It’s no secret – San Francisco has been going through a bit of a tough time of late.
Much like other metropoles around the world, and indeed specifically across California, not many of the headlines that relate to cities and downtown areas remain too positive when it comes to describing what used to be the vibrant hubs of our countries and states.
But as someone who can’t get enough of a classic cityscape, to me, the view over San Francisco will always be special – and never is that more true when I can get up high on a rooftop to capture it from above.
Enter, the absolutely incredible view from the top deck of the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero.
As a building that’s seen a few owners over the years, some may recognise the vista – but with dual aspects looking both north towards the Golden Gate Bridge and Transamerica Pyramid, as well as to the south at the (relatively new) Salesforce Tower – there are perspectives of the city to cherish in all directions.
Luck, of course, plays a part when we only have one evening booked in to shoot – especially when it’s a sunset we’re looking for (in a city that’s reliably unreliable when it comes to cloud cover). But indeed, “luckily”, the weather was on our side this evening.
Spanning either side of blue hour – my time up here allowed me to capture and enjoy the transition from that magical golden glow over the Pacific Ocean through to the signature blue hour vibe that San Francisco delivers so well as night envelops the city skyline.
Looking closer – we have the breakwater of Aquatic Cove out in the distance, along with the iconic Saints Peter and Paul Church, sat looking over Washington Square, just behind North Beach’s famous St. Francis of Assisi Shrine.
Gotta love those details that come to life when we start looking around…
Of course, the same can be said for the effect of zooming out – and switching from 32mm to 23mm (so 20.5mm to 14.5mm equivalent) gives a much more “involved” rooftop perspective looking out over the city beyond with the foreground buildings playing a much more prominent role.
Now, had I known I’d have the option to shoot both sides of the view – but only one evening to do it – I’d have brought two cameras.
Difficult though it made things, transiting through the building to get to both rooftop areas, it’s fair to say I’d have regretted not putting in the effort to capture both aspects – especially with that golden glow of the same sunset featuring in both shots.
Looking to the south, it’s quite obvious how much of an impact Salesforce Tower has had on the city’s skyline when looking downtown.
That said – while impressive in itself, I can’t help but be more excited by the insanely intricate details of San Francisco’s “old guard” when it comes to architecture that stands out. Just look at all that character that’s been there for over a century in the old Standard Oil Building at 225 Bush Street:
I do worry that in the future we might well regret all this “steel and glass” architecture in the same way we do 1960’s prefab concrete now. I guess only time will tell…
So we’re already talking about constantly switching between north and south sides of a relatively large building’s rooftop, through two doors, with full medium format kit setup, the complete range of prime lenses and Phase One XT accessories – to capture both views…
Now let’s add in the fact I wanted both perspectives captured at all times – from golden hour, to blue hour, and well into the night.
Is it do-able? Yes.
Is it frustrating? Absolutely.
Did it work out? You bet.
As the city came alive below, I was running through doorways to rooftop edges, up and down, with long exposures on each tripod placement (and yes, next time, I’ll bring a second setup!)
But wow – what a view I was treated with as twilight hit. Cities really do find their innate rhythm at night.
Exploring the shots even later into the evening – what I gained in interest (as I panned around the frame), I lost in light and separation as the blue faded to the reliable black of the night.
Coit Tower stood out in the distance, more and more, as the rest of the city calmed and even Alcatraz faded a little into the background of the bay.
Another building that took a starring role throughout the evening, of course, was the Transamerica Pyramid – one of the first buildings I remember from the very first time I drove across the Bay Bridge watching the skyline wrap around us as we arrived into town.
Nowadays, with office space becoming less and less a requirement for a large number of businesses – there remains a question over what these buildings will become in the long-term. For now, despite the top few floors being under renovation, it seems desk life still continues at 600 Montgomery Street:
As I left for the evening, it was impossible to escape the fact that the current feeling (or “air”) on the streets of San Francisco has definitely been transformed – and not necessarily for the better.
From up here, however, it retains its “stunning” status in my mind, as a city I’ll never stop enjoying – especially from above.
Now before we go exploring the other views of my cityscape trip, let’s take a moment to absorb some of my more recent learnings while in Californiathis time around:
- “Year 3000” (Y3000) Coca-Cola needs to remain there, and I’m hoping I don’t make it that far so I don’t have to meet it again.
- Kombucha – iiiiiinteresting. Not going to sign up for that loyalty scheme.
- San Francisco International’s approach to _______s who insist on blaring their on-screen cr@p out for all to hear? Perfect.
- Finally, I’ve discovered a book I can relate to.
So, moving to the other side of Market Street (or what I used to know as SoMa) we got to head back to one of my other home-away-from-homes in the city: The InterContinental San Francisco.
While the view from the rooms can be stunning, that window glass, especially when tinted, can be a photographer’s nightmare.
But fear not – working with the team there, we managed to avoid the issue altogether and capture another wonderful blue hour looking directly out over Downtown – the Moscone Centre, Salesforce Tower, the “Jukebox Marriott” and lots more besides.
Indeed – look close enough and you’ll spot the Bay Bridge out in the distance, just managing to make itself known between the ever-increasing footprint of the skyline.
Inspecting even further, it’s the entrance and familiar blue up-lights of one of my old “haunts” – the W San Francisco. I wonder if they were still managing to vibrate the paint off the walls with their Living Room beats in there that night…!
The transition from Blue Hour to full night is less pronounced when the scene is full of lights that keep the glow going up above.
While some of the skyline has changed (“Westfield” is gone as a brand, along with a few others from the sides of buildings), it does still feel ultimately familiar and to me this will always be a classic view of the city by the bay.
So after a night of shooting the skyline lights – what better way to round-off a whirlwind trip into San Francisco than taking a lovely 5:00am drive down the Pacific Coast Highway towards another of my favourite spots – Pigeon Point?
Granted, it wasn’t the “fire” I’ve managed to capture when stood on the Pescadero headlands before, but something feels very right about capturing Route 1 with muted colours – especially when a tiny hint of pink creeps into the sky with the lighthouse still running.
Whether that was what the seagull who refused to move from the pipe was looking at for the entire 3.5 minute exposure – who knows – but clearly he knows a serene view when he lands on one.
(I’m calling him Dave.)
Excited, ignited, calmed and fulfilled – it was time to get back to London.
And evidently a little earlier than planned, as it turned out, thanks to BA for cancelling my flight and not being able to get me on another for the next 3 days unless I took the alternative a few short hours after they even let me know.
Here’s to “express packing” – and a few more learnings:
- Oat Milk chocolate is a health hazard – it can completely break your tastebuds, don’t risk it kids.
- Arby’s sauces aren’t that great in an Arby’s – let alone on your own food. More risk, don’t do it.
- British Airways CAN deliver decent food onboard – Beef Tataki in this case – so what’s the excuse for the other 99% of the time?
- Burgers at 38,000ft are possible – and I’m sure burgers WITHOUT TOMATO are too. Grrrr.