Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, Oct 2013

Getting good pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge is not as easy as it looks. I think the secret is to be in the right place at the right time and to mess about with the camera’s buttons a bit.

Oh, and use a tripod!

Sea mists often cloud the coast at this time of year but the headlands protect the bay where it is usually far brighter.

It's amazing how much time you can find to muck about with photo-editing software as exams approach!

This morning, a full moon reflected off the clouds that blanketed the lower half of the bridge, yet the city was completely clear. The blue effect in this shot was stumbled across (I nearly said “achieved”, as if it was done on purpose) by selecting a very cold setting on the temperature white balance setting.

I am easily distracted and spent far too much time on the Marin Headlands (Google Earth ref;37 49 41.24N 122 29 51.91W ) trying different settings, lenses and experimenting with white balances in an attempt to get the shot. Live View is a great help as it shows you what the result is likely to be. 

If you visit the Marin Headlands by car, remember that there is a toll on the bridge for the crossing into the city. There is no facility to pay cash as you cross the bridge and you must pay the toll by visiting http://goldengate.org/tolls/

It is possible to pay after the crossing, provided that you do it within 48 hours. See information at http://goldengate.org/tolls/alreadycrossedbridge.php

It may be most convenient to pay the toll at any number of convenience stores in the city (Walgreen’s, Costco, Safeway). Have your car licence plate number to hand.

Rental car firms may have a system whereby they can pay the tolls and you reimburse them with an added convenience fee.

http://goldengate.org/tolls/rentalvehicles.php

http://goldengate.org/tolls/rentaltollprograms.php

You must enquire about this when you pick up the car and either opt-in or opt out.