I had a trip to San Francisco with a 48hr stopover. It’s usually quite a senior trip, so not one I would typically get. So I had to take my camera with me!
We had quite a northerly route that took us over Greenland. It was covered in a low-level cloud with the tips of mountains showing, it was also getting close to sunset, so there was this beautiful golden light across the landscape. I couldn’t resist, I had to try and take a few photos. It was tricky and it took a few attempts to make sure the shutter speed was right, but I think I got there in the end.
The plan was to wander around the city and eventually end up at the Golden Gate Bridge. I had brought my tripod and filter set, so I looked forward to getting some long-exposure photos. However, on the first day, it did not stop raining. The rain was too hard for me to get out; I only had my night stop kit. So I wasn’t really kitted out for prolonged rain. The forecast for the last day was hopeful, and my check-in wasn’t until later.
I usually wake up very early when in the USA, so quick bit of breakfast and then find my way across to the Golden Gate. I have been there a few times before, but this was the first time with my camera. I was short of time, so I had to plan this one a bit. I was going to go to Marshalls beach for a little bit before heading back. One thing I didn’t quite appreciate from Google maps was how steep the incline was from the road down to the beach. It was a pleasant walk-through.
It was high tide, so I couldn’t actually get down onto the beach. It would have been better to go at low tide, but there wasn’t a lot I could do about the timings. I did find a nice section that I could set up from and managed to get the long-exposure photographs I wanted.
It was pretty windy, so as a result, the waves were quite impressive. So on the walk back up, I tried a little creative experiment.
Halfway back up the hill, I bumped into another photographer from the UK. What are the chances? Paul Stonehouse, he moved to San Francisco some time ago and was working as a professional photographer. Check his website out https://www.paulstonehousephotography.com.
A quick nap, and then back to the airport for the flight home. I even managed to see the northern lights on the way back.
This was my last time using my Canon EOS R, as I have now switched to the Sony A7R IV. I may write a blog post about why and how I found the transition; we will see.
Look after yourselves!
Ollie Desforges Photography 