A beautiful day in San Francisco is like no other. The sun shines, the clouds roll by, and the sweet smell of coastal air fills your nostrils. San Francisco is lucky to be situated in a way where the sprawling metropolis is located very close to some beautifully scenic coastlines and natural wonders. Photographically there’s so much to see. Iconic shots of the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as beaches that feel so remote one would not believe they are so close to the city.

I met a small group of four photographers who were ready for a fun filled day of exploration in and around the Marin Headlands. The goal was to photograph some scenic beauty as well as learn more about how to use their camera gear.

We start off with a brief orientation in Sausalito before heading out to Battery Godfrey, our first stop of the day. This location offers up a really nice view of the Golden Gate Bridge from a few different spots. The clouds and light were awesome, so it made for a perfect place to start going over all the different modes in todays digital camera. We cover Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual modes, and the pros and cons of each. For a lot of folks, they have that creative eye, but learning when and why to use the different modes in their camera can be a set back. I really like to take a lot of time on this class to help try to take away part of that mystery, so folks can really settle in and work on the fun part of photography...shooting!

After Battery Godfrey we took a brief break for some food in Sausalito before heading out to the Marin Headlands in search of a good sunset. We stopped first to try and shoot some surfers, who were braving the large waves, that were smashing the shore. The light was starting to get nice, so it was a fun little break to work on faster shutter speeds, and try to freeze action…the only problem was the surfers decided to take a break right when we got dialed in to photograph them.

From the surfers we wandered farther down Rodeo Beach to shoot sunset. Here I worked with the settings to get water movement, and how filters can help with this type of shooting. The light was awesome. The waves were really crashing today, so we weren’t able to get out on the beach, but we found a couple different vantage points to showcase the beautiful light. The group got some really pretty shots, which is made much easier with such a beautiful scene.

It’s always fun to end the night with another shot of the Golden Gate Bridge. This time the light has faded, and the lights have come on…it’s a great little intro to the world of night photography…and the pictures are always amazing. It’s the perfect way to end a fun day of photography in the bay!

Until Next Time,

Brian and the rest of the Aperture Academy Team

P.S. If you'd like to join us at one of our workshops, you can find the schedule/sign up here.

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