San Francisco
The first stop I had planned for last Thursday was Mission San Juan Bautista. The mission was only about fifteen miles north of where I was staying so I was able to get some much needed sleep and still get there early. I had never been to San Juan Bautista before and was quite surprised by how interesting the town looked. It is a small town but looks just like it probably did in the 1800’s.
The mission was just as nice. It is surrounded by other historic buildings as part of the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park. The chapel was the most beautiful California Mission chapel that I have been to. Some of the other mission chapels have generic church-looking interiors but Mission SJB is decorated in a very southwestern type of theme. It must truly be a pleasure to attend Mass at the church if you are so inclined. In fact, Mission San Juan Bautista has never ceased being an active parish since its inception in 1797.
Photo: Mission San Juan Bautista Chapel, California
I spent awhile photographing the mission then made my way over to the other part of the state historic park. Some cool looking cowboy stuff in the barn. I didn’t find anything I wanted to photograph in the old home but it is definitely worthwhile to visit as a tourist. Afterward I had a very filling lunch at Dona Esther Mexican Restaurant then proceeded onto Santa Clara Mission.
Santa Clara Mission is located on the campus of Santa Clara University. Nothing exists of the original mission except for an adobe wall across the lawn from the mission church. To be honest, I didn’t find chapel to be very interesting. In my opinion, Santa Clara Mission is the 2nd least interesting of all the 15 or 16 California Missions that I have photographed to date. I took a few shots then walked around campus for a few minutes before leaving for the hotel in Redwood City. I still look reasonably young so I didn’t feel out of place walking through campus. Plus I had my Sierra Club backpack on so I looked like a student at least.
I made a stop at the Palo Alto Baylands Preserve to scout before going to Redwood City. It didn’t look nearly as appealing as my previous visits three years ago but I found some nesting egrets in the palm trees. After making a mental note, I checked into my hotel room then made my way up to Muir Woods National Monument. I hadn’t planned on going to Marin on this particular day but sometimes you’ve got to improvise. I decided on doing a sunset of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands and needed to burn a couple hours so that’s how I ended up at Muir Woods.
The only weather conditions I enjoy Muir Woods in is in the winter and during a storm. Everything is so lush during the winter time in Marin but drab looking during the rest of the year. Plus the smell is so much fresher in winter. Regardless, I made an effort to get some photos. Sometimes you shoot pictures with artistic intentions while other times the goal is to merely make publishable photos. Sounds good to me.
I have a confession to make though. I absolutely hate driving on Mount Tam. The roads are really narrow, a lot of hair-pin turns, steep drop-offs, often completely fogged in, and drivers either go very fast or don’t know how to drive mountain roads (inexperienced mountain drivers rarely use the pull-outs, much to my chagrin.) I have been up that road many times…
The sun was dropping lower to the horizon so I went over to the Marin Headlands to get the classic postcards that I never managed to photograph when I lived in San Francisco. I have tried for the past five years to get a Golden Gate Bridge shot at sunset while half obscured by fog but have never been successful until this trip. (More on that in a few days.) The air quality was great and a few whispy clouds were lingering above the Golden Gate. Some pretty powerful alpenglow was going on this night.
Picture: Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, California
When I was living in San Francisco, I wasn’t yet secure enough in my photography skills to be able to photograph the postcards. I feared being known as a postcard photographer so I generally avoided the general tourist photos unless the light had potential to be spectacular. Now that I am more experienced and have a decent-sized photo collection, I can feel comfortable attacking the classic scenes and make them my own. It can be profitable as well to have these sorts of images in your archive. For example, last month I sold a popular tourist picture twice through my stock agency. 30 million people per year visit that place and probably almost as many have pictures of it. Yet a picture that I took while waiting for dinner at a restaurant, has netted me a few hundred bucks.
Postcard or not, I enjoyed this shoot as much as any other scenic photography I’ve done. The view from the Headlands is stunning regardless if you are alone or are surrounded by 100 tourists. Now that I no longer live in San Francisco, I actually felt embarrassed to not have some of those classic tourist pictures. It’s about time.
The mission was just as nice. It is surrounded by other historic buildings as part of the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park. The chapel was the most beautiful California Mission chapel that I have been to. Some of the other mission chapels have generic church-looking interiors but Mission SJB is decorated in a very southwestern type of theme. It must truly be a pleasure to attend Mass at the church if you are so inclined. In fact, Mission San Juan Bautista has never ceased being an active parish since its inception in 1797.
Photo: Mission San Juan Bautista Chapel, California
I spent awhile photographing the mission then made my way over to the other part of the state historic park. Some cool looking cowboy stuff in the barn. I didn’t find anything I wanted to photograph in the old home but it is definitely worthwhile to visit as a tourist. Afterward I had a very filling lunch at Dona Esther Mexican Restaurant then proceeded onto Santa Clara Mission.
Santa Clara Mission is located on the campus of Santa Clara University. Nothing exists of the original mission except for an adobe wall across the lawn from the mission church. To be honest, I didn’t find chapel to be very interesting. In my opinion, Santa Clara Mission is the 2nd least interesting of all the 15 or 16 California Missions that I have photographed to date. I took a few shots then walked around campus for a few minutes before leaving for the hotel in Redwood City. I still look reasonably young so I didn’t feel out of place walking through campus. Plus I had my Sierra Club backpack on so I looked like a student at least.
I made a stop at the Palo Alto Baylands Preserve to scout before going to Redwood City. It didn’t look nearly as appealing as my previous visits three years ago but I found some nesting egrets in the palm trees. After making a mental note, I checked into my hotel room then made my way up to Muir Woods National Monument. I hadn’t planned on going to Marin on this particular day but sometimes you’ve got to improvise. I decided on doing a sunset of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands and needed to burn a couple hours so that’s how I ended up at Muir Woods.
The only weather conditions I enjoy Muir Woods in is in the winter and during a storm. Everything is so lush during the winter time in Marin but drab looking during the rest of the year. Plus the smell is so much fresher in winter. Regardless, I made an effort to get some photos. Sometimes you shoot pictures with artistic intentions while other times the goal is to merely make publishable photos. Sounds good to me.
I have a confession to make though. I absolutely hate driving on Mount Tam. The roads are really narrow, a lot of hair-pin turns, steep drop-offs, often completely fogged in, and drivers either go very fast or don’t know how to drive mountain roads (inexperienced mountain drivers rarely use the pull-outs, much to my chagrin.) I have been up that road many times…
The sun was dropping lower to the horizon so I went over to the Marin Headlands to get the classic postcards that I never managed to photograph when I lived in San Francisco. I have tried for the past five years to get a Golden Gate Bridge shot at sunset while half obscured by fog but have never been successful until this trip. (More on that in a few days.) The air quality was great and a few whispy clouds were lingering above the Golden Gate. Some pretty powerful alpenglow was going on this night.
Picture: Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, California
When I was living in San Francisco, I wasn’t yet secure enough in my photography skills to be able to photograph the postcards. I feared being known as a postcard photographer so I generally avoided the general tourist photos unless the light had potential to be spectacular. Now that I am more experienced and have a decent-sized photo collection, I can feel comfortable attacking the classic scenes and make them my own. It can be profitable as well to have these sorts of images in your archive. For example, last month I sold a popular tourist picture twice through my stock agency. 30 million people per year visit that place and probably almost as many have pictures of it. Yet a picture that I took while waiting for dinner at a restaurant, has netted me a few hundred bucks.
Postcard or not, I enjoyed this shoot as much as any other scenic photography I’ve done. The view from the Headlands is stunning regardless if you are alone or are surrounded by 100 tourists. Now that I no longer live in San Francisco, I actually felt embarrassed to not have some of those classic tourist pictures. It’s about time.
Labels: California, Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, travel
posted by Richard @ 12:41 PM
3 comments
Richard Wong Photography: Image Boutique
3 Comments:
I would be tickled pink to get a postcard shot from here Richard.
Jeez,sounds like you are having a tremendously productive trip. I don't even have any tourist shots of cannery row, but of the GGB, you bet.
So are you in SF For awhile now, or what? I'm still waiting for a postcard... :)
Cheers & Happy Travels.
Thanks Gary. I was going to give you a call but the trip turned out to be only half as long as originally intended. On Sunday i contemplated going to Mt. Diablo but I remembered that the East Bay makes me have severe allergies.
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