Takin' Pictures in San Francisco

[wgerrard]

I'll be in San Francisco for a few days in early December. I've been to the city about once a year for the last ten years or so, but this trip is the first that I'll be able to devote a lot of time to going walkabout with cameras.

Anyone care to offer any suggestions about some non-obvious places to shoot, or good locations to shoot the obvious? 🙂 I'll be taking a Bessa R4M with 21, 28, and 50mm lenses, and a Hexar AF (35mm).

I'm not much into street photography, but I'd welcome any sage advice from locals on where not to point a camera. (I hope I'm clever enough to avoid pointing a camera at a drug deal, but are there neighborhoods, etc., where the residents might take exception?)

What photo-related places should I check out? Stores? I'll be staying off Union Square; is there a good nearby place to buy film?

 

[RayPA]

Try Adolph Gasser's and the photo store on Kearny for film. The latter will give you a good laugh as you check out the prices they want for the cameras that have been baking in the storefront windows for the last several years. You're in a good spot to do some downtown street shooting. Be careful in the Tenderloin district. Market St from about ninth street down to 5th street can get a little sticky. Use the Muni Metro to get out to other districts. SF is very photogenic with lots of opportunity for just about every type of photography. What dates are you in town? Maybe we can schedule a meet.

🙂

 

[vdonovan]

SF is the place

SF is the place

Chinatown is one of my favorite places to walk and shoot. Some parts haven't changed since the 1920s. Avoid the main tourist streets (Grant and Geary) and check out alleys and small streets. Folks are used to being photographed, so you shouldn't get any attitude. It is also a generally safe neighborhood, though as in any big city you should stay aware of your surroundings.

It's also a short walk to North Beach, which also has lots of atmosphere, though most of it intended for tourists.

For another ethnic experience, head out to Mission and 24th streets, the Hispanic neighborhood. You will really feel like you are in another country. I live in this neighborhood and find people to be very friendly, but you might get some attitude from teenaged kids. Great food out here too.

For a real SF neighborhood experience, head to the outer (western) avenues. Clement Street between Stanyan and 24th ave is Chinatown, Russian Town, Vietnamese Town and Hispanic Town all piled into one. Tourists never come out here and the food is cheap and good. Go in the afternoon when the fog is in (wear a warm jacket) and you'll see what San Francisco is all about.

 

[agi]

Lots of photo opportunities here in SF. Here's a thread that will help:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44829

As mentioned avoid parts of the Tenderloin. For the most part SF is a safe city...just ignore the homeless and be street smart.

Check out my photoblog for some street photos as there's always something going on in the City.

If you specific questions let us know. Don't miss the Chim show at the de Young (Magnum photographer).

 

[bob338]

if you find time to take the ferry over to sausalito, it's a lot of fun and you'll pass alcatraz and angel island on the way. or if you're physically inclined, you can rent a bicycle and ride over the bridge and take the ferry back. i see about 300 people a day whiz past my neighborhood on these rental bikes having a blast. the golden gate bridge is really an amazing thing to ride or walk over, we do it all the time. i've taken hundreds of photos of it.
there is a lot of stuff to do over here, lots of photo opportunities and a few nice places to have lunch...just my .02...

 

[Bingley]

I won't repeat the suggestions I made in the thread that agi has provided the link to, but those are places I personally like to shoot.

All of the suggestions above are good ones. A couple of additional thoughts:

(1) See if you can get out to the Presidio. As you probably know, it is now a national park, so you can go anywhere. Old buildings with character. Beautiful mature landscapes. Gorgeous views of the Bridge, Marin headlands, etc. Crissy Field attracts many locals and dogs, and presents interesting photo ops.

(2) For a grittier urban landscape w/ a unique SF character, I'd stroll up through the Haight. Interesting, odd storefronts; a mixture of urban blight and faded bohemian charm. There's also some outstanding examples of SF Victorian architecture in the general area.

 

[cmogi10]

The tenderloin happens to be my favorite place to shoot!
Everyone's friendly...

 

[jbf]

I went on a trip to SF about two months ago...

I shot everywhere.

Despite what a lot of people say about the tenderloin district, i gotta say I had a great time taking photos in that area.

A lot of photo ops. Granted keep in mind that obviously it isnt the best place as far as safty goes... but during the day you should have no problem what soever in the tenderloin district.

 

[MikeL]

There are a couple blocks in The T (as my uncle calls it) that I don't 'enjoy', but otherwise it's not too bad during the day. People there tend to have bigger problems than you. I just make sure I don't look too happy when walkin through there and don't engage the kooks.

Golden Gate park is always nice for museums, Tea Garden, people.

 

[flippyot]

No mention of Peir 39... weird. I would check this place out on Saturdays, lots chances to gt pics of family interaction or enterainers with cool gimics.

Haight street is nice for the oddities that it always has about (no real danger but do be careful around people who are doing 'hand offs', they don't like when they see cameras around)

In gneral this is a photog friendly city with TONS of places, people and things to take pitcures of.

 

[cmogi10]

I've actually had more confrontations at Haight then the Tenderloin, Never had a problem there during the day, at night it's a little more fun, you just have to use your head.

 

[wgerrard]

Thanks, all, for the advice, especially the link to the older thread. I searched before posting, but missed that one.

The tips on places to be wary of correspond with places I probably won't visit anyway, so that's good. For some reason, I've never been to Golden Gate Park, so that's on my list, along with the Japanese Tea Room. I had a business meeting several years ago in the Presidio; maybe I need to check it out again. I'm a fan of the Saturday morning farmers market at the Ferry Building, so I'll likely combine that with a Sausalito ferry. (BTW, if you ever want to rent a car and drive north but don't want to drive in the city and across the Golden Gate, there's a small Hertz shop in Sausalito that's on the main drag a few blocks north of the ferry landing. But take note of the return ferry schedule.)

I know Fisherman's Wharf is considered tacky, but I find it hard to resist doing a walk through it to check out the folks. Ditto Pier 39, which maintains a higher level of tackiness.

 

[agi]

There are a couple blocks in The T (as my uncle calls it)

Interesting as we now call it the "TL". 🙂