How To Photograph: Sunset at Golden Gate Bridge (Marshall's beach)

Photo:

Photographer: @advantej

Time shot: Sunset

Gear Used:

Canon 6d

Canon EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM

Induro 408L Tripod
No Filters

Settings:

Aperture: f/20
Focal Length: 24mm

Shutter Speed: 1/4 (Tripod is necessary)

ISO: 100

Parking:
There are several parking spots along the Lincoln Blvd. If you put Marshall's beach on Google Maps, you'll have to drive a little further to find this spot.

Location:

From the parking spot mentioned above, start walking towards Marshall's Beach. You'll have to climb down the stairs and a small hike to get to this spot. The location is beautiful with lots of smooth rocks and various ways you can frame the bridge.

Restrooms:

No luck here. Get your bladders empty before hiking down there (or be prepared to use the natural environment if you are into it). It also gets often windy, so if you are drinking a lot (I'm referring to water 😉), you'll need a strong bladder. Enough said.

Photographic principles/jargon/analysis:

- Rule of thirds: Placed subject in the right vertical third

- Leading lines: Because of perspective the rocks form a triangle pointing to the bridge.

- A little bit of clouds would be awesome. But hey, you've to deal with what you have. Since I had no luck with clouds, I decided to use a little spill from the sunlight from the left giving a silhouette to the mountains gradually transitioning to a crisper bridge on the right.
- Angle: The smoothness of the rocks gets enhanced when shot from a low angle instead of the expected human perspective.

Photographer Notes:

- Park at your own risk. No valuables in the car please.

- Fog check: At this place (and SF in general) is notorious for being foggy. Check webcams nearby to make sure of the visibility.