visit san francisco - need photog's tips

[metalgear]

have 3 days to burn with no agenda in san franciso, would like to get help/tips on lens choice and where to go shoot.

http://photo.net/ca/san-francisco is one good guide, but would also like to hear singaporeans perspective (and of course where and what to EAT!)

thanks in advance !

 

[kool81]

I only stopped by Union Sq and Fisherman Wharf. Will recommend Fisherman Wharf. enroute can visit the World's Crookest Street... Super Steep and Super Winding. If u are onz enough and have a car and drive through it...

At the wharf you can visit Alcatrax(think spelt wrongly). If lucky enough, you can see sealions resting on the pier.

This should be able to fill up one day.

Oh their clam chowder is nice. must try... Enjoy ur trip...

If u have a car, maybe can drive to Yusemite or Monterey.

 

[Pinoy_SAP]

Maybe check for the local weather forecast esp. if you are planning to take a picture of the Golden gate bridge. Heavy fog may covers the entire bridge and you won't see the bridge at all. Pier 39 is also a nice place to walk and take pictures; you might want to consider a boat trip which covers the San Francisco bay area including going under the bridge and the Alcatraz....happy shooting.

 

[HougangMan]

SF is a fun place to take photos, and relatively easy to get around. Highly recommend getting the citypass booklet: admission to a lot of photogenic places and public bus/trolley pass for 1 week - very worth the money.

Check out my road trip gallery for some SF shots, if you're interested I can point out where I shot from on google map.

PS Crookedest street (a tiny stretch of Lombard St) is quite pretty but you need wide angle. I found even my 17mm on full frame not enough..

 

[SNAG]

Some places to go (paiseh, a little lazy to go dig out my stuff):

1) Alcatraz
2) Golden Gate Bridge
3) Palace of Fine Arts - absolutely stunning architecture
4) Lucasflim complex (just to go see see, there's the statue of Yoda there.. :bsmilie It's near this park reserve, forgot the name. Warning though: the security guards are anal with photography on tripods.
5) Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39
6) Musee Mechanique http://www.museemechanique.org/ - near Fisherman's Wharf, interesting place, some of the really old mechanical entertainment boxes
7) Union Square (just to look see, and of course, visit the Apple store there)
8) Chinatown (quite near Union Square)

Pier 39 got quite some good stuff to eat. Try the mini doughnuts, Bubba Gump. I tried a seafood restaurant on the 1st level, food was OK though.

Try the crabs at fisherman's wharf -the experience's a good one. And to top if off, get some Ghirardelli chocolates home.. http://www.ghirardelli.com/

 

[Big Kahuna]

Take a day trip to Sonoma/Napa Valley for wine tasting :thumbsup:

 

[Searcher]

Remember to visit Cliffhouse, it has a nice view at sunset.

http://sanfrancisco.about.com/od/sanfranciscophoto1/ig/outerrichmond/rcsutros.htm
And it is within San Francisco, so no need to travel far.

 

[ALBear2]

A standard zoom (17-55, 18-55) would suffice for most shots. However (and I agree with HougangMan), a wide angle (wider than your standard zoom) would come in handy. Last I was there, I had with me 28mm, 35mm, 50mm primes for Full Frame camera. Most of the time I used the 28 and 35, a distant third was the 50 (for cropped sensor, divide by 1.5 or 1.6). Many times, I found myself wanting something wider than 28 'coz there were a lot of opportunities for wide angle photography (that's if you're into that). You can always crop from a wide angle shot, but cannot widen a narrow angle shot Enjoy!

 

[nsng]

Hi,

Other than those places mentioned, try to travel to Carmel via Highway 1. Beautiful coastal drive and plenty of photo opportunities, Lone Cypress, Monterey, etc.

If you are interested in street shooting, SF is a great place. Lots of characters around the city. Here are some shots from my December trip, http://nns555.zenfolio.com/p796287849/

N.S. Ng

http://nns555.zenfolio.com/

 

[di0nysus]

wwww.perqjon.com/SF_Yosemite
www.perqjon.com/DV_Vegas_GC

Did a short blog on it: http://perqjon.blogspot.com/2007/04/san-francisco-8th-to-13th-april.html

Go borrow a book from the library regarding SF. My personal favourites of SF is the bridge,..be it cycling along the coast...sunset... or driving across it..to the small hill on it (You can try cycling if gungho enough!). The clam chowder is really just nice, unlike New England's clam chowder which I find too thick and salty).

And oh yeah, I only brought a 350D + 17-40. I'm not one w/o lug a ton of gear !

There's a great seafood restaurant..not along the coast. It has great oysters and sashimi...you can ask Deadpoet about it.

 

[Oly5050]

just came back fom sf a few days ago.

1. Gilroy Premium Outlets - Highly recommended for shopping. About 1-2 hours S of SF
2. Highway 1 drive is indeed scenic. It will include the Golden Gate bridge.
3. I would give the Muir Woods with their Californian Redwoods a miss.

 

[HougangMan]

3. I would give the Muir Woods with their Californian Redwoods a miss.

Second that. If you want REAL trees go to Grand Sequoia Natl Park. But seriously mate, 3 days is too short for SF - not enough to sample the fine dining of Napa, nor to witness the jaw dropping armhair raising beauty of Yosemite or Death Valley