{"id":674,"date":"2011-12-04T10:06:57","date_gmt":"2011-12-04T15:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/?p=674"},"modified":"2018-08-13T14:21:56","modified_gmt":"2018-08-13T19:21:56","slug":"capture-san-francisco-iconic-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/2011\/12\/04\/capture-san-francisco-iconic-photos.html","title":{"rendered":"Capturing San Francisco: Guide to Shooting San Francisco\u2019s Iconic Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"2e5142c0289a1f785cf2dcce097231a4\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: left; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0;\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\r\ngoogle_ad_client = \"ca-pub-6725039255769208\";\r\n\/* Reno Hotels Leaderboard *\/\r\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"0584775893\";\r\ngoogle_ad_width = 728;\r\ngoogle_ad_height = 90;\r\n\/\/-->\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a title=\"Photos of San Francisco by Far Out City, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/53418666@N08\/6443423965\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;padding: 10px\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7033\/6443423965_48f4334201.jpg\" alt=\"Photos of San Francisco\" width=\"500\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>San Francisco is a playland for photographers. Natural and architectural beauty is all around, and the hills give you some fantastic views. This is my guide to capturing seven iconic photos of San Francisco.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a title=\"Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset by Far Out City, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/53418666@N08\/5507250787\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;padding: 10px\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5300\/5507250787_595799c091.jpg\" alt=\"Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>What better way to start this off with the most iconic shot of all &#8212; San Francisco from Hendrik Point.\u00a0 To get there, take the first exit off the Golden Gate Bridge, to Hendrik Point in the Marin Headlands.<\/p>\n<p>The best time to go is the hour before sunset, the ol\u2019 golden hour, when the Golden Gate Bridge will look scorching red. Stand on the elevated rim at Hendrik Point and frame San Francisco between the bridge\u2019s platform and closest suspension tower. Your focus should be on the tower.<\/p>\n<p>Try to use a low aperture so that San Francisco is in focus as well as the Golden Gate Bridge (f10 or higher).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. The Painted Ladies at Alamo Square, brought to you by &#8220;Full House&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a title=\"Full House Intro -- Alamo Square by Far Out City, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/53418666@N08\/6443277231\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;padding: 10px\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7028\/6443277231_1b66db9fd6.jpg\" alt=\"Full House Intro -- Alamo Square\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rExi6RSRWcA\">&#8220;Full House&#8221; intro<\/a> was a generation\u2019s introduction to San Francisco. There go the Tanners across the Golden Gate Bridge! Danny bicycling down Lombard Street!<\/p>\n<p>And who can forget Baby Michelle toddling across a picnic blanket as the camera pans out to reveal\u2026 the Painted Ladies and downtown San Francisco. It\u2019s the best of San Francisco\u2019s architecture, in one shot.<\/p>\n<p>To recreate it, head to Alamo Square at Steiner Street and Hayes Street, accessible by the 5, 21, 22, and 24 MUNI Lines. You&#8217;ll know you&#8217;re in the right spot when you see a hillside full of amateur photographers.<\/p>\n<p>Walk midway up the hill, just above the fountain and close to Hayes St. Since this is a landscape shot, a low aperture is the way to go. Focus on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sftodo.com\/painted-ladies.html\">Painted Ladies<\/a>, and snap away.<\/p>\n<p>If you really want the <em>exact<\/em> same photo, use the roof angles as your benchmark. And maybe borrow a picnicking family. Preferably one that includes a cute baby with a few zany quips in her wheelhouse.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Hyde Street Cable Car and Alcatraz<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a title=\"Hyde Street Cable Car by Far Out City, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/53418666@N08\/6443091599\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;padding: 10px\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7167\/6443091599_62333048af.jpg\" alt=\"Hyde Street Cable Car\" width=\"500\" height=\"431\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m including this one to tell you that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.visitingdc.com\/images\/cable-car-picture-2.jpg\">this photo<\/a> is most likely staged. You won\u2019t be able to get it, and no, that\u2019s not a challenge. Looking closely, to achieve the same angle, you\u2019ll need to be in the middle of the cable car track while also standing in the center of a four-way intersection. And standing on a box. Notice how the only person in the cable car is the gripman. Staged.<\/p>\n<p>Assuming you don\u2019t have an in at the Transport Workers Union, here\u2019s how to get a good-enough shot.<\/p>\n<p>First, head to the corner of Hyde St and Chestnut St. Make sure not to get hit by the Audi\u2019s accelerating around the narrow Russian Hill streets. (I\u2019m not singling them out because they are luxury cars; I\u2019m singling them out because I nearly got hit by four of them.)<\/p>\n<p>To get a good-enough photograph, stand on the southwest corner and wait. Your goal is to get a photo of the cable car, just as it is crests this stretch of Hyde St. Hyde St is so steep that you won\u2019t be able to see the cable car approach until it\u2019s 10 ft away from you; I recommend standing on the northwest corner until you see it climbing up the hill, then switching to the southwest corner. Thanks to the sharp drop off down Hyde St, you won\u2019t be able to see the cable car until it\u2019s 10 ft away from you. I stood at the northwest corner, until I saw a cable car start marching up the hill, then crossed the street and primed myself.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s always a bad idea to play chicken with a cable car. It\u2019s particularly true here, since the gripman won\u2019t see you until he\u2019s at the intersection and four seconds away from running you over. Be smart, don\u2019t stand in the middle of the road, and get out of the way as soon as you can. Because you know some Lexus is trying to peel out from behind that cable car.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Mini Golden Gate Bridge<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a title=\"Mini Golden Gate Bridge  by Far Out City, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/53418666@N08\/6443240391\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;padding: 10px\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7172\/6443240391_6ef4ff8f47.jpg\" alt=\"Mini Golden Gate Bridge \" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>San Francisco is a perfect city to experiment with tilt-shift effects. All the hills give us the elevated vantage points we need to really pull it off.<\/p>\n<p>To recreate the mini Golden Gate Bridge shot, you\u2019ll need a telephoto lens, a tripod, and Photoshop.<\/p>\n<p>I took this photo from a deserted battery in the Presidio. To get there, drive to the Presidio via 14<sup>th<\/sup> Ave, avoiding the tourist traffic east of the bridge. Park at one of the lots near Merchant Road and Lincoln Boulevard. You can also take the 28 MUNI line to the Golden Gate Bridge and hike on the Coastal Trail from there.<\/p>\n<p>Cross through the parking lot on Merchant Road, just to the left of the trailers, to the battery. Climb up the concrete stairs to the battery\u2019s flat roof. The Golden Gate Bridge will be straight ahead. You\u2019ll have to stand towards the rear peak of the roof to line up the shot symmetrically.<\/p>\n<p>For the tilt-shift effect to work, at least some part of the photo has to actually be in focus. Hence the telephoto lens. Also, the cars will be traveling at 45mph, so your best bet is to try this on a bright day and with a high aperture and fast shutter speed.\u00a0 I used a 250mm lens at f5.6, and that worked fine for me. Instead of trying to focus on moving cars, it\u2019s easier to focus on the NO U TURN sign on the bridge.<\/p>\n<p>Another tip, bring a tripod. The Golden Gate is a wind tunnel, and I found it difficult to both hold a heavy lens and keep it from shaking in the wind.<\/p>\n<p>Once you have the photo, it\u2019s time to tilt-shift. I used <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tiltshiftphotography.net\/photoshop-tutorial.php\">this tutorial<\/a>, blended with some of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.photoshopessentials.com\/basics\/elements\/fake-layer-mask\/page-2.php\">this tutorial<\/a> since Photoshop Elements doesn\u2019t have the masking feature. Have fun with it; it\u2019s supposed to look silly.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. The Rice-a-Roni Cable Car<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a title=\"The Rice-a-Roni Photo by Far Out City, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/53418666@N08\/6443085553\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;padding: 10px\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7001\/6443085553_da974456b3.jpg\" alt=\"The Rice-a-Roni Photo\" width=\"500\" height=\"358\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you are a child of the \u201880s, you have <a href=\"http:\/\/spiritinthecity.files.wordpress.com\/2008\/07\/rice-a-roni.jpg\">this Rice-a-Roni commercial<\/a> lodged somewhere deep within your prefrontal cortex. Marketing: it works.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not gonna to lie; this photo is difficult to get. To take the photo, head to the northeast corner of California Street and Mason Street, a short and vertical walk from Union Square.<\/p>\n<p>Be prepared to wait. The California <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sftodo.com\/cable-car-san-francisco.html\">cable car<\/a> line comes every 14 minutes and travels at a steady 9 mph. The photo is shot from the center of the right lane. You only have 5-10 seconds to get the shot. A lot of things can go awry in those 5-10 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>I tried to get this shot over the course of two days and at least six cable cars. Once, I was stymied by a friendly tourist asking for directions, just as a cable car lumbered behind me. On the next attempt, a man jumped out of his car just in front of me \u2013 my entire shot was his blurry, baffled face. The next day, a Powell Street cable car broke down in the middle of the intersection, halting traffic for a half hour. As I said, be prepared to wait.<\/p>\n<p>The best place to wait is in front of the Fairmont Hotel entrance on California \u2013 it\u2019s a loading zone which means no parked cars will obscure your view. Aim to do this on a weekday, when there is less traffic. On weekends, the loading zone becomes a taxi line, feeding the grand Fairmont Hotel entrance around the corner. They didn\u2019t seem too thrilled, or concerned, with the amateur photographer standing between them and paying customers.<\/p>\n<p>Take some test shots while you wait. When you see the cable car peak at Powell St, get ready. If there are any cars in the right lane, all is not lost. They\u2019ll be traveling faster than the 9mph cable car. Hopefully, they\u2019ll pass and still give you enough time to get your shot. Autofocus is your friend, here, for the few seconds you have to get the photo. Good luck!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>6. Transamerica Building and Columbus Tower<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a title=\"Columbus Tower and Transamerica Pyramid by Far Out City, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/53418666@N08\/6443097881\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;padding: 10px\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7004\/6443097881_dce5360212.jpg\" alt=\"Columbus Tower and Transamerica Pyramid\" width=\"333\" height=\"500\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sighs of relief! We\u2019re back to safe ground! No moving objects! The key to this photo is the juxtaposition of the ornate, oxidized Columbus Tower with the stark, mid-century Transamerica Pyramid. All with a crisp, cobalt blue backdrop.<\/p>\n<p>You can shoot this photo on Columbus Avenue in North Beach, from the northwest corner of Pacific Avenue and Columbus. The 8, 10, 12, 30, 40, 41, and 45 MUNI lines will get you there. You\u2019ll have to step just to the edge of the sidewalk to avoid getting a streetlight in the frame.<\/p>\n<p>I chose a mid-range aperture (f8), to give the photo a little bit of depth without blurring out the Transamerica Pyramid. That\u2019s all. Super easy, right?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>7. San Francisco city skyline from Twin Peaks<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a title=\"Twin Peaks by Far Out City, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/53418666@N08\/6443311989\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"border: 0px initial initial;padding: 10px\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7012\/6443311989_241b8202d9.jpg\" alt=\"Twin Peaks\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This final photo is also fairly easy. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sftodo.com\/sanfrancisco\/twin-peaks-san-francisco\/\">Twin Peaks<\/a>\u2019 overlook is inches away from a large parking lot, and the 37, 44, and 48 MUNI lines will get you close to its base.<\/p>\n<p>From the overlook, you\u2019ll have a choice of angles. Most photographers stick to the paved overlook, with photos of Market Street veering off to the right. If you walk south along the access road, you can take a symmetrical shot of Market Street with the Ferry Building standing at the terminus. I like to include a bit of Twin Peaks in the shot because it\u2019s vertigo-inducing. If you have a wide angle lens, this is the time to use it \u2013 head to the northernmost edge of the parking lot to include the serpentine access road in your frame.<\/p>\n<p>Since this is a landscape photo, you\u2019ll want to use a small aperture, f10 and up. The top of Twin Peaks can be very windy, so this is another spot where a sturdy tripod might be useful.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Is there a photo of San Francisco you\u2019d like to recreate? Drop me a line in the comments, and I\u2019ll see what I can do!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>by Maria\/Far Out City. \u00a0Maria publishes elaborate San Francisco Bay Area day trip itineraries over at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.faroutcity.com\">FarOutCity.com<\/a>. \u00a0All photos copyright by 2011 Far Out City.<\/em><\/p>\n<!--CusAds0-->\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; San Francisco is a playland for photographers. Natural and architectural beauty is all around, and the hills give you some fantastic views. This is my guide to capturing seven iconic photos of San Francisco. 1. Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco What better way to start this off with the most iconic shot of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[237],"tags":[239,238,240,241],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1838,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674\/revisions\/1838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}