I’ve called the San Francisco Bay Area home for most of my life. This city has some of the most iconic landmarks and photogenic spots. When visiting, you’ll notice San Francisco has so many different points of elevation. This provides unique perspectives of the city depending on where you are. I’ve compiled my list of favorite photo spots in San Francisco so you can catch these unique perspectives too.
The seasons here are quite interesting, especially when it comes to summertime. During the day, it may be warm and sunny. Although, when the sun sets, a blanket of fog usually engulfs the city. The best times for photography will vary with everyone. Whether it be golden hour, nighttime, or during midday, the iconic landmarks never disappoint in any type of lighting.
Personally, I love to photograph during gloomy days and blue hour. I feel it provides the most “mood” for my images. I mainly shoot street photography and urban landscapes when I’m roaming San Francisco for photo spots.
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge could arguably be the most famous bridge in the world, and I must say I can’t disagree. Whether you’re looking at it from afar or taking a walk on it, the architecture is simply stunning no matter how you view it. When visiting in the summer, be prepared to see some extra moody scenes here when the fog begins to roll in. During the evening, you can see the bridge light up and create a whole different type of ambiance. When shooting landscape, I love it when it’s foggy. Taking long exposures to make the scene look smooth with the fog is extra satisfying. Marshall’s Beach, located at the Golden Gate lookout area has a great composition of the bridge with the waves washing ashore.
Lombard Street
This is one of the most crooked streets you will ever see! Hundreds of visitors from around the world come to this street just to experience the winding drive down — but be careful when you do so! There are eight sharp turns on this street and the road is quite narrow. If you arrive during the peak hours, be prepared to wait in line for your turn to drive down. I love to take long exposure shots of this street to capture the light trails going down the road. The best time to capture these light trails is after sunset, as there will usually be an abundance cars.
Pier 7
This is one of the most popular piers in the Financial District of the city. If you walk down to the end of the pier and turn around, you can see the iconic Transamerica building poking out from the skyline. Did I mention that the benches here are just as popular? There are some fun frames you can create with the way these benches were designed. For street photography, I like to roam up and down this pier and capture fisherman in action and people sharing intimate moments. I’m usually photographing here either during the morning for street photography or during sunset for the best light.
California Street
In my opinion, this is the most photographed street in the city given the classic cable cars that run up and down daily. There are so many perspectives to photograph just on this street alone. Most of the time, I usually go to this spot and shoot during the morning/sunrise since the sun comes up behind the perspective of the Bay Bridge. During the day, the traffic might be too much and could potentially seize some photo opportunities for landscape photographers. However, for street photography, this street is usually busy so looking for subjects shouldn’t be a problem! I mentioned the different levels of elevation for the streets of San Francisco, and this one is a prime example of it!
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks is one of my personal favorite places in the city to see the entire skyline. The long twisty road from this view also adds a unique foreground element. If you look further down, you can even see the Golden Gate and Bay Bridge in the background. I like to come here during sunrise and take photographs, as the sun typically rises behind the city skyline. Additionally, there aren’t a lot of people visiting in the morning which makes it a nice and peaceful atmosphere. If you’re lucky and happen to catch a low fog event during your visit, you’re in for a treat!
All my images are taken with the Sony A7rIII and the G Master lenses (16-35mm f/2.8 GM, 100-400 f/4.5-5.6, 35mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.2 and 85mm f/1.4).
There are so many more San Francisco photo spots to visit. These are just a handful of my favorites. Not only is this city photogenic, the food here is also very diverse. You can find just about any type of cuisine from Chinatown to Little Italy to suite your appetite. Expect mostly sunny days here but remember to bring a jacket for the evening as the temperature can change drastically. From the Golden Gate Bridge to the piers along the bay, there is such a vast variety of urban and nature scenes to capture.
