Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco at Sunrise

Since I already planed to go to Hawk Hill in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to photograph the fly-by of the Space Shuttle Endeavour (link), I decided to get up a few hours earlier to capture the sunrise as well. This is something I wanted to do for a long time but never had the motivation to leave my bed that early.

When I arrived, the horizon was already glowing. It was a beautiful and peaceful setting.

Golden Gate Bridge at morning twilight
Golden Gate Bridge at morning twilight

While the Golden Gate Bridge was clear of fog, a bit further south, it looked a bit different. Twin Peaks was covered with a white blanket with Sutro Tower peeking through.

Sutro Tower with glowing sky
Sutro Tower with glowing sky

The clouds up in the sky were nicely lit by the sun. To capture the entire scene, I took five vertical images that I merged into this panorama.

Golden Gate Bridge at sunrise
Golden Gate Bridge at sunrise

At sunrise, the eastern side of the bay area was still covered in a big layer of fog. That’s why the sun looks that choppy.

Rising sun through a thick layer of fog
Rising sun through a thick layer of fog

Like in the mountains, the weather can change quickly in San Francisco. Suddenly the fog moved into the bay and started to cover up the bridge.

Foggy bridge at sunsrise
Foggy bridge at sunsrise

Eventually, the sun burned it off to our relief.

Golden Gate Bridge, fog, clouds, blue sky and morning light, what else do we need?
Golden Gate Bridge, fog, clouds, blue sky and morning light, what else do we need?

This is one of my favorites of this early morning shoot. I am happy that I got up to experience this. I will have to do this again…

Golden Gate Bridge tower and San Francisco skyline with a patch of fog
Golden Gate Bridge tower and San Francisco skyline with a patch of fog





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1 thought on “Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco at Sunrise”

  1. fabulous images as always! yes, i have seen sunrise from the headlands and it’s incredibly beautiful (if it can be seen). it was a great day ~ thanks for sharing your amazing morning!!

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