What are some must visit locations for a Photographer/Videographer? (San Francisco: hotel, beach)

[joe305]

First of all hello, second of all i have a couple questions to ask. I plan on visiting San Francisco this year, (work related) but also don't want to blow a all expenses paid vacation sitting in a hotel room in cupertino. I would like to know what are some must visit locations for a Photographer/Videographer. I already have in mind Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz, and maybe Yosemite National Park.

[llowllevellowll]

For great views of skylines:

San Francisco: Twin Peaks, Bernal Hill, Alamo Square/Postcard Row
Oakland: Oakland's Mormon Temple in the Hills (great view)

Natural beauty:

Yosemite Nat'l Park
17-Mile Drive - Monterey
Julia Pfeiffer State Park - Big Sur
Lassen Volcanic Nat'l Park
Mount Diablo (Can provide for some really gorgeous pictures or be a big-time flop - depends on the sun/weather)

I think that'd probably keep you pretty busy.

[joe305]

thank you, is there anything interesting to see in Cupertino that you would know of as well?

[Snort]

Lake Tahoe and Gold Country towns are also worth a look for photos as are wineries in the area.

[llowllevellowll]

Originally Posted by joe305

thank you, is there anything interesting to see in Cupertino that you would know of as well?

Go west on Stevens Creek Blvd, then take Stevens Creek Canyon south. Winding roads, reservoir, hills, etc. Some decent nature shots can be taken there. For more, continue west to Saratoga Gap, Long Ridge, Castle Rock, et al.

[tanglenet]

For SF:
Treasure Island, view of the Bay Bridge and downtown and Ferry Building.
Fort Point, underneath the Golden Gate Bridge
17th hole of the public golf course near the Legion of Honor (forgot the name). View of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin
Russian Hill, view of Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower
Twin Peaks, large panoramic view of SF and East Bay

You can spend a lot of time in SF taking photos.

[Nineties Flava]

SF:

-The Presidio (great view of the GGB)
-Palace of Fine Arts
-Legion of Honor Museum
-Lands End Trail (absolutely stunning views of Marin County, the GGB and of the natural beauty of the trail itself)
-Golden Gate Park


Oakland:
-Lake Merritt (it's an "urban lake" ie it's surrounded by downtown and residences; it has a ferry so you can get nice shots from the lake of downtown, the surrounding park land, etc.)
-Middle Harbor Shoreline Park (some of the best views of San Francisco and its a beautiful park)


I'll list more shortly.

[mayorhaggar]

Easy to get to:

- the SW corner of Dolores Park, gives you a good view of downtown SF from an elevated position without having to hike up a big hill
- Lands End in Lincoln Park, just find the trail that goes along the edge of the coast, it's a cool rugged little trail high up on a very steep cliff, as mentioned there are a few points where you get great views of Marin and the GG Bridge.
- Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill: you have to pay to ride the elevator to the top of the tower. Good views of downtown, the Bay, etc. It's close to North Beach and Chinatown which are fun to wander through as a tourist.

Requires hiking up a hill:
- Bernal Hill, great views of the Mission and downtown.
- Angel Island, which requires a lot of effort but you get SPECTACULAR views of the entire Bay Area, seriously it's like looking down on a map. You have to take a ferry there from SF or Tiburon (the Tiburon ferry is much more frequent) and hiking to the top of the island is fairly strenuous, and you have to make sure you don't run out of time before the last ferry.

Relatively easy to get to if you're driving:
- top of Twin Peaks, there's a small parking lot at the top where you can take pictures. Make sure it's a clear day or it might be covered in fog. Great views of downtown SF looking down Market Street and of the entire city.
- Muir Beach, there's a trail that goes south from it that goes up a small hill and then you can see SF off in the distance, it's kind of an interesting view.
- Treasure Island, you get great views of downtown SF at night, the whole city is lit up and pretty close.

[humboldtrat]

Point Reyes National Seashore (which can be foggy often) Point Reyes National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)

http://www.terragalleria.com/califor...reyes.all.html

[joe305]

Do keep in mind i am in town for business, so some of the locations like Lake Tahoe, and unfortunately Yosemite will be out of the question. The distance to get to them would knock them off the list as potential candidates. =/

I do appreciate the feedback though, quite amazing locations.