Capturing The City: San Francisco
Capturing The City: San Francisco
The scenic city on the bay that’s full of stunning surprises
San Francisco, a city built with one sole idea driving the city forward. Astonish. Astonish with grand feats of architectural ingenuity that not only stand as beautiful landmarks of their own but elevate gorgeous areas around them. Astonish with natural displays of wonder and creativity this country has never seen before. And astonish all those that venture to this town with disbelief that this many incredible sights and activities can all be found in the same great city.
Right on the western edge of the country, San Francisco stands as a final send off before plunging into the horizon stretching Pacific Ocean, and what a send off it is. A place people flocked to with the 1849 Gold Rush, only in the name of striking it rich then leaving the bay forever. However, instead of taking from the area and abandoning it, people decided to stick around. They were drawn to the calm waves and natural wonder that flowed throughout the land, and most importantly, they saw the potential to build a city the likes of which had never been seen before.
From the glorious Golden Gate bridging the bay while also acting as a picturesque welcome to the western side of the country, to the rolling city streets that bring a certain friendly wonder you can only find in San Francisco. This city has continuously grown and grown with more people, more scenic sights, and more areas of dream like perfection. While this could have been just another coastal bay lost to the natural ways of the West, it was instead turned into a picture perfect place where the manufactured sights are just as beautiful as the natural ones.
It’s one thing to simply build incredible structures, but it’s the ability to blend those manmade structures with natural surroundings in a way that looks as though they have always been a part of this world. That is what sets San Francisco aside from all the rest.
Take the Golden Gate Bridge for example. Sure, it’s a simple idea create a way to connect one side of the San Francisco Bay to the other, but when you see its towering nature in person, everything changes. You forget about its true purpose of just being a drivable platform and see the unmistakable wonder that’s presented in plain sight. You see the simple structure yet intricately complex rectangular supports. The quiet design that melds with the environment while managing to scream out with personality.
While a sight as spectacular as the Golden Gate Bridge is reason enough to visit, there are so many more sights in San Francisco that amaze with majesty.
Sights like The Palace of Fine Arts that take a normal park and create an area of unquestionable magnificence. Seamlessly blending pure craftsmanship with still and peaceful waters for a sanctuary right in the heart of the city. Or the infamous island of Alcatraz and its stunning transformation of being a maximum security prison housing America’s most wanted in a place of misery and false hope. To now becoming an attraction of warm gardens and rich history, delighting the thousands of people that visit every day.
These are the places that truly set this city apart. Places that open themselves up to an unlimited amount of photographic opportunities. Here, you can capture moody images that tell an entire story within the frame. Sprawling landscapes that stretch as far as the eye can see. And of course, urbanscapes that rival any street on Earth.
It’s these areas that not only make this town a photographer’s wonderland but an unforgettable wonderland to explore no matter who you are.
With these many scenes of remarkable brilliance, it’s easy to see why San Francisco is referred to as the Golden City. Sure, this city was nicknamed the “Golden City” for the gold rush, but today, that name applies to so much more. The Golden Gate Bridge standing as a striking symbol of the beauty this city is capable of. The golden sunsets that dance across the bay and illuminate every peak and valley of the wave like streets. Even the nearby Russian Ridge Preserve with its endless golden fields overlooking the bay below.
While the golden sights may be the main attraction, the other vibrant colors around the city open up a picturesque paradise as well.
From the mystical fog covered forest of Mt. Davidson that both enchants as well as excites. To the stark white Point Bonita Lighthouse overlooking the rocky west coast. Even the houses can be a colorful delight. Like the row of pristinely painted houses known as the “Painted Ladies” can show the colorful variation hidden throughout the town.
When looking for astounding places to show off a location’s beauty and your photography skills, no spot is an easier choice than San Francisco. Every street, building, and attraction within this city appears to have been meticulously sculpted into a gorgeous example of how magnificent one place can be. It’s as if San Francisco was built with beauty at the forefront and practicality second. As though people put aside all matters of cost and efficiency to only think of creating an innovative piece of pure imagination. That’s what it can feel like to walk around San Francisco, like you’re walking through someone’s imagination.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. This town is so different, so wonderous that if you were to try and describe it, people would think you’re lying. A place bursting with some of the most iconic landmarks in the world. Diverse natural areas home to great beaches, golden rolling fields, and forests over 200 feet tall. Not to mention world class restaurants found on almost every street. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?
Even something as simple as the city streets are unlike anything else in the United States. Unimaginably steep hill after hill, twisting and turning in a nonsensical yet mesmerizing design, only furthers the idea that this city has to be some fantastical illusion.
San Francisco isn’t like other cities. It isn’t a bustling port town driven by dollars. It’s a place where creativity and inspiration reign supreme. You won’t find crowded grid like streets met with bland conventional buildings. You are greeted with whimsical rollercoaster streets and original buildings that aren’t afraid to stand out. So no, San Francisco isn’t like other cities, but that’s for all the best reasons.
To truly break away from the crowd and create something that has never been done, you need courage and the vision for astonishment, and that’s exactly what this city exudes. San Francisco’s originality marked a new era for the United States. An era of change, an era of detail, an era that showed there are more reasons to build a city than simply building it to exist. You can build a city to flourish. And with San Francisco, the photogenic flourishment is as clear as day.
Here, you can capture the stunning visuals that delight and inspire in ways other cities can only dream of replicating. Capture the extra time and money that went into creating works of art that will last a lifetime instead of bland buildings that people pass by without giving a second look. Capture the lasting legacy of hope and opportunity that makes San Francisco a city unlike any other.
Go out and capture San Francisco.
Because in this city, every inch is begging to be your next favorite photo.
Capturing The City: San Francisco
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