right (Vista Access Road) and then in 150 feet another right at the next stop sign, Lincoln Blvd. Follow Lincoln Blvd for .26 miles (past the stop sign at Merchant Road) and turn right on Langdon Court. Follow Langdon Ct. through the paved parking lot and then around the left side of the old military structure to a gravel parking lot. A trail leads from the southwest corner of the parking lot down to the beach.

Map

A tripod is essential for an aperture small enough to get both bridge and foreground detail  in focus. Use a full-size tripod and bury its legs a few inches into the sand to keep it still; the sand on the surface is in constant motion even though it appears solid.

Standard calculations for depth of field indicate a hyperfocal distance of about forty feet for a 50 mm lens at f/8, and a near depth limit of twenty feet. That suggests I should have stopped down a bit more for the above photo. At f/16 I could have focused on the bridge, and still had the same near depth limit of twenty feet. If hyperfocal calculations aren’t your thing, bracketing apertures liberally might also work. If the surf is more active than it was in the above shot, you’ll also get some braking waves in the near ground.

The color of the bridge as seen from Baker Beach is most intense about fifteen to thirty minutes before sundown. If the weather is unusually clear, you can use a telephoto lens and take a similar photo from the southern (easy access) part of Baker Beach. But haze resulting from wind whipping sea water into the air usually spoils the bridge color, “International Orange.”

Hang around until the sun has gone down on a clear evening to play with a  much moodier version of this scene, like that in the shot below. A 15 second exposure on the waves produces a dreamy effect. Don’t forget a flashlight for the dark trip up to Langdon Court.