mark_t2 Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 I was wondering when are the best chances of being able to take pictures of the golden gate bridge with fog. Summertime in SF covers the bridge, but when would I have the best chance of being able to take a picture of the bridge's towers cutting above the fog from the Marin hillsides, ie. fog is flat and low as to cover the roadway, but leaving the towers visible from the hilltops. what month? and usually is it during dawn? or midday? or near sunset time of the day as well. any insights would be helpful. thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_w. Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 My uncle lives in Marin county. When I visit in summers I noticed that the fog rolls in in the morning, then burns off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_cochran Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 It varies every day. I'd say a spring sunrise gives you thebest chance for the particular effect you seek, but there are no guarantees.<p>Mid-summer late afternoons have the best chance for fog in general, but the fog comes with wind that blows from west to east. As the air gets lifted over the Marin Headlands, it tends to cause fog to condense over the peaks. That will often block your view. Often, the summer afternoon fog enters the bay in a narrow "tongue" that goes through the Gate and licks at Alcatraz.<p>The calmer air at an early spring sunrise can sometimes produce a more flat, even layer of fog across the entire Bay. When you're lucky, it will stay low and you'll have clear air above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the lone ranger Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I've tried several times to see the same thing and i've only been able to see that effect the first time I tried. but on the bright side, if the bridge is totally fogged in you can go to mt. tam instead and shoot down at the whole bay covered in fog. i've lived here for two years and i can't predict anything about the weather but i think a lot of times on clear warm days the fog rolls in eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad_hiltbrand Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Having made the 30 mile drive numerous times north to the bridge from Menlo Park I can attest to the fickle nature of the weather and light conditions at the GGB. My inclination for this type of shot would be late afternoons tp sunset from mid-summer on when the hot central valley creates a heat-sink that draws in cools air straight through the Golden Gate with its accompanying fog. I like the sunset light on the bridge when viewed from the Marin headlands better than AM shots. But you never really know what sort of conditions you will have until you get there. This shot is similar to what you are seeking from Lincoln Blvd above Baker Beach at sunset in early January 2003:<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
len_krueger1 Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 I lived in Sausalito for 13 years and used to ride my bike to work over the Golden Gate almost every day. As I recall the fog season would begin around the middle of April and be patchy, with an occasional socked in day, until mid May. Mid afternoons were good times for fog just begining to form in the Headlands then. From mid May the fog season would get into high gear and could be foggy in the morning, break up in San Francisco around 11am (just in time for lunch) and stay blue until around 3pm then socked in again. Closer to the bridge might remain foggy all day. And it also depends on the year...some are more foggy than other. I remember one summer when there was no fog. The fog season ends around the mid to late September. And as others have noted there is little or no predictablity to the fog conditions. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_t2 Posted July 9, 2004 Author Share Posted July 9, 2004 Thanx for the ideas..so it seems that late spring (april-may) was the season to be.... how bout late summer.. i read all over the place that the summer fog starts to peel off around mid august or sept... wouldnt that create opportunities for low fogs that would cover the corssway but leave the towers to view from the headlands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_yuhas Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 There are so many variables involved that's it impossible to predict conditions at the bridge. I live just down the coast from the bridge; I can't predict the conditions 2 miles from my house. You'd have better luck at the tables in Vegas than trying to predict when conditions are right at the bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_strom Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Just to confirm the non-predictability noted above, I was there this past weekend (7/10-11)... mornings were foggy, but the fog was high, obscuring the tops of the towers; late afternoons were clear, with haze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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