Images by John 'K'

The Golden Gate Bridge has to be one of the most photographed bridges in the world. It’s shape, it’s color, it’s backdrop (the beautiful city of San Francisco) just cry out to be captured.

It is such a prominent landmark that it can be seen for miles in the greater San Francisco Bay area, but there are a few places where you can take really spectacular pictures of this iconic bridge.

If you want to see the city of San Francisco in the background, you have to cross the bridge and almost immediately head west onto the Marin Headlands, up Conzelman Road. There are a number of stops up the road (each with allocated parking) where you can get out of your car and admire the view, and the further up the road you go the more your viewing angle of the bridge will change.

If you want to get a different perspective on the bridge, you need to exit highway 101 just before you cross the bridge and head down Long Avenue to Marine Drive and get to Fort Point. From there you can see the bridge from sea level looking north with the beautiful hills of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the background. This is a fantastic place to get a shot of the bridge as the sun sets as the setting sunlight will make the twin towers of the bridge glow golden red.

For yet another interesting perspective, get onto the bridge itself. The towers that support the span look spectacular as they reach to the sky when photographed from close to their base. For fans of detail there are many interesting “bits” of the bridge that can be photographed when on it – for example the huge bolts that hold the bridge together or the cables that suspend the bridge.

Another aspect that makes the bridge such an interesting subject is the climate in the San Francisco Bay. In the warmer months the bridge is often partially shrouded in fog, and it is possible to get some beautiful and visually stunning shots of the towers as they emerge proudly from it.

Another option is to take one of the many short cruises that will take visitors around the sights of the San Francisco Bay. From these frequent sailings you can get to view and shoot the bridge from underneath and from many different angles.

However you get to see it, the bridge makes for some beautiful pictures that will capture forever the beauty of this spectacular landmark.

I’ve put some of my shots of this beautiful bridge into a photo-set on Flickr. You can view it here.