Tips for shooting in Northern California?

[Christal1664882414]

<p>We plan a 10 day trip to San Francisco and northern California. We have an outline of an itinerary. We plan to spend 3 days in SF, then drive north up to Mendocino, seeing what we can along the way. We have some guide books, so we have the basic info we need for this trip. But if anyone has any 'gems' of advice about places to see or photography, I'd be most appreciative. Thanks!</p>

[rothelle]

<p>SF is a beautiful city. I shoot mostly in the morning and at night. The GGB and just anyting aroung it with the cityscape and lights are a must do. I shoot 90% b&w film. When taking a drive to Mendocino I love the coast line and wineries and just so so lovely. I would just take it as it come and try to get up early and rest during the day and go back and take up the sunsets if you can.........</p><div></div>

[Ray House]

<p>Yosemite NP, Sequoia Kings Canyon NP and maybe a coastline drive.</p>

[richard_crowe4]

<p>A very worthwhile and relatively inexpensive book is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/PhotoSecrets-San-Francisco-Northern-California/dp/0965308715/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276884599&sr=1-1">PhotoSecrets San Francisco & Northern California: The Best Sights and How to Photograph Them (Photosecrets (Series).)</a> by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Hudson/e/B001K90GCC/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1276884599&sr=1-1">Andrew Hudson</a></p>

[Christal1664882414]

<p>Thanks, folks. Rothelle, that's a lovely shot of GGB. I hope to get something half that good!</p>

<p>Ray, thanks, but this time we're staying over on the coast. We've been to Yosemite before, but not to your other suggestions. CA is a big place!</p>

<p>Richard, Yes, I actually have this book. I was surprised there aren't more books like it. I wish Laurent Martres would do a series on CA.....his Southwest series is an incredible resource. </p>

<p>I guess half of the fun is finding my own spots to shoot.......but it's always fun to share ideas with other photographers, so I just thought I'd put in the request. Thanks for your input!</p>

[craig_gillette]

<p>Near Fort Ross and the Timber Cove Inn, is the 93 foot tall Bufano Peace sculpture.</p>

[danny_low]

<p>The traditional place to take photos of the Golden Gate bridge is the Fort Point Visitors Center at the south end of the bridge. However with the creation of the Golden Gate Recreational Area, the Marin Headlands has open up. I recommend the drive up to Hawk Hill. It has several points along the route that are excellent for photographs. The photos on my home page</p>

<p>www.fanfotography.com</p>

<p>were both taken on Conzelman Road. The bridge photo was at the top from Hawk Hill. The one of me is from the parking lot near the bottom of the road.</p>

<p>Beware that it can be as cold in the summer on the bridge as in the winter. Don't let the sunny skies fool you. It can be fogged in at the bridge while the rest of the city is warm under clear skies. And it is generally very windy. Since you are in the area, the Point Bonita Lighthouse is worth a visit. If you can stay late, the post sunset period can be be fabulous. The sun's light will shine through the ocean due to the curvature of the earth and is refracted. If there are some clouds to reflect the refracted light, you can get some very colorful images. However this requires generally clear skies with only some clouds on the horizon. It is all a matter of luck.</p>

<p>In the same area is a reconstructed Nike base. However tours are only on certain days so check beforehand. What makes the tours really interesting is several of the docents were ex-Air Force men who actually manned Nike bases during the Cold War.</p>

<p>Danny</p>

<p> </p>

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

<p>A day trip to Monterey is to sea kayak fun. You can see sea otters and sea lions in a stunning setting.</p>

<p>http://www.montereybaykayaks.com/go_kayaking/monterey_bay.lasso</p>

[Christal1664882414]

<p>Craig, I've never heard of that.....I'll check it out. Thank you!</p>

<p>Danny, that wide angled shot is terrific! It's pretty hard to get any kind of shot that is unique or that someone else hasn't already taken, but I'll be happy if I can get anything half as good as yours. Thanks for the tips.</p>

<p>Robert.......that does sound like it would be wonderful. We love getting up close and personal to nature....especially critters of all kinds. Alas, we've decided that we'll have to explore south of SF on another trip. Thanks so much for your input. I'll keep all of these suggestions for future trips.</p>

[danny_low]

<p>Christal</p>

<p>The wide angle shot is actually several shots taken at about 70mm and stitched together with Photoshop. It was the only way to get the entire bridge in a shot that did not make it look very very small. If you are not familiar with stitching, you should read up on it. It is inherent in digital photography and there are cheap specialized programs that only stitch images together.</p>

<p>Danny</p>

 

[david_henderson]

<p>I've done this journey a few times. Mendocino itself is lovely though small, and some of the things you'll see on the way are interesting, such as the Marin headlands (which you can do equally from a base in SF), the Sonoma Coast, and Point Reyes. That said - and its only my opinion- I wouldn't want to spend a whole week over this journey <em>as a photographer</em>, as you seem set on doing. If it were me, I'd be looking for something inland or south as well to add a bit of variety, with the detail depending on the time of year.</p>

<p>Fort Mason , below is to my mind a good place to start the day, as is Pier 7 with dawn views of the Bay Bridge</p><div></div>

[Christal1664882414]

<p>David.....thanks.....this is precisely the type of logistical help we need. It's hard to judge how long we wish to spend in these places. We do plan to do some wine country outings, and most likely we will head a bit inland (especially if it's as cold as it sounds out on the coast). :-) Thanks so much.....also for the lovely shot of Fort Mason. </p>

[acjtucson]

<p>Check out Bowling Ball Beach near Schooner Gulch Beach just south of Point Arena on Hwy 1. It is an odd but beautiful sight at low tide. I've never been at high tide but i hear the "bowling ball" rocks are under water. Google the images for it and you'll see. <br>

Fort Ross grounds are fun and depending on the weather can look almost eerie in a fog.<br>

Have fun. </p>