San Francisco

I have a fascination with San Francisco, its bridges, the city by the bay, its islands. These images are my favorites and yet I would like to be able to present even more of them. I have a very long list of locations of San Francisco where I’m waiting the right light/time. I will update this page frequently with new images. All the images presented here are available for licensing or as fine art prints. 1 2 ... 14...

It’s really hard to find images of San Francisco you have not seen before. A few months ago, I met with a helicopter pilot (a photographer himself) and he was complaining that no one thinks of using helicopters for taking pictures. First it’s expensive, second it’s dangerous (strapped on the side of helicopter), third you need a very clear day to make it worth it. Then the stars aligned and I booked a 60-min open door helicopter ride with him. The day was very clear and I’m pretty pleased with the results. After the first flight I was hooked, I love aerial images. Especially for San Francisco where the nice views are over the bay. So when last summer, the America’s cup AC45 races were in San Francisco,  I had the chance to get...

The Golden Gate Bridge is like  few monuments in the world (Eiffel tower in Paris, the statue of liberty in New York, the opera house in Sydney, the burj khalifa in Dubai), it’s an iconic symbol that almost everyone recognizes instantly. It’s also extremely photographed and making a unique image of the Golden Gate Bridge is almost impossible. I have a strong attraction for this bridge and the map below that shows the GPS point of where I took my images reflects that fact. I have shot the Golden Gate Bridge at night, at sunrise, at sunset, from a boat, from a helicopter, from a car and there are still images in my head I want to make that have not happened yet. View San Francisco Photo Spot series: The Golden Gate Bridge in a larger map The...

I shoot mostly landscapes and food. The closest thing to a live moving subject usually purrs or roars but seldom speaks English (or any other human language). But once in a while I like to challenge myself by taking pictures of models, you know a person, with feelings and moods and one who can speak back to me and more importantly judge my pictures (as I usually don’t get close enough to a lion to show it the pictures I took of it). When I do work with people, I generally have a concept image in mind and I’m trying to make it happen. This is far out of my comfort zone so I use every opportunity I get to take pictures of models. Recently Laura, a friend of mine, got engaged and I offered to take her engagement pictures in San Francisco. We did the...

For the New Year, San Francisco always has fireworks at midnight on December 31st. The fireworks are launched from barges located 1,000 feet out in the bay just South of the Ferry Building near Pier 14 (Mission Street and The Embarcadero). One of the best places to take pictures of these fireworks is Yerba Buena Island. Yerba Buena is a natural island (versus the connected Treasure Island which is man-made). You will not be alone, this is a very popular spot but if you come early, it’s fine. The place I like is a private residence, so as always be aware of any noise you could make, where you park and try not to disturb the neighbors. It only takes one problem to get this area closed off for everybody. View New Year Fireworks photo location in a larger map...

Another installment of my San Francisco Photo spot series; this time it is about Treasure Island. I love Treasure Island because it has one of the nicest views of the Financial District. That’s from where I get some of my favorite images of the city at night. Especially at this time of the year where all of the Embarcadero buildings are illuminated for the Holidays. In addition on Treasure Island (TI), there is the gigantesque statue Bliss Dance made of lights and also the spot called forbidden access. Now, I personally like taking photographs where you can see the city lights. But for your camera to see these lights (and the sky), the city lights need to be at least as bright as the sky. In order to get those images, timing is crucial. First, where is...