Eighty Four

I have always wanted to photograph the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It is one of the most beautiful places on Earth and a world-renowned tourist attraction. Before moving here, when all I knew about California was the amazing weather, I thought this would be an easy item to check off my bucket list.

I was wrong for at least 84 reasons.

According to my AI helper, the Golden Gate Bridge can be viewed from **at least** 21 different vantage points. I've seen it from six locations so far, and it looks marvelously different from each one. My visits include Crissy Field, Hawk Hill, Lands End, Sutro Baths, Point Bonita Lighthouse, and Battery Spencer.

So far, my favorite is Battery Spencer. I love the proximity to the bridge, the skyline in the background, the views of other parts of the Bay, and the general convenience and accessibility of the spot.

However, the bridge in daylight is a different spectacle compared to the bridge at night. This brings the number of ways to view it to 42 (21 in daylight, 21 at night). All my visits so far have been during the day.

Then, there is the fog. The Golden Gate can disappear and reappear within minutes. Cool, moist Pacific air condenses into dense fog, often swallowing the towers while nearby neighborhoods sit in sunshine. On some days, only the lower deck is visible beneath a blanket of white (I experienced this at Lands End and Sutro Baths); on others, the towers rise above the clouds like islands. This doubles the total viewing possibilities to 84 (42 when foggy, 42 when clear).

I haven't even factored in other weather conditions or the constraints of only shooting on weekends.

84 looks quite daunting now, doesn't it?